Easy Vegetable Lasagna Recipe
This vegan vegetable lasagna is a delicious and healthy twist on a classic favorite, loaded with layers of fresh vegetables, hearty whole grains, and a rich, dairy-free sauce. Perfect for a satisfying dinner, this lasagna is both nutritious and full of flavor, making it ideal for anyone looking to enjoy a wholesome plant-based meal.
This easy veggie lasagna recipe is loaded with spinach, mushrooms, and layers of saucy marinara. It is so delicious, it’ll even surprise meat-eaters!
Recipe from the cookbook, “Unprocessed” (2022), by Chef AJ. Published here with permission. See the ‘About the Chef’ section below.
This vegetable lasagna is similar to my Vegan Lasagna with Mushrooms & Spinach on the blog, but Chef AJ’s version is even quicker and easier to make. Maybe try them both! If you want a little cheesy flavor with this recipe, try my Best Vegan Cheese Sauce.
Reasons you will love this recipe
- Healthy and Oil-Free: This vegan vegetable lasagna is made without any added oils, making it a lighter and heart-healthy option for dinner.
- Packed with Flavorful Vegetables: Loaded with fresh, colorful vegetables, this lasagna delivers a burst of flavor and nutrients in every bite.
- Plant-Based and Satisfying: With layers of hearty whole grains and a creamy, dairy-free sauce, this lasagna is both filling and nourishing.
- Perfect for Meal Prep: This easy-to-make vegan lasagna is great for meal prep, providing delicious leftovers that taste even better the next day.
Ingredients you will need
- Veggies- Spinach, mushrooms, red onion, and olives create a delicious veggie-packed lasagna that keeps you full for hours.
- Beans- Cannellini beans are a great addition to vegetable lasagna because they add a creamy texture and boost the dish’s protein and fiber content, making it more filling and nutritious.
- Nuts & seeds- Pine nuts, cashews, or hemp seeds help create a delicious creamy filling for the lasagna.
- Marinara sauce- Use store-bought marinara or make our delicious oil-free marinara in this recipe.
- Noodles- You can use these Brown rice lasagna noodles. Another great option is these lasagna noodles made from hearts of palm. They are available online and at many natural food stores.
Chef AJ’s Tips & Variations
- Mushrooms- If you have time, marinate the sliced mushrooms in the tamari or soy sauce for several hours in advance or even the night before to add even more flavor.
- Keep it from drying out- Make sure the top layer of noodles is fully covered with sauce to prevent them from drying out.
- Miso- If you are avoiding all sodium, omit the miso and use balsamic vinegar in place of tamari.
- Soy sauce- Tamari makes this recipe gluten-free. Soy sauce can be substituted but has gluten.
- Noodles- You can also use lasagna noodles made from hearts of palm. These are available online and at many natural food stores.
How to make vegetable lasagna
Begin by preheating the oven to 375°F.
Step #1: Make the filling- To make the filling, put the cooked beans, pine nuts (or substitute cashews or hemp seeds), nutritional yeast, miso, lemon juice, basil, garlic, and chile flakes in a food processor fitted with the ‘S’ blade and process until smooth. Add the spinach or kale and process until well incorporated.
Step #2: Saute the veggies- In a large nonstick saute pan, saute the onion in 2 tablespoons of water until translucent, about 8 minutes, adding more water, 1 tablespoon at a time, if necessary to prevent sticking.
Add the mushrooms, tamari or low-sodium soy sauce, and garlic and saute until the mushrooms are browned. Taste and add more garlic or tamari as desired. Cook until the mushrooms look glazed and there is no more liquid left in the pan.
Step #3: Assemble- To assemble the lasagna, pour 3 cups of marinara sauce into a lasagna pan or 9 x 13-inch pan. Place one layer of the noodles on top of the sauce. We have a great oil-free marinade recipe as well. Cover the noodles with half of the bean/spinach mixture, then cover the bean mixture with half of the mushroom mixture.
Place another layer of noodles over the mushroom mixture and top with the remaining bean mixture followed by the remaining mushroom mixture. Place one more layer of noodles on top of the mushroom mixture and evenly cover with the remaining marinara sauce. Sprinkle the sliced olives over the top and dust liberally with the Faux Parmesan.
Step #4: Bake- Cook uncovered for 1 hour. Let it rest for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
Making it ahead
This recipe can be made 24 hours ahead of time and left unbaked. Be sure to cover it well before refrigerating. When you’re ready to bake it, allow it to sit out on the counter to come to room temperature for 30-60 minutes before baking. If you want to bake it while it is still cold, add 10 minutes to the cooking time because it is coming directly out of the refrigerator.
