This is the best vegan lasagne recipe and it is incredibly simple to make and is a total crowd-pleaser! From the fresh tomato sauce to the creamy vegan white sauce, I am going to put my neck on the line and say this is the best plant-based or veggie lasagna recipe you will make!
Recipe Difficulty – Easy!
The best vegan lasagne! Big statement, I know, but I have tested it on many big meat-eating friends who love it. Some have even said it’s better than a meat sauce lasagne! It’s one of those recipes that looks super hard (and impressive), but is actually quite easy! Vegan lasagna is the perfect dinner party meal for sharing with family or friends. Or you can keep it to yourself for a quiet night in! Just like classic lasagna, vegetarian lasagna is the perfect comfort food!
However, can you really turn a lasagne recipe vegan? You bet! You may think you’re missing out with a dairy free lasagne, but this is honestly the best vegan lasagna recipe out there! The black beans and lentils give it a real meaty texture and the homemade vegan bechamel sauce also gives it that cream cheesy flavour – just what you want from a lasagne! It tastes just like the “real” thing and is absolutely packed full of flavour!
This recipe was inspired by my Creamy Tomato & Basil Pasta recipe and pairs well with this amazing Colourful Roasted Root Veg recipe.
[feast_advanced_jump_to]Ingredients to make The Best Vegan Lasagne
Tomato Sauce Ingredients
- Olive Oil – is used to fry up the vegetables and prevents them from sticking to the pan
- Garlic Cloves – adds depth of flavour and body to the tomato sauce
- Red Onion – I’ve used a red onion in this recipe as they are slightly sweeter, however a white onion would also be fine to use
- Dried Oregano – is a classic Italian seasoning. It adds a bold and slightly spicy flavour.
- Dried Basil – is another excellent seasoning. Basil is a little sweet and somewhat spicy.
- Mushrooms – are a healthy and flavourful addition to this yummy tomato sauce. I love adding lots of vegetables into this veggie lasagne recipe!
- Tomatoes – Fresh chopped tomatoes add a fabulous flavour to this delicious sauce.
- Tinned Black Beans – add a ‘meaty’ texture and also add protein to the lasagne
- Green Lentils – Similarly to the black beans, they add great texture, flavour, and protein
- Passata – this provides the perfect balance of acidity, liquid and flavour to the veggie lasagna
Vegan White Sauce Ingredients
- Cashews – are the hero ingredient in so many vegan recipes! They help give a creamy and cheesy texture to this creamy sauce.
- Nutritional Yeast – Nutritional yeast flakes add protein and flavour and also work to thicken this delicious sauce. This acts as a dairy free substitute to cheese
- Dried Basil – adds the perfect amount of seasoning to this yummy sauce.
- Garlic Clove – crush the garlic up for a great addition to the flavours
- Unsweetened Plant Milk – I use almond milk, but you could use oat milk, soy milk, or any other plant-based milk.
- Olive Oil – adds a great flavour and texture.
Extra Ingredients
- Gluten Free Lasagne Sheets – This is the main alteration from a classic vegan lasagna recipe that turns it into gluten free lasagna. If you don’t need gluten free lasagne, you are welcome to use regular noodles instead.
- Vegan Cheese – cheese tastes vary, so you can take your pick! You could even do a combination! Some great choices are vegan parmesan, vegan mozzarella, and vegan ricotta.
See full recipe card at the bottom of this page for quantities.
How to make The Best Vegan Lasagne
Firstly, preheat your oven to 200C/390F.
Then, chop the mushrooms, tomatoes, onions, and garlic.
Heat a large pot with olive oil. Add the garlic, onion, oregano, basil, tomatoes, mushrooms, black beans, and lentils. Allow it to fry for a few minutes.
Add the passata and a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Mix it in and bring it to a simmer. Allow to simmer for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, whilst the tomato sauce simmers, combine the white sauce ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth.
Layer the lasagne however you choose. I do tomato sauce, pasta sheets, tomato sauce, white sauce, pasta sheet, and so on.
Make sure to have sauce on top of the lasagne sheets. I like the top layer to be white sauce followed by the cheese.
Grate the vegan cheese over the top and cook it for 30 minutes.
