Protein-Packed Lasagna Noodles!

I think you all know by now how I feel about protein. I LOVE IT. I firmly believe that sedentary vegans can get plenty of protein without supplementation, but athletes — whether vegan or non-vegan — need to take just a little more protein for muscle recovery after workouts. But all that aside, I just feel better when I'm eating more plant protein. It keeps me full longer. It gives me more energy. It's just great!

I get protein in all kinds of ways — through tofu, tempeh, seitan, beans, nuts, seeds, protein powders, etc. But one of my favorite ways to get extra protein is through pasta! Because pasta. Explore Cuisine makes high-protein pastas with very few ingredients, and they're totally organic. They recently sent me some Organic Green Lentil Lasagna Noodles so I could do a post for National Lasagna Day, and well, that was July 29. Sooooo, I'm a little late, but real talk, lasagna is good EVERY day.

These noodles are gluten-free and made from lentil flour, green pea flour, and brown rice flour, and one two-ounce serving packs 11 grams of protein! Plus, they're no-boil, and that means no-fuss. Nothing sucks more than boiling lasagna noodles and having them stick together in the pot, and then you've got to shred them apart with a fork. And then they tear, and you're left with a big ole mess.

With these noodles, you simply layer the ingredients using dry noodles and then bake according to directions. I chose the recipe for Simplified Mushroom-Spinach Lasagna from The No Meat Athlete Cookbook, which calls for boiled noodles, and subbed these instead. Perfect results!

The noodles had a delightful, chewy noodle texture. They don't taste like lentils. They taste like any pre-boiled, semolina pasta. You wouldn't even know these are gluten-free!

The recipe layers sauteed mushrooms and onions with spinach, white beans, nooch, and marinara. Then it's topped with a homemade cashew cheese and baked. The cheese gets all crusty on top and melty underneath (you can't see that in this picture, but trust me). It's topped with a vegan basil pesto (also from the NMA cookbook) made with spinach, basil, brazil nuts, pine nuts, and almonds. So yummy and wholesome. Plus, PACKED WITH PROTEIN. These noodles (and this recipe) are total winners.