Can’t be bothered to make lasagna? This is the sandwich for you! Get all the goodness of a vegan lasagna without having to actually make it.
G.O.A.T.
People often discuss Tom Brady as the G.O.A.T. of football. But can we stop and discuss this sandwich for a moment?
Introducing the Greatest Vegan Lasagna Sandwich of ALL TIME.
(Never mind that it may be the ONLY vegan lasagna sandwich all time.)
Who the heck makes a lasagna sandwich?
Reasons to make a vegan lasagna sandwich
- You have ZERO time to make actual lasagna with pasta sheets.
- You just want to have lasagna for 1-2 people, not the 6-9 people a 13×9″ pan of lasagna it could feed.
- You want to eat in 30 minutes or less.
Vegan cheese…let’s discuss
Vegan cheese has a come a long way. By long, I mean at least 10 years.
What used to be veritable rubber balls actually taste very similar to cheese now!
Having experimented with various brands, I like the Violife brand the best so far.
Their smoked provologne slices work particularly well in this recipe.
It does not melt terribly well, but I haven’t found any other vegan cheese that melts too well either.
Hot sandwich how to:
Time needed: 30 minutes
Making a hot sandwich isn’t hard. It just requires some timing and a hot pan.
- Prep ingredients
The cooking and assembly of this sandwich go quick. Have all the garlic chopped, mushrooms cleaned, and onions sliced before you start cooking.
- Saute spinach
Stir fry baby spinach with some garlic, salt, and oil and set aside to keep warm in a covered bowl.
- Make the mushroom marinara
In the same pan (you don’t have to wash it out!), saute the onions and mushrooms. A pinch of fresh or dried rosemary is nice too. Add your favorite jarred tomato sauce, and keep stirring until the mushrooms are cooked through. Cover and set aside.
- Toast bread
Butter and toast your bread in a toaster or a 350 degree oven, just until the butter is melted, and the bread gets that slight crispy layer on top.
- Top with cheese and layer on mushrooms
Layer on the sliced vegan cheese and the mushroom marinara.
- Top with cooked spinach
- Serve
Top with the other piece of toasted bread and serve hot. In this photo, I put the cheese on top of the spinach. But I really think it would work better beneath the mushrooms.
The Greatest Holiday Sandwich?
Even if you don’t think this is the greatest lasagna sandwich of all time, perhaps it is the greatest holiday sandwich of all time?
It’s all red, green, and festive!
Christmas and lasagna in a sandwich.
Give it a try.
(Like Tom Brady did with Tampa Bay…)
Helpful Tips
- Use designer bread: This is the time to use that crusty loaf from a fancy bakery. While meat would normally provide the “chew” in a sandwich, in this case it is the bread.
- If you can’t find vegan cheese, you can skip it. You don’t have to have it, but it adds some saltiness and creaminess.
- Baby spinach vs. regular spinach. We like baby spinach in this recipe because it is pre-washed and ready to go. Washed regular spinach would work too though.
- Portabella mushrooms are extra “meaty”, but use any mushrooms that you like!
- If you are toasting your bread in the oven, let it start preheating before you start prepping any of the ingredients.
Related Vegan Recipes
Vegan Millet Porridge with Coconut Milk for Easy Breakfast Nourishment
Vegan Green Bean Casserole with Coconut Milk (only 7 ingredients)
Twice Baked Honeynut Squash with Vegan Wild Rice Stuffing
Vegan Lasagna Sandwich
Ingredients
- 4 slices good quality bread
- 2 Tb vegan butter
- 4 slices vegan cheese
Sauteed Spinach
- 1 Tb oil
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 5 oz baby spinach or regular spinach
- salt to taste for me this is about 1/2 tsp of pink Himalayan salt
Mushroom Marinara
- 2 ea portabella mushrooms gills removed and sliced about 1/2" thick
- 1/2 ea onion sliced about 1/4" thick
- 1 tsp oil
- 1/2 c tomato marinara sauce
- salt to taste for me this is about 1/4 tsp of pink Himalayan salt
Optional
- 1 tsp fresh rosemary chopped, or 1/2 tsp dried
Instructions
Sauteed Spinach
- Heat a pan to medium heat. Add the oil and garlic. Stir fry for 30 seconds – 1 minute to cook the garlic and remove its harsh bite.
- Add the baby spinach, and stir fry for 1-2 minutes just until the spinach is wilted and cooked. Don't forget to add salt to taste, so the spinach tastes like something besides green.
- Remove spinach to a bowl, and partially cover to keep warm until the rest of the sandwich is ready to assemble.
Mushroom Marinara
- In the same pan the spinach was in, add the oil and onion. Stir fry for 2-3 minutes until the onion starts to become translucent, browned, and cooked through.
- Add the mushrooms and stir fry for 2-3 minutes just to caramelize and develop flavor in the mushrooms before adding the tomato sauce. Don't forget to add the salt.
- Add the marinara sauce. Keep stirring for 2-3 minutes until hot and the mushrooms are cooked through.
- Cover and set aside while the bread toasts.
Toast bread
- Spread butter onto 1 side of each bread slice. Toast in the toaster or a 350 degree oven for 2-4 minutes, until the butter is melted and the bread is just getting that toasted, crunchy layer on top.
Assemble sandwich
- Remove from the toaster and add 2 slices of cheese to the unbuttered side of 2 toasted bread slices.
- Divide the mushroom marinara between the 2 cheese topped bread slices.
- Put the spinach on top of the mushrooms. Careful to drain the spinach from the excess water that has probably started to pool in the bottom of your bowl.
- Top the spinach with the 2 remaining bread slices. Cut in half if you like, and serve hot!
Notes
- Use designer bread: This is the time to use that crusty loaf from a fancy bakery. While meat would normally provide the “chew” in a sandwich, in this case it is the bread.
- If you can’t find vegan cheese, you can skip it. You don’t have to have it, but it adds some saltiness and creaminess.
- Baby spinach vs. regular spinach. We like baby spinach in this recipe because it is pre-washed and ready to go. Washed regular spinach would work too though.
- Portabella mushrooms are extra “meaty”, but use any mushrooms that you like!
- If you are toasting your bread in the oven, let it start preheating before you start prepping any of the ingredients.
Nutrition
Wine Pairing: Cabernet Franc
A bottle of Cabernet Franc ($50) from a vineyard in Calistoga, CA inspired this sandwich.
Provenance Winery recommended pairing this wine with:
- Prosciutto wrapped filet mignon with brussel sprouts
- Portabella mushroom and spinach lasagna with smoked provologne cheese
I opted for #2 and loved the dark plum and blackberry flavors that came gushing through when paired with tomato sauce and earthy mushrooms.
However, is this a BIG wine to pair with vegetables?
Yes.
It reminded me of a Range Rover.
A Range Rover can scale mountains, trek through the gnarliest jungle in the Amazon, and drive through the snowstorm of the century like a leisurely stroll in the darn park.
However, in places like Orange County, CA with little inclement weather and generously wide paved highways, you will sight Range Rovers on suburban roads on the way to school carpools and soccer practices.
Do you really NEED such a big car, if you’re not going to USE the car to its full capabilities?
Like this big, powerful Cabernet Franc from Napa Valley, you may not need such a luxurious wine to power with simple vegetables.
A wine that could hold its own against pork, beef, bison, elk, and even horse.
But you need it.
You want it.
You have to have it.
And that’s all that matters when it comes to wine pairing.
Vegan Cheese
Great recipe! So easy and so tasty!
asiantestkitchen@gmail.com
Thanks so much Vegan Cheese! 🙂