Lasagna is such a hearty and filling meal, and it feeds a pretty big crowd! It takes a little bit of work but is so worth the effort. I remember when I used to do in-home cooking lessons, Vegan Lasagna is one recipe that always received the best reviews.
Want protein and calcium? This Ultimate Vegan Lasagna with black beans has 20 grams of protein and 236 mg. of calcium, with only 3 grams of fat (if you use white beans, instead of cashews) per serving!
We love this vegan lasagna because it’s…
- High protein
- Hearty
- Packed with veggies
- Comforting
- Simply delicious
Who says a plant-based lifestyle has to taste bland?
What is vegan lasagna made with
The vegan lasagna includes delicious whole food ingredients like fire-roasted tomatoes, black beans, onion, garlic, bulgur, vegan cheese sauce, vegan ricotta, and so much more.
It’s kind of like a 3-in-1 deal because included are recipes for Tofu Ricotta and Creamy Vegan Cheese Sauce. We love this stuff!
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How to make meatless lasagna
Though this recipe is a little more indepth and requires some time and work, I promise it’s going to be worth the effort.
Cooking the noodles
Barely cook lasagna noodles in boiling water, approximately 5 minutes, then remove from water and set to the side. If these are cooked any longer, they fall apart while you handle them.
Making the meatless sauce
In a large saucepan (I use a large wok), sauté the minced garlic and onion in 3-4 Tbps. of veggie broth, approximately 5 minutes.
Add another 1/4 cup veggie broth and toss in COOKED bulgur, and simmer another 2 minutes.
What is bulgur?
Bulgur is a whole wheat grain that is cooked exactly like rice in about 15 minutes. I like to make a big batch of it in my rice cooker and freeze it for use in other recipes like this, spaghetti, lasagna, and nachos.
This amazing grain adds a ground beef texture and soaks up flavors of dish you’re preparing.
Pour in your choice of marinara pasta sauce, fire-roasted tomatoes, and black beans. Lower heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
Healthy oil-free marinara
Believe it or not, the Aldi discount grocery store has a marinara brand that is Dr. John McDougall compliant, with no oil. It’s called Simply Nature and is organic. Here in North Carolina, it sells for about $2 for 25 oz.
Make sure to read the labels, because some variations do contain oil or animal products. Aldi stores often carry different products, so do a quick check of the ingredient list.
Another great oil-free marinara is the DeLallo Fat-Free Brand. It can be ordered on Amazon and delivered straight to your door. I actually love this particular brand.
If you would rather, you can make your own marinara. Check out Will, from Potato Strong’s Marina Sauce.
Layering the lasagna
Cover bottom of 9 x 13 baking dish with a THIN layer of tomato black bean sauce, then a layer of noodles. This keeps the noodles from touching the bottom of a baking dish and sticking.
Next, add another thicker layer of tomato black bean sauce. Then a layer of Tofu Ricotta. You’ll use 1/2 of the entire ricotta mixture here. Plop tablespoons on top of noodles, like this.
Making the tofu ricotta
The Tofu Ricotta is a layer of this vegan lasagna that you definitely don’t want to leave out either. It’s is made with only 8 simple ingredients and takes less than 10 minutes for a deliciously healthy plant-based cheese alternative.
With a blender and a few ingredients, you’ll have an amazing dish that is terrific even used as a spread for crackers.
Making the cheese sauce
Normally, I have some of this vegan cheese already on hand because we use it with so many other dishes. If I don’t happen to have some in the refrigerator, there’s likely some in my freezer.
Making the cheese sauce is as simple as boiling a pot of potatoes, onions, and carrots, adding them to a blender with spices, and blending until smooth. I have a Vitamix blender, so it can cream this cheese sauce up in just about 1-minute. Set this sauce to the side until it’s time to add it to the fries.
This recipe makes approximately 1 quart and can be stored in the refrigerator up to 2 weeks to be used on baked potatoes, tacos, lasagna, and so much more!
Drizzle the creamy cheese sauce over the lasagna.
Continue the same order of layers, starting with another layer of noodles, then using 1/2 of the remaining tomato black bean sauce, and all the remaining Tofu Ricotta, Lightly drizzle with cheese sauce.
The last layer will begin with the remaining noodles, topped by the remaining tomato black bean sauce, and then drizzled with cheese sauce.
Bake in the oven at 350°F for approximately 45 minutes. Remove from oven and drizzle a little more cheese sauce on top. Serve!
RECIPE CARD BELOW
Tips for making vegan lasagna
- I highly recommend making double-batches of the cheese sauce and ricotta to use in other recipes.
- The cheese sauce freezes well for using later.
- When I reheat the cheese sauce, I like to place it back in the blender after defrosting for a quick blend to make it nice a smooth again, just like freshly made.