Frequently Asked Questions
Some of my favorite sides that pair well with lasagna are crusty bread, garden salad, roasted vegetables, dairy-free broccoli salad, air fryer asparagus, and these crispy oil-free roasted Brussels sprouts.
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. We haven’t tried freezing it, but it should do well.
Heat oven to 350°F. Cover the lasagna pan loosely with foil. Warm until heated through which should take 20-30 minutes depending on the amount of lasagna left in the pan. You can also reheat individual servings of lasagna in the microwave for about 1 minute.
If you try this recipe, please let us know how you like it by rating it and leaving a comment. We love to hear from you!
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Easy Vegetable Lasagna Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 cups oil-free marinara sauce
- 2 15-ounce cans cooked cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 cup pine nuts raw cashews, or hemp seeds
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast flakes
- 1/4 cup low-sodium miso
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 2 ounces fresh basil leaves
- 1/8 teaspoon red chile flakes plus more if desired
- 2 pounds frozen chopped spinach or 1 pound frozen kale defrosted, drained, and squeezed to remove all liquid
- 1 large red onion minced
- 2 pounds sliced cremini or baby bella mushrooms
- 1/4 cup low-sodium tamari soy sauce can also be used
- 2 cloves garlic plus more as desired
- 1 4-ounce can sliced olives, drained and rinsed (optional)
- Homemade vegan parmesan
- 2 boxes no-boil brown rice lasagna noodles
Instructions
- Begin by preheating the oven to 375°F.
- To make the filling, put the cooked beans, pine nuts (or substitute cashews or hemp seeds), nutritional yeast, miso, lemon juice, basil, garlic, and chile flakes in a food processor fitted with the ‘S’ blade and process until smooth. Add the spinach or kale and process until well incorporated.
- In a large nonstick saute pan, saute the onion in 2 tablespoons of water until translucent, about 8 minutes, adding more water, 1 tablespoon at a time, if necessary to prevent sticking.
- Add the mushrooms, tamari or low-sodium soy sauce, and garlic, and saute until the mushrooms are browned. Taste and add more garlic or tamari as desired. Cook until the mushrooms look glazed and there is no more liquid left in the pan.
- To assemble the lasagna, pour 3 cups of marinara sauce into a lasagna pan or 9 x 13-inch pan. Place one layer of the noodles on top of the sauce. Cover the noodles with half of the bean/spinach mixture, then cover the bean mixture with half of the mushroom mixture.
- Place another layer of noodles over the mushroom mixture and top with the remaining bean mixture followed by the remaining mushroom mixture. Place one more layer of noodles on top of the mushroom mixture and evenly cover with the remaining marinara sauce. Sprinkle the sliced olives over the top and dust liberally with the Faux Parmesan.
- Cook uncovered for 1 hour. Let it rest for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
Video
Notes
- Mushrooms- If you have time, marinate the sliced mushrooms in the tamari or soy sauce for several hours in advance or even the night before to add even more flavor.
- Keep it from drying out- Make sure the top layer of noodles is fully covered with sauce to prevent them from drying out.
- Miso- If you are avoiding all sodium, omit the miso and use balsamic vinegar in place of tamari.
- Soy sauce-Tamari makes this recipe gluten-free. Soy sauce can be substituted but has gluten.
- Noodles- You can also use lasagna noodles made from hearts of palm. These are available online and at many natural food stores.
Nutrition
Disclaimer
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.
About the Chef
CHEF AJ is a chef, culinary instructor, and professional speaker, Chef AJ is well-known in the health and wellness community. Her successful daily YouTube broadcast, Chef AJ Live!, has 146,000 subscribers and 1,500 videos.
Chef AJ received her certification in Plant-Based Nutrition from Cornell University
As Executive Pastry Chef at Sante Le Brea Restaurant in Los Angeles, she became famous for her desserts (free of gluten, sugar, oil, and salt) and has an upcoming release of these recipes.
She is the creator of the Ultimate Weight Loss Program which has helped hundreds of people achieve optimal health through her delicious recipes and straightforward (while humorous) coaching style.
She co-authored with Glen Merzer The Secrets to Ultimate Weight Loss (2018) and Unprocessed (2010 & 2022) and contributed 75 recipes to Glen’s book Own Your Health (2021). She has been eating a plant-inclusive diet for over 43 years. For more information visit her website ChefAJ.com.
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