Soya granules are also called TVP textured vegetable protein. This recipe with soya mince is absolutely delicious, vegan, kid-friendly, and perfect for meal prepping.
Textured soy protein is widely used in Scandinavia and Europe. It is a great substitution for minced meat. TVP was something we used a lot when transitioning to a plant-based diet, we would replace half of the meat with soy protein.
This recipe is great for those who are in transition face to a more plant-based diet. This tomato-soya sauce reminds me much of a traditional mince bolognese sauce. Extra fiber and veggies are added to the sauce with carrots or other veggies.
About textured soy
Soy granules are a soy-based meat substitute. The soybean is getting washed, peeled, and afterward grounded into flour. Then the oil is pressed out of the flour. Extrusion gives the final shape to the soy.
Soy granules are small pieces of dry textured soy protein. Chunks are larger pieces of TSP-textured soy protein. Textured soy protein is sold in light and dark version
Check your brand if you can eat them raw or if you need to cook them first. If the granules are pasteurized/heated they are safe to eat raw. Raw does not digest that well, they swell a lot in the tummy.
100 grams of textured soy granules has 50 grams of protein.
The taste of the granules is very bland. They need a lot of flavoring. A small amount of liquid smoke gives a meaty flavor to a sauce. Soy sauce or coconut aminos give saltiness. Tomato paste, paprika powder, pepper, garlic, and herbs are good seasonings for textured soy.
Ingredients for soya mince lasagna
- Wholegrain lasagna noodle sheets.
- Onion
- Garlic cloves
- Textured soy granulates
- Soy sauce, can be replaced with 3 teaspoon miso.
- Carrot
- Tomato paste
- Black pepper
- Spicy paprika powder, I love the spanish one. Can be replaced with regular.
- Cumin powder
- Mixed dried herbs, for example basil and thyme
- Salt, can be left out.
- Diced tomatoes, or passata
- Margarine or rapeseed oil
- Plant-based milk like soy-, oats- or almond milk
- White pepper, or green pepper
- Grated nutmeg
- Vegan grated cheese, optional.
- Oregano or pizza spice.
Instructions
- Start by making your tomato-soy sauce: Wash and grate your carrot. Dice your onion to small cubes. Fry your onion and carrots on a hot pan. Add the peeled and pressed garlic cloves. If you need to, add 2 tablespoon of water or oil to the pan. Add in all your spices, tomato paste, and soy sauce. Add the soy granules and diced tomatoes, stir and let simmer while you make your white sauce.
- Turn your oven on to 400F
- Melt your margarine in a pan. Mix the flour in the fat. Add in your plant milk gradually (½-1 cup at a time) while at the same time constantly stirring. Let the sauce thicken up every time before adding more milk. As last add the pepper and nutmeg.
Assemblying
- Assemble your lasagna: Add ⅓ of the tomato sauce to the bottom of your lasagna pan. Spread it around evenly. Next, add 3-4 lasagna noodle sheets on top.
- Add ½ of the white sauce on top of the noodles. Layer up with 3-4 noodle sheets.
- Add the rest of the tomato sauce on top of the white sauce.
- The last layer is noodle sheets and the rest of the white sauce. Sprinkle the grated vegan cheese on top and decorate with dried oregano.
- Bake at 400 F (200C) for 40-45 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes before serving the lasagna
Depending on the size of your lasagna pan you need 3-4 sheets per layer.
What to serve with
- Green salad
- Grated cabbage salad (swedish pizza salad)
- Quick pickled smashed cucumbers
- Pickled red cabbage
Substitutions
A whole foods plant-based textured soy lasagna is made without the margarine and the cheese as a topping.
Low sodium lasagna is made by using miso paste in the sauce instead of regular soy sauce. According to nutritionfacts miso is a better choice for those with hypertension.
Vegetarian lasagna is made with regular milk, butter, and cheese in the recipe.
Variations
- Spicy: Add ½ teaspoon of chili flakes, 1-2 teaspoon of sambal oelek paste or sriracha. Also arrabiata flavored diced tomato cans are great for this lasagna to give extra flavor and spice.
- More veggies: You can add bell pepper, grated zucchini, small diced eggplant to your marinara sauce to get even more veggies in this lasagna. Root celery in small amount gives also extra flavor if you like the taste.
- Low calorie: Leave out the margarine from the white sauce. Dont top your lasagna with cheese but for example with thin tomato slices. You can also replace 1-2 layers of lasagna noodles with eggplant or zucchini slices. This makes the lasagna a bit more watery though.
Equipment
You need a small lasagna pan. I used a pan the size 12x8 inches. Depending on the size of your pan you need to put 3 or 4 lasagna sheets for one layer.
You also need 2 skillets or pans to make the two different sauces. If you use a nonstick pan like Teflon, remember to use plastic utensils. For stainless steel, you can also use steel cooking utensils.
Storing
You can store your lasagna covered in the fridge for up to 4 days. The lasagna can be frozen for up to 6 months.
This is perfect for meal prepping. Cut the pieces in glass containers, take them with you to work, and microwave for lunch. Reheating can also be done in oven at 350 F.
Food safety
You should not eat textured soy if you are allergic to soy! Textured soy and onion might cause some flatulence especially for people with IBS. Start with small amounts.
Check out other recipes
Vegan lasagna with soya granules
Ingredients
- 10-12 pcs wholegrain lasagna noodle sheets.
Tomato sauce
- 1 onion
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1 cup textured soy granulates
- 3 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 large carrot
- 4 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 teaspoon spicy paprika powder
- 2 teaspoon cumin powder
- 4 teaspoon mixed dried herbs
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 cans diced tomatoes 800g
White sauce(Bechamel)
- 2 tablespoon margarine 30g
- ½ cup flour
- 3,5 cups plant-based milk
- ½ teaspoon white pepper
- ½ teaspoon grated nutmeg
On top
- 150 grams vegan grated cheese 1 small bag
- 2 teaspoon oregano
Instructions
- Wash and grate your carrot. Dice your onion to small cubes.
- Fry your onion and carrots on a hot pan. Add the peeled and pressed garlic cloves. If you need to, add 2 tablespoon of water or oil to the pan.
- Add in all your spices, tomato paste, and soy sauce.
- Add the soy granules and diced tomatoes, stir and let simmer while you make your white sauce.
- Turn your oven on to 400F
- Melt your margarine in a pan. Mix the flour in the fat. Add in your plant milk gradually (½-1 cup at a time) while at the same time constantly stirring. Let the sauce thicken up every time before adding more milk. As last add the pepper and nutmeg.
- Assemble your lasagna: Add ⅓ of the tomato sauce to the bottom of your lasagna pan. Spread it around evenly. Next, add 3-4 lasagna noodle sheets on top.
- Add ½ of the white sauce on top of the noodles. Layer up with 3-4 noodle sheets. Add the rest of the tomato sauce on top of them.
- The last layer is noodle sheets and the rest of the white sauce. Sprinkle the grated vegan cheese on top and decorate with dried oregano.
- Bake at 400 F (200C) for 40-45 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes before serving the lasagna.
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