Vegan Lasagna Recipe

I don’t say this lightly. This truly is the BEST Vegan Lasagna! Layered with a tofu-cashew ricotta, red lentil marinara and loads of fresh spinach, this lasagna is protein packed with 26 grams per serving and is sure to satisfy!

THE BEST VEGAN LASAGNA. After trying many different vegan lasagnas over the years since giving up animal products, I have finally come up with the WINNING RECIPE! At last, a lasagna that my whole family will eat without complaining.

Now, I adore a lasagna filled with zucchini, mushrooms, spinach and whatever other vegetables you’d like to put in it. However my children do not feel the same way! They just don’t want chunks of veggies in their lasagna. So I compromised.

There are still plenty of healthy ingredients in this vegan lasagna, such as red lentils, tomato sauce, tofu, cashews, spinach and whole grain noodles. And I promise, it’s delicious!

Best Vegan Lasagna Recipe

This Vegan Lasagna Recipe is the absolute best, and it’s also a delicious high-protein pasta dinner! It’s such an ultimate cheesy comfort food dish that’s perfect for both the holidays and regular weeknights!

Prep: 15min

Total: 60min

Yield: 12

Serving Size: 1 serving

Nutrition Facts: calories 343 kcal, Carbohydrate 48 g, Protein 14 g, Fat 11 g, Saturated Fat 3 g, Cholesterol 1 mg, Sodium 1096 mg, Fiber 6 g, Sugar 8 g, unSaturated Fat 3 g, servingSize 1 serving

Ingredients:

• 16 lasagna sheets
• 1 ½ tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium sized white onion (diced)
• 5 cloves garlic (minced)
• 1 large eggplant (14 ounces, evenly cut and cubed)
• ¾ teaspoon sea salt
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 9-12 ounces vegan meat alternative crumbles (I used Beyond Meat crumbles for this)
• 42 ounces jar or can of tomato sauce ((you can grab a 28 ounce and a 14 ounce jar))
• 2 cups vegan ricotta
• 3 cups shredded vegan mozzarella
• basil for garnish (optional)

Instruction:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil, then cook lasagna noodles according to directions on the box, swirling every now and then so they don’t stick together.
2. Set aside a cup of vegan mozzarella cheese (this will be for the top layer).
3. While pasta is boiling (it took 10 minutes for me) heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic, and sauté for about 5 minutes, until onions are translucent and fragrant. Add the chopped eggplant, salt and pepper, and cook for another 10 minutes until the eggplants is soft enough that the wooden spoon or spatula can slice right through it.
4. Add in the vegan beefless crumbles/veggie chunks/crumbled veggie burgers and stir to combine. Cook for about 3 minutes. Depending on yours, you may need to add a bit more salt at this point. Taste and add accordingly. Reduce heat to medium low, add in all the tomato sauces and stir to combine, for about 3 minutes. Taste and add salt accordingly. Remove from heat and set aside.
5. In a 13” x 9” pan, add 1/2 cup of “meat” marinara sauce mixture on the bottom and spread with a spatula to create an even bottom layer. Cover the bottom with about 4 lasagna noodles lengthwise, overlapping a bit. This will be your first layer.
6. Next, add about some of the “meat” marinara sauce mixture (just ensure you have enough for 4 even layers) and then 1/3 of the vegan ricotta, and about 1/3 of the remaining vegan mozzarella on top of the ricotta.
7. Repeat layers until you’ve reached the top layer. Add the remaining meat sauce on top then sprinkle/spread the previously set aside 1 cup vegan mozzarella over it.
8. Cover the pan with foil and bake in the oven for 30 minutes covered. Then broil for about 3-5 minutes of low broil to brown the cheese on top. Top with basil, and allow to set up on the counter for about 10 minutes before cutting into slices. Cut into 9 or 12 even slices. Serve and enjoy!

The Best Vegan Lasagna

This is hands down the BEST Vegan Lasagna. With a protein packed red lentil marinara sauce, tofu-cashew ricotta and lots of fresh spinach, this lasagna will satisfy everyone, vegan or not!

Prep: 25min

Total: 85min

Yield: 8

Serving Size: 1 serving

Nutrition Facts: calories 497 kcal, servingSize 1 serving, Carbohydrate 75 g, Protein 25 g, Fat 12 g, Saturated Fat 2 g, Sodium 700 mg, Fiber 14 g, Sugar 11 g

Ingredients:

• 1 cup dried red lentils
• (2) 25-ounce jars marinara sauce
• 1 cup raw cashews
• 16 ounce firm tofu, patted dry with paper towels
• 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, from about 2 lemons
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2-3 cups baby spinach
• 1 box lasagna noodles, whole grain or gluten free if needed
• Double recipe Easy Vegan Mozzarella Cheese

Instruction:

1. First, cook your red lentils. Add 1 cup dried red lentils and 3 cups of water to a medium pot. Bring to a boil, and then simmer for about 20 minutes. Drain the lentils in a fine strainer, and then add to a large bowl. Add both jars of marinara to the bowl with the lentils and mix to combine. Set aside.
2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
3. Make the Cashew-Tofu Ricotta: Add the cashews to a food processor and process until fine and crumbly. Then add the tofu in chunks, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, salt, basil, oregano and garlic powder to the food processor. Pulse until well combined and pretty smooth.
4. Assembling the lasagna: Add about 1 cup of marinara sauce (with the cooked lentils) to the bottom of a large 9 x 13 inch casserole dish or lasagna pan. Spread it around evenly. Next add 4-5 lasagna noodles (uncooked). Spread half of the Cashew-Tofu Ricotta on top of the noodles. Top with half of the spinach. Add about 1 cup of the marinara sauce over the spinach, then place 4-5 lasagna noodles on top. Spread the rest of the Ricotta over the noodles, then the rest of the spinach. Place 4-5 more noodles on top of the spinach, and then pour the rest of the sauce over the top, evenly.Â
5. Cover tightly with foil. Bake for 1 hour. Let cool at least 15 minutes before cutting and serving. (see below if using optional mozzarella topping)
6. While the lasagna is cooking, make your Vegan Mozzarella Cheese, if using.
7. If using the mozzarella topping, simply remove the lasagna after 40 minutes of cooking in the oven. Spoon on the mozzarella, and pop it back in the oven for another 20 minutes. Remove, let cool for at least 15 minutes and serve.

Best Vegan Lasagna

Who knew vegan lasagna could be so delicious? This dairy-free lasagna recipe is easy to make with simple ingredients and tastes amazing. It’s the best! Recipe yields 8 servings.

Prep: 35min

Total: 1h5min

Yield: 9

Serving Size: 1 serving, no garnishes

Nutrition Facts: servingSize 1 serving, no garnishes, calories 274 calories, Sugar 6.7 g, Sodium 530.4 mg, Fat 11.5 g, Saturated Fat 1.8 g, Trans Fat 0 g, Carbohydrate 36.8 g, Fiber 7.1 g, Protein 7.3 g, Cholesterol 0 mg

Ingredients:

• 2 cups raw cashews, soaked for at least 4 hours if you do not have a high-powered blender
• 1 cup water
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
• 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 medium-to-large yellow onion, chopped
• 2 large or 3 medium carrots, chopped (about 1 cup)
• 8 ounces Baby Bella mushrooms, cleaned and chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt, to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 5 to 6 ounces baby spinach, roughly chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
• 2 1/2 cups marinara sauce, homemade* or store-bought (I used Rao’s)
• 9 no-boil lasagna noodles**
• Suggested garnishes: vegan Parmesan (or a light sprinkle of nutritional yeast) and fresh basil

Instruction:

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. If you soaked your cashews, drain and rinse them until the water runs clear.
2. In a blender, combine the cashews, water, lemon juice, vinegar, salt, and mustard. Blend until the mixture is smooth and creamy, stopping to scrape down the sides as necessary. If you’re having trouble blending the mixture, slowly blend in up to ½ cup additional water, using only as much as necessary. Set aside.
3. Then, we’ll prepare the vegetables: In a large skillet over medium heat, warm the olive oil. Once shimmering, add the onion, carrots, mushrooms, salt and several twists of black pepper. Cook, stirring every couple of minutes, until most of the moisture is gone and the vegetables are tender and turning golden on the edges, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add another splash of olive oil if necessary to prevent them from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
4. Add a few large handfuls of spinach to the skillet. Cook, stirring frequently, until the spinach has wilted. Repeat with remaining spinach and cook until all of the spinach has wilted, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, stirring constantly, about 30 seconds. Remove the skillet from the heat and season to taste with salt and pepper.
5. Spread 3/4 cup tomato sauce evenly over the bottom of a 9” by 9” baking dish. Layer 3 lasagna noodles on top (snap off their ends to fit, and/or overlap their edges as necessary). Spread 1 cup of the cashew cream evenly over the noodles. Top with half of the veggies. Top with ¾ cup tomato sauce.
6. Top with 3 more noodles, followed by another 1 cup cashew cream (save the leftover cream). Then add the remaining veggies.
7. Top with 3 more noodles, then spread ¾ cup tomato sauce over the top to evenly cover the noodles.
8. Wrap a sheet of parchment paper or aluminum foil around the top of the lasagna, making sure it’s taut so it doesn’t touch the top. Bake, covered, for 25 minutes, then remove the cover, rotate the pan by 180° and continue cooking for about 5 to 10 more minutes, until it’s steaming and lightly bubbling at the corners.
9. Remove the pan from the oven and let the lasagna cool for 15 to 20 minutes, so it has time to set and cool down to a reasonable temperature. Drizzle leftover cashew cream on top (if it’s too thick to drizzle, thin it out with a small amount of water first). Sprinkle vegan Parmesan and fresh basil on top, if using, then slice and serve.

BEST VEGAN LASAGNA RECIPE

FAQ

What is vegan lasagna made of?

What can I use instead of meat in lasagna?

Which lasagna noodles are vegan?

What can you substitute for cheese in lasagna?