This vegan lasagna recipe is full of flavour, nutrition, and creamy vegan ricotta cheese! Simple to make, this lasagna is a crowd-pleasing recipe for vegans and meat eaters alike. Its easy to prepare in advance and bake when you need it. Pair this amazing vegan lasagna recipe with some creamy vegan Caesar salad and your taste buds will go wild!
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Make Vegan Lasagna with Tofu Ricotta Cheese Recipe
The first time I made vegan lasagna I whipped up a tomato sauce with a bunch of vegetables in it, and layered that with lasagna noodles and vegan Parmesan cheese. I topped it off with some store-bought vegan cheese shreds. It was tasty, but didn’t leave me feeling very full.
That’s because I didn’t add any good sources of vegan protein to the recipe. There was a bit in the Parmesan cheese, but in total, not very much. This recipe for vegan lasagna has two excellent sources of plant-based protein: the ricotta cheese, and lentils in the sauce.
Lentils are an amazing whole food source of plant-based protein. They are packed with fibre, protein and lots of other nutrients and health benefits! I always like to keep some lentils on hand for tossing into recipes to increase the protein content.
The vegan ricotta cheese is made from almonds and tofu, both great sources of protein and healthy fats. That was another thing missing from my first vegan lasagna attempt: there wasn’t any healthy fat! Don’t fear fat from whole foods like almonds. It is essential for your body, and will keep you feeling full and satisfied!
Make Vegan Lasagna Healthier with Whole Wheat Noodles
Lasagna is notoriously considered an unhealthy dish. Vegan lasagna certainly could be, if you wanted to make it with some veggie ground round and vegan cheese made from oils. I’m not saying don’t ever have an unhealthy lasagna, but I’ve focused on making a healthier version of lasagna by sticking to mostly whole plant-based foods.
It’s always recommended to choose whole grains over white or refined grains whenever possible. This holds true for pasta. Aim to use whole wheat pasta if you are looking for an additional health boost. Pasta is not typically considered a whole food, but if you use the whole grain versions, it’s pretty close! Whole grains have a host of health benefits. And don’t worry about the gluten unless you have Celiac disease or gluten sensitivity. Whole grains, even those with gluten, are consistently found to have health benefit!
I’d love to hear your thoughts on this amazing healthy vegan lasagna recipe with tofu ricotta cheese in the comments below!
Amazing Vegan Lasagna with Ricotta Cheese
Equipment
- 9x13 Baking dish
- Cutting Board
- Knife
- Large pan
Ingredients
- Vegan ricotta cheese (double batch for a full/ thick ricotta layer)
- 11 lasagna noodles
- 6 C fresh spinach
- 1 large onion diced (about 1 ½ C)
- 1 large bell pepper diced (about 1 ¾ C)
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 large zucchini diced (about 2 ½ C)
- 3 C mushrooms chopped
- 2 tbsp olive oil (or oil of choice; avocado oil also works well)
- 680 mL jar tomato puree
- ½ C water
- 1 ½ C lentils cooked , or 1 19 oz can, drained and rinsed
- 2 tsp dry basil
- 1 tsp dry oregano
- ½ tsp salt or to taste
- Black pepper to taste
- ½ C fresh basil sliced, divided
- 2 tomatoes sliced thinly
Instructions
- If making your own vegan ricotta cheese, prepare that first (to let sit in fridge while the rest of the lasagna is prepared).
Lasagna Sauce:
- Chop the onion, bell pepper, zucchini, and 3 cups of mushrooms into small pieces. Finely mince 4 cloves of garlic. Place these ingredients into a large pan with the olive oil, over medium heat and cook until little or no water remains, about 12-15 min. If there is a lot of water being released from the vegetables, strain it away.
- Add the 680 mL of tomato puree to the cooked vegetables, along with the 2 tsp dry basil, 1 tsp oregano, ½ tsp salt and pepper to taste. Use ½ C water to rinse the tomato puree jar, and pour this tomato-water into the sauce as well. Lower the heat and let the sauce simmer.
- Slice the ½ C fresh basil and add ¾ of this to the sauce.
Lasagna Noodles:
- Cook noodles (if needed) according to package directions. I prefer to use oven-ready lasagna noodles as they don't need to be pre-cooked.
Other Ingredient Prep:
- Bring a pot of water to a boil, submerge the spinach in the water and cook for 2-3 min or until wilted. Take spinach out and drain away excess water.
- Slice the tomatoes.
- Preheat the oven to 350 °F.
Lasagna Assembly:
- Assemble the vegan lasagna into a 9x13 baking tray in the order below:
- A thin layer of sauce
- 3 noodles
- 1/3 of the remaining sauce
- Spinach
- Ricotta
- 5 noodles
- 1/2 of the remaining sauce
- 3 noodles
- The rest of the sauce
- Tomato slices
- Bake for 20 minutes if the noodles are precooked. Otherwise, bake the length of time needed to cook the noodles, according to the package directions. If you prepare this in advance, and refrigerate the assembled lasagna, bake for 40-50 minutes to heat through.
- Top with remaining basil just before serving.
Vegan Banana Bread Recipe (Great Fresh or Frozen)
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