Hint: If you line the dish with parchment paper, it makes clean-up a breeze!
Substitutions
- Olive Oil – You can use any oil for this – vegetable oil, rapeseed oil, canola oil, etc.
- Red Onion – While red onion has a sweeter and stronger flavour, you could also use a white or yellow onion
- Garlic – If you don’t have fresh garlic, you could garlic powder
- Beans and pulses – you could substitute the lentils and black beans for a bean of your choice. Occasionally, I like to use chickpeas or cannelloni beans instead.
- Nutritional Yeast – could be substituted for cheese
Variations
- Spicy – For spicy veggie lasagne, add some crushed red pepper flakes to the red sauce. If you aren’t vegan or vegetarian you could also add spicy chorizo into the recipe for additional heat.
- Deluxe – This is already the best vegan lasagne.But, if you are cooking for dinner guests or simply want to impress, you could add some fresh basil, fresh parsley, or vegan parmesan cheese on top for a leveled-up look. Served wish a fresh green crisp salad or my Air Fryer Chips and voila, you’re onto a winner! For dessert, why not try my super impressive but incredible easy Vegan Chocolate Tart!
- Kid friendly – This is one that is great for the whole family from the get-go! Serve it along with some vegan garlic bread or my Gluten Free Focaccia for extra points with your kids! Even picky eaters love this one!
Equipment
- Knife
- Chopping Board
- Large Pot
- Wooden Spoon
- Blender
- Baking Tray or Baking Dish
- Grater
Leftovers
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge. Make sure not to keep the lasagne at room temperature. It will keep for 3-5 days. You can also freeze this recipe. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months and to defrost, allow it to fully thaw in the fridge before gentle reheating until piping hot.
FAQ’s
You do not need to boil noodles when making lasagne. Lasagna sheets cook up perfectly while they are in the oven!
Yes! you can make vegetable lasagne a day early and then just throw it in the oven the next day.
A vegetable lasagne recipe uses black beans and lentils to give the same taste and texture of the meaty sauce. You can buy or make a vegan cheese, such as cashew ricotta, to replace the cheese. Plant-based milk will replace the regular milk.
Just like regular lasagna, a vegetarian lasagna recipe can be frozen! You can choose to freeze it before or after cooking it. If you freeze leftovers, it is a good idea to separate them into single servings to more easily grab a piece to enjoy!
Are you ready to try this delicious recipe?! I am so excited to hear what you think.
Tried this recipe? Please leave a star rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ below and let me know how you get on. Hearing positive feedback is one of the best parts of creating recipes so please review it below and leave a comment!
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Recipe
The Best Vegan Lasagne
Equipment
- 1 Knife
- 1 Chopping Board
- 1 Blender
- 1 large pot
- 1 Baking tray
- 1 grater
Ingredients
Tomato Sauce Ingredients:
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves crushed
- 1 red onion diced
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- 1 tbsp dried basil
- 100 g mushrooms chopped
- 100 g tomatoes chopped
- 1 400g can tinned black beans drained and rinsed
- 1 400g can green lentils drained and rinsed
- 680 g passata 1 large glass jar
- 2 handfuls fresh spinach (optional)
- salt & pepper
Vegan White Sauce Ingredients:
- 200 g cashews
- 4 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1 garlic clove crushed
- 2 pinches salt
- 4 pinches pepper
- 200 ml unsweetened plant milk I use almond
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Extra ingredients
- 12 Gluten Free Lasagne Sheets
- 150 g vegan cheese
Instructions
- Pre heat your oven to 200C/390F. Meanwhile chop the mushrooms, tomatoes, onion and garlic
- Now, heat a large pot with olive oil, garlic, onion, oregano, basil, tomatoes, mushrooms, blacks beans, lentils salt and pepper and fry for a few minutes
- Now add the passata, generous pinch of salt and pepper and mix. Simmer for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile make the white sauce. Add all the white sauce ingredients into a small blender and blend until smooth
- Simply layer up the lasagne how you like it (I go for tomato sauce, lasagne sheets, tomato sauce, white sauce, lasagne sheet and so on)
- Finally grate over the vegan cheese and place in the oven at 200C/390F for 30-35 minutes
Notes
Nutrition
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