Feeling for lasagna? Try this Columbus restaurant’s vegan and gluten-free recipe

The Ledger-Enquirer’s first installment of our Columbus GA Cookbook features a local restaurant’s gluten-free, vegan twist on an Italian-American classic.

Country Life Natural Food Store and Vegan/Vegetarian Restaurant, 1217 Eberhart Ave., shared their well-loved vegan lasagna recipe with us.

This submission to the Columbus GA Cookbook comes from Monica Whatley, a Muscogee County resident who sent this recipe to us via our Google Form. Here is what Whatley said about Country Life and their lasagna recipe.

“Country Life is a gem in Columbus and has been here for years. It is so unique in that their menu is entirely vegan/vegetarian,” Whatley wrote. “The main entree rotates every day and they post their menu online. Their salad bar is available every day and is incredible. I always look forward to vegan lasagna day. I’m Italian-American, and I miss my mom’s lasagna ever since I went vegan nearly 10 years ago.”

About Country Life

Country Life was founded in 1969 by doctors Calvin and Agatha Thrash, who were looking for alternative ways to help their patients cure their ailments. The establishment is a natural food grocery store, restaurant and health education center wrapped into one.

Having a vegetarian or vegan diet is a big part of their philosophy. Jay Thomas, manager of Country Life, described it as “God’s diet.”

“It’s the original diet that God gave us,” Thomas said. “We can’t improve on what God does.”

Country Life is part of the Uchee Pines Institute nonprofit organization, based in Seale, Alabama. The institute, established by the Thrashes in 1971, is “dedicated to helping those suffering from lifestyle illnesses,” according to its website.

“We are here to help you,” Thomas said. “That’s the whole reason we exist. . . . We’re helping people make the transition from what they had to what they can be.”

The store contains over 4,500 different health food items, according to its website. The restaurant serves lunch weekly Sunday through Thursday with a rotating menu that can be found online.

About Country Life’s vegan lasagna

Country Life serves the vegan lasagna twice a month.

This dish is on the simpler side to create, but there are some tips to keep in mind for a perfect final product. Terriann White, the kitchen supervisor at Country Life, advises to ensure the spinach and tofu are thoroughly squeezed before adding them to the dish so it doesn’t get soggy. White also advises to be careful about the portions.

“Be mindful of your portions with the sauce,” White said. “It’s not like shredded cheese. It’s a sauce. Use only two cups — nothing more, nothing less. Don’t drown it in cheese, because then your baking time would be affected.”

White also said to not boil the brown rice lasagna noodles. Boiling them can make them soft and mushy. Add them dry to the lasagna.

Ingredients for Country Life’s vegan lasagna

The original recipe makes 18 servings — perfect for graduation parties, family reunions or freezer leftovers for a rainy day:

• 14 brown rice lasagna noodles

• Tofu mixture

• 24 blocks (1 pound) of tofu, crumbled

• 1 cup green onions

• ⅓ cup granulated onion

• 3 tbsp granulated granulated garlic

• ¼ tbsp sea salt



• Spinach filling

• 9 packages frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

• 1 ½ cup sauteed onion and peppers

• 1 ½ tbsp granulated garlic

• 1 ½ tbsp sea salt

• Cashew cheese sauce – makes 16 servings

• 6 cups of rinsed cashews

• 6 cups of water

• 28 ounces of Pimento peppers

• 1 cup lemon juice

• 3 tbsp granulated onion

• 1 tbsp garlic

• 3 tbsp sea salt

• Tomato sauce

• 9 large onions, chopped

• 9 red peppers, chopped

• 9 green peppers, chopped

• ½ cup olive oil

• 9 cans spaghetti sauce

• 1 cup and 2 tbsp Italian seasoning

• 1 cup + 2 tbsp dried basil

• ½ cup dried oregano

• ½ cup granulated garlic

• ¼ cup sea salt

Recipe for Country Life’s vegan lasagna

This recipe makes 18 servings.

Ingredients

• 2 cups cashew cheese sauce

• 14 brown rice lasagna noodles

• 8 cups tomato sauce

• 5 ½ cups of spinach filling

• 8 cups tofu filling

• 2 tbsp chopped green onions

Instructions

1. Prepare the components.

• Tomato filling

• In a large pot with a tight-fitting lid, saute onions and peppers in olive oil until tender for about 10 minutes.

• Set aside 1½ cups of onion and pepper mix for spinach filling.

• Add remaining ingredients to the pot of sauteed onions and peppers. Mix well.

• Remove from heat and set aside.

• Spinach filling

• In a large bowl, add all ingredients.

• Mix well and set aside.

• Cashew cheese sauce

• Rinse cashews with warm water and squeeze out excess water.

• Put all cashew sauce ingredients in a blender.

• Blend until smooth.

• Tofu filling

• In a large bowl, add all ingredients. Squeeze excess water out of tofu.

• Mix well and set aside.

2. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

3. Thoroughly spray lasagna pan with olive oil.

4. Assemble the lasagna. Layer the sauce first, then the brown rice lasagna noodle. Layer the spinach filling, cashew cheese sauce and tofu mixture on top of that.

1. Repeat until pan is full. Spread tomato sauce over the top layer.

1. Cover lasagna with a sheet of parchment paper and seal with aluminum foil.

2. Bake for one hour.

3. After one hour, remove the parchment paper and reseal with aluminum foil. Rotate the pan 180 degrees.

4. Put it back in the oven for another 45 minutes until pasta is tender.

5. Use extra tomato sauce, ½ cup drizzle of cashew cheese sauce and green onions to garnish.

6. Serve while hot.

How to be a part of the Columbus GA Cookbook

Have a recipe you would like to submit? Join our Columbus GA Cookbook by filling out this Google Form or emailing us at newsroom@ledger-enquirer.com.

This story was originally published May 7, 2025 at 11:56 AM.