This quick lasagna can be steamed or baked as well but I use the pressure cooker – fast, energy-saving and fun.
Serves two people
Utensils
- 16 cm-wide stainless steel bowl with straight sides – fits into a small pressure cooker (I use the ‘Zebra’ brand bowl)
- Stainless steel stand for bowl
- Pressure cooker filled with water to cover the stand
- Standard 8 oz measuring cup
- Measuring spoons
INGREDIENTS
- Brown rice lasagna sheets, uncooked (any al dente brand – I use ‘Tinkyada’)
- 1 1/4 cup soy bean milk, on the thick side (coconut milk can also be used)
- 1/8 oz garbanzo bean flour (or other thickener)
- 1 1/3 cup ready-to-eat, pre-washed (western) spinach leaves, packed well into the cup but not crushed
- 1/4 medium-sized red capsicum
- 1/2 teaspoon ground oregano
- 1 tablespoon Italian herb mix
- A dash of black pepper
- 1 teaspoon sea salt or salt to taste
FAST-TO-PREPARE METHOD (For a person in a hurry)
No need to layer the ingredients – cook everything in a saucepan and ladle the sauce into the bowl, with lasagna sheets in between.
A leisurely preparation time for the sauce with ingredients is about 30 mins.
Skin the capsicum to aid digestion, slice small
Measure out the soy milk and pour into a saucepan
Add the sea salt – taste for saltiness
Mix the garbanzo flour slowly with enough water to a runny paste
Then bring the soy milk to a boil, stirring all the time
Stir in the garbanzo paste till the soy milk thickens
Stir in in the herbs and the capsicum
Turn off the flame/heat
Stir in the spinach leaves
Break the lasagna sheets to fit the bowl
NOW put a layer of the sauce at the bottom of the bowl, next place a layer of lasagna sheets on top, followed by more sauce above, and so on.
You can layer 5 lasagna sheets, or more if you prefer.
From the moment the steam of the pressure cooker hisses out loudly, time about 7 minutes to cook. Then turn off the flame/heat and let the lasagna sit in the cooker until the pressure is released.
The sauce with ingredients between the layers of sheets does not have as much body as with the regular lasagna when you layer the ingredients separately.
BUT this healthy gluten-free lasagna is still as tasty! And saves time.
NOTE: For variations
A lacto vegetarian can use cow’s milk instead of soy milk and can add layers of cheese on top of the lasagna sheets.
You can use powdered soy milk and mix with water to 1 1/4 cup. (I use the sugar-free ‘Unisoy’ brand.)
You can add more ground oregano and herb mixture if you prefer.
If you use another type of thickener, see that the consistency of the sauce is not too thick.
If you see little spaces without any lasagna sheet, simply add in broken pieces to cover them.
Or, for a little fun, add a few brown rice fusilli instead (I use ‘Jovial’). Just be sure there is enough sauce to cover the fusilli – if not, just add in a little water to the sauce remnants in the saucepan for extra watery sauce to cover the fusilli.
If you own a big pressure cooker, you can use a rectangular stainless steel dish to more easily fit in the lasagna sheets.
ENJOY!
Aileen Amara 