- The whole lasagna freezes well too. Cooking more than I need is standard practice for me, because I love being able to pull a meal out the freezer on those hurried crazy days.
Other main dishes and casseroles
Ultimate Vegan Lasagna
Fasten your seatbelt for the lasagna ride of a lifetime! Want protein and calcium? This monster has 20 grams of protein and 236 mg. of calcium, with only 3 grams of fat (if you use white beans, instead of cashews) per serving!
Ingredients
Lasagna & Sauce
- 10 oz. package whole-grain lasagna noodles
- 1 cup cooked bulgur
- 1 15 oz can of black beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 small onion, diced
- veggie broth
- 4-6 cups marinara sauce, your favorite
- 15 oz can fire-roasted tomatoes, leave UNDRAINED
- 1 recipe Tofu Ricotta, (recipe follows)
- 1-2 cups Vegan Creamy Cheese Sauce, (recipe below)
Tofu Ricotta
- 1/4 cup raw cashews, (or 1/4 cup white beans)
- 1 clove garlic
- 1/4 cup almond milk
- 16 oz. firm tofu, pressed to drain
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast flakes
- 1 Tbsp Italian seasoning, dry
- 2 Tbsp fresh basil leaves
- Salt & Pepper
- 1 10 oz. pkg. frozen, chopped spinach, thawed and drained
Creamy Vegan Cheese Sauce
- 1 cup potatoes, peeled and diced (I use Russet, red skin, yellow, or sweet potatoes)
- 1/4 cup carrots, diced
- 1/4 cup onion, diced
- 1 cup broth from cooked veggies
- 1/2 cup raw cashews, or 1/2 cup cooked white beans
- 4 Tbsp nutritional yeast flakes
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- pinch paprika
- 1/2 pinch cayenne pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Barely cook lasagna noodles in boiling water, approximately 5 minutes, then remove from water and set to the side. If these are cooked any longer, they fall apart while you handle them.
- In large sauce pan (I use a large wok), sauté the minced garlic and onion in 3-4 Tbps. of veggie broth, approximately 5 minutes.
- Add another 1/4 cup veggie broth and toss in COOKED bulgur, and simmer another 2 minutes. Bulgur is a whole wheat grain that is cooked exactly like rice in about 15 minutes. (Follow package directions). I like to make a big batch of it and store in freezer to use in recipes like tacos, stews, chili beans, etc. because bulgur adds a ground beef texture and soaks up flavors of dish you're preparing.
- Pour in your choice of marinara pasta sauce, fire roasted tomatoes, and black beans. Lower heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Cover bottom of 9 x 13 baking dish with a THIN layer of tomato black bean sauce, then a layer of noodles. This keeps the noodles from touching the bottom of baking dish and sticking.
- Next, add another thicker layer of tomato black bean sauce. Then a layer of Tofu Ricotta. You'll use 1/2 of the entire ricotta mixture here. Plop tablespoons on top of noodles, like this.
- Use a spoon to smear it around a little like this. It doesn't have to be pretty, LOL!
- Drizzle Vegan Creamy Cheese Sauce over the lasagna.
- Continue the same order of layers, starting with another layer of noodles, then using 1/2 of the remaining tomato black bean sauce, and all the remaining Tofu Ricotta, Lightly drizzle with cheese sauce.
- The last layer will begin with the remaining noodles, topped by the remaining tomato black bean sauce, and then drizzled with cheese sauce.
- Bake in oven at 350 degrees for approximately 45 minutes. Remove from oven and drizzle a little more cheese sauce on top. Serve!
Tofu Ricotta
- Thaw spinach and drain as much as possible. I defrost mine on a pile of paper towels in the microwave. After it is thawed, I wrap it up in the paper towels and squeeze excess juices over the sink (or jar to keep and add to veggie broth).
- Place all ricotta ingredients (EXCEPT SPINACH) into blender and blend until smooth. Transfer to large bowl and stir in the drained spinach. Continue tasting until you get the salt adjusted to your taste.
Creamy Vegan Cheese Sauce
- In medium pot, bring about 3 cups of water to a boil. Place potatoes, carrots, and onion in pot and allow to cook until veggies are tender, approximately 15 minutes. Cooking time will vary based on how small the veggies are diced.
- When veggies are tender, drain and place them in blender. NOTE: reserve 1 cup of the broth, and add to blender. Add all the remaining ingredients, and blend until smooth.
Notes
Detailed instructions, in-process photos, and my personal helpful tips can be found in the article above.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8Amount Per Serving: Calories: 409Total Fat: 6.7gCarbohydrates: 77.4gFiber: 17.7gProtein: 29.5g
To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information provided is accurate, complete, and useful.
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