The Best Vegan Lasagna
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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!
Let’s talk about red lentils for a minute.
They are my favorite lentil, especially for kids and picky eaters! Talk about a protein powerhouse. At 18 grams of protein per cup cooked, these add a TON of nutrition to this dish. And the best thing about them is that unlike green or brown lentils, red lentils kinda mush and mix in with whatever you put them in.
They are almost undetectable, and in pasta sauce they simply help create a “meaty” type texture without being very “beany”. Perfect for picky kids (or husbands)!
Do I have to pre-cook my lasagna noodles?
No, you don’t have to pre-cook your lasagna noodles! That is one thing I just really can’t be bothered with. I mean, they all stick to each other no matter what I do, and the lasagna turns into mush in the oven.
Trust me, this works and it’s the reason for the 2 jars of pasta sauce. I know it seems like a lot, but it works perfectly!
I think you are going to LOVE this Vegan Lasagna!! It’s:
- High Protein
- Nutrition Packed
- Creamy, Rich and Satisfying
- Hearty
- Comforting
- Easy to Prepare
Want more delicious vegan pasta recipes?
If you make this recipe, let me know how it goes! Rate it, leave a comment and tag a photo @noracooksvegan on Instagram. Enjoy!
The Best Vegan Lasagna
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
Instructions
- 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.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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)
- While the lasagna is cooking, make your Vegan Mozzarella Cheese, if using.
- 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.
Video
Nutrition
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590 Comments on “The Best Vegan Lasagna”
Wow! This truly is the best lasagna (not just vegan)! Tasted this at my brother’s home last week and had to make it myself. AND it passed the non-vegan taste test as well with very high praise. Can’t say enough about the cashew-tofu ricotta! This is a keeper and will be added to my rotation. I’ve been vegan for the last year or so and am so happy when I find recipes I’ll be making again and again that make all kinds of eaters happy. Thank you!
Jewel
First try and it turned out so bomb! Nice and creamy. It tastes just as good (if not better than) as a non-vegan one.
I used 500g of passata, added the veggies I had in the fridge, made my own tomato based sauce in a pressure cooker and made my own lasagna sheets.
Hey Nora, I don’t have red lentils will green lentils ruin the texture of the sauce? Not sure if I should sub green lentils or just omit the lentils from the sauce all together. Thanks!!
Green lentils totally will work, they will simply be more noticeable. Not a problem though! Thank you and enjoy!
What can I use instead of tofu. I don’t do soy
You could use an extra cup of raw cashews, but you will need to add more water so it mixes well in the food processor.
This vegan lasagna is by far my favorite! My husband and I actually served homemade food at our wedding last year and served this lasagna to about 75 people. It was such a hit, people still ask us for the recipe over a year later!
Wow, that’s so great!! Thanks for the comment!
Can I substitute fresh spinach for frozen spinach? And if so, how many ounces should I use?
Yes, you can. I think 12-16 oz would be fine. Just thaw it first.
Can you use your block mozzarella recipe for this? Will it melt as well as your super starchy one??
Yes you could use that recipe, shredded, on top of the lasagna. I have done it and it melts well.
I truly messed up the lentils, like no draining was involved and this still came out deliciously. So I happy I stuck with it!!
What could I use instead of cashews? We have an allergy
If you have have almonds they work quite well. Raw slivered almonds would be best here.
I love this recipe. It’s so delicious. Will leftover ricotta freeze well?
Thank you, I’m so glad! Yes, it freezes well.
Hello! I soaked my lentils prior to reading the directions. What would you suggest I adjust the water amount to when cooking lentils?
Thank you! Can not wait to try this.
That should be fine, they will just take less time to cook. When they are soft, they are done. Since you drain the water out anyhow it doesn’t much matter if there is too much.
Do we need to soak the cashews?
No, there is no need to here.
Quick question, will this work with soft tofu for the ricotta?
Yes, I think it will work fine.
Made this yesterday! We really liked it! It’s so filling! 1 1/2 squares filled me up because this recipe is so protein packed! I used a wheel of Miyokos Creamery Vegan Mozzarrella instead of making the cheese from scratch. I loved how simple the recipe was, too! Thank you for a great lasagna recipe!
Thank you for the recipe! One question: do I need to buy the “no boil” lasagna noodles or regular lasagna noodles?
Regular lasagna noodles are what I use. Thanks!
So I made this recipe today and it turned out really good. My sister is vegan but I’m not and she wanted something knew and we decided to try your recipe. I might just become a vegan because it surprised me on how much I liked it without the meat, so thank you for this recipe!!!
You’re so welcome!! Thanks for the comment!
This is crazy delicious and really filling. No reaching for the rice cakes and peanut butter 2 hours after this dinner! I used rice pasta and cooked the noodles half way; they came out perfect. The mozzerella is inspired. LOVE! Thank you!
So glad you enjoyed this filling dinner! 🙂 Thank you.
Just made this and cannot WAIT to eat it. Question – just prepared and want to cook next day, making sure it’s all right to refrigerate over night and cook next day.
Let me know ! Thanks for all your recipes, I use them at least once a week . Been vegan for 9 months!
Thanks so much, that means a lot to me! So glad you are enjoying the recipes. Yes, you can prepare it, then refrigerate and cook it the next day. Hope you enjoy!
Truly the BEST lasagna – vegan or otherwise! So delicious that my husband and I are eating it for every meal until it’s gone!
Wow, that’s so great to hear!!
I so enjoyed this recipe ,,I usually make vegan lasagna with cashew pimento cheese,,,I am not overly found of the cashew cheese,,so I tried this and loved it,,I loved the ricotta ..I also added sun-dried tomatoes and broccoli plus black olives and the spinach ,,I took it to a birthday party and everyone loved it…so thank you very much for this sweet dish
You’re so welcome!! I’m so glad it turned out great!!
I am newly vegan, about 3 months (I needed something to do during quantine!) I have used so many of your recipes and am very thankful for your work. I made this for my very carnivorous family, and not only did they love it , they had seconds! Now the two boys want to be vegan and well! Keep up the good work and we will continue to make these awesome recipes! Thank you
I’m so glad to hear this, thank you!
Amazing!!!
Thanks!!
Everyone loved this lasagna! Great recipe easy to follow instructions
That’s so great to hear! Thanks for the comment!
Made this tonight. Couldn’t find tapioca starch so substituted with Diya vegan cheese. Also, had to boil the lasagna noodles as i didn’t have the oven ready. The consistency was not good even though I followed the recipe. Too much sauce. Will try once again with my own vegan mozzarella.
Hey there, so the reason it was too saucy and didn’t turn out well is because you aren’t supposed to pre-cook your noodles. I use regular lasagna noodles (not oven ready). If you boil them first, there will be too much sauce and the lasagna will be mushy and much different than if you follow the recipe instructions. If you insist on pre boiling the noodles, use half the sauce and bake for half the time.
I can’t seem to find red lentils anywhere. Will the recipe be affected significantly if I leave them out?
No, it won’t. You could use another kind of cooked lentil, or even a meat substitute like beyond beef or something else. Thanks!
I’ve been looking for a decent vegan lasagne recipe for soooo long! Thank you for this – it was so good! This will be my go-to recipe from now on 🙂
This is one of the first times I’ve seen it where cashews weren’t soaking forever and a day! Making this with Palmini noodles for a gluten free version as well. (My daughter is gluten intolerant and vegan) LOL
thanks for this recipe and the moz cheese too!!
I was wondering if I could freeze this and bake it later. Have you tried that? At what step would you freeze it?
You can freeze it before baking. I would freeze it once assembled, but if using the optional vegan mozzarella, wait and make that when you bake it.