Give Me Some Lasagna

You know when you're about to check out at the store and all of a sudden you see a "buy 2 get 1 free" sale? Or when you're browsing the aisles and you come across a BOGO sale?

Next thing you know your cart, or basket or whatever, has one to many free items (and a few extra non-free ones). You finally reach the register (or online checkout page) and all of a sudden you're spending more than your budget. That quick <$20 trip turned into a $50 afternoon.

I recently talked about this with a friend. He left a department store with a new waffle maker; he didn't know he was buying a waffle maker that day. That's when I realized this sort of thing happens to me all the time. I go into a store--more likely land on a website--with an idea of what I'm going to buy. However, my checkout cart always--and I mean always--includes random and unplanned items.

What can I say, I can't help. And I'm sure many of you can't either.

Tofu Spaghetti Squash Lasagna (adapted from Minimalist Baker)
Makes 6 servings.
Active time: 35 minutes; total time: 90 minutes.

• 2 spaghetti squashes
• Coconut oil spray
• 2 lemons, juiced
• 1/2 cup packed fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 14 oz. extra firm tofu
• 1/2 cup vegan parmesan cheese
• 25 oz. marinara sauce
• 2 tablespoons dried basil 

1. Halve spaghetti squash using a sharp knife (if you've never done this before, I suggest checking out this video). Use a large spoon or ice cream scoop to scrape out the seeds and surrounding strings so that it looks clean. 
2. Spray the interior of the squash with coconut oil (or other) oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover each half with plastic wrap and pierce several times with knife. Place 2 halves in the microwave and cook for about 15 minutes, or until skin is very soft. Set squash aside and let cool. Repeat with remaining squash. 
3. Preheat oven to 375F. Place lemon juice, basil, olive oil, tofu, and 1/2 cup parmesan cheese in a food processor and season with salt and pepper; pulse to combine and break up so that you end up with a semi-pureed mixture. 
4. Using a large spoon, scoop out the squash into a bowl. Set aside. 
5. Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with coconut oil. Spread 1/3 of the squash along the bottom of the baking dish; top with 1/2 of the ricotta and then 1/2 of the marinara sauce. Repeat the squash, ricotta, and sauce layers once more; top with remaining squash. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup vegan parmesan. 
6. Cover dish with foil and bake for 20 minutes; remove foil and bake for another 15 minutes, or until the top is golden and the sauce is bubbling. If the squash seems to be browning too quickly, cover with foil. 
7. Remove lasagna from oven and let cool. Serve and top with more parmesan and dried basil.