Vegan Lasagna
What’s better than a cheesy vegan lasagna? This is the best vegan lasagna recipe. It’s filled with veggies and plenty of rich tomato sauce.
Ingredients
For the tomato meat sauce:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 1/2 green bell pepper, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 pound vegan ground beef*
- 2 15-ounce cans tomato sauce
- 1 14.5-ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 1 8-ounce can tomato paste
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
For the tofu ricotta:
- ½ 14-ounce package extra-firm tofu, drained and pressed**
- ¼ cup plain hummus
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
For assembling the lasagna:
- 12 no-boil lasagna noodles (gluten-free, if needed)
- 3 1/2 cups shredded vegan mozzarella cheese
- 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons shredded or grated vegan parmesan cheese***
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375ºF.****
- In a large pot over medium heat, add oil. When hot, add onion and bell pepper. Cook 7-10 minutes, stirring frequently, until lightly browned. Add garlic; cook 1-2 minutes, until fragrant.
- Add vegan ground beef. Break apart into small pieces with a wooden spoon. Cook 5-7 minutes, until browned all the way through. Add tomato sauce, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, water, sugar, Italian seasoning, basil, oregano, salt, and pepper; stir well. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Simmer for 15 minutes.
- In a medium bowl, crumble tofu into small pieces. Add remaining tofu ricotta ingredients. Stir well to combine. Set aside.
- To assemble: Into the bottom of a 9×13-inch baking dish, add 1 1/2 cups of sauce.
- Top with 4 noodles, 1/2 of the ricotta, 1 cup mozzarella, 1/4 cup parmesan, and 1 1/2 cups sauce. Repeat this step once. Then, add 4 more noodles and the remaining sauce on top.
- Cover with foil. Bake 45 minutes.
- Remove foil, then top with 1/2 cup mozzarella and 2 tablespoons parmesan. Bake 10-15 minutes. If desired, broil on low for 2-3 minutes. Remove from oven and let rest for at least 10 minutes.
- Top with fresh parsley.
Notes
*Examples of this are Beyond Beef Plant-Based Ground and Impossible Plant-Based Burger Ground. You could also use vegan ground crumbles. Textured vegetable protein (TVP) would work, but you will have to compensate for missing flavor and sodium with more spices and salt
**Use a tofu press, or wrap the tofu in paper towels and place in the sink with a heavy object on top. Press for 10-15 minutes.
***You may be able to find a store-bought vegan parmesan, but if not, you can make cashew parmesan.
****If using gluten-free noodles, use the oven temperature indicated on the package.
Find it online: https://www.emilieeats.com/vegan-lasagna/