Zucchini Lasagna Casserole

Soak quinoa in water to remove the acidic outer layer. You can either soak it overnight or the day of, just try to soak for at least 7 hours.

Once you’re ready to prepare the dish, drain and rinse quinoa. Bring 2 cups water to a boil (a 1:2 ratio of quinoa to water). Add quinoa and reduce to low heat. Depending on how much quinoa you’re cooking, it could take anywhere from 30 minutes to 1 hour to get a nice, fluffy texture with all the moisture absorbed.

While quinoa is cooking, heat a large pan with some extra virgin olive oil or coconut oil. Saute onion and garlic until golden brown. Put into a blender with fresh tomatoes, basil leaves, salt, and pepper. Blend until until everything is mixed. This will be your homemade tomato sauce. (Of course, you don’t have to make it at home. If you prefer to buy sauce, that’s totally fine. If you do make your own sauce, be sure that it’s thick and not watery, otherwise it will make the finished dish too loose.)

In the same pan, sauté slices of zucchini in oil until they are nice and browned on both sides. Season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. You can use the same seasonings for your quinoa once it’s cooked.

Spoon quinoa into casserole dish, spread evenly, and smooth out. Pour tomato sauce over. Layer zucchini slices on top. Sprinkle a layer of vegan cheese on top. If you love basil, you could also put a few leaves straight onto the dish. Bake in the oven at 350ºF for about 15 minutes or until cheese is melted.

It tastes best straight from the oven, after cooling down for a couple of minutes. Store leftovers in a sealed container in the fridge. If you don’t want to use quinoa as the base, you could use brown rice or millet. Or hey, some vegan and gluten-free lasagna, or whatever kind of pasta you like! And if you aren’t crazy about zucchini, substitute any veggie that sounds good.