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What makes this vegan lasagna the best? How about layers of roasted veggies, zesty marinara sauce and creamy dairy-free basil ricotta! You won’t miss the dairy in this hearty veganized version of an Italian classic.
Remember my marinara sauce recipe from last week? Well now I’m giving you something to do with it. Not that it’s all that challenging to figure out what to do with tomato sauce — you could always just throw it on some spaghetti. But you should really make this lasagna.
It is, in fact, the best, in my humble opinion. I’m no stranger to vegan lasagna. I’ve even got a handful of recipes on this site, with various flavor variations and twists (check out my creamy mushroom lasagna, mushroom lentil lasagna, and lasagna primavera), but this one is by far my favorite — thanks to the killer sauce, roasted veggies and vegan basil ricotta.
Let’s talk about how it’s made!
Roast the Veggies
If you’re making your own sauce using my recipe, you’ll want to start with that so that it can simmer while you do everything else. But assuming you’ve already got your sauce ready or started, go ahead and start cooking up some lasagna noodles.
The next thing to worry about is roasting your veggies.
A mix of mushrooms, bell peppers and zucchini gives this lasagna a nice balance of flavors, and they all take about the same amount of time to roast, which I why I chose them for this recipe. Chop your veggies, drizzle them with some olive oil, arrange them on a baking sheet, sprinkle with salt, and then roast them until they’re tender and starting to show some brown spots.
How to Make Vegan Ricotta Cheese
I use a mix of cashews and tofu for my dairy-free ricotta — the cashews give it a nice rich and creamy base, while tofu adds texture. Start by blending your cashews up with some non-dairy milk, lemon juice, salt and garlic.
Once you’ve got a relatively smooth paste, add your tofu and some fresh basil. Pulse the food processor until the tofu is broken up into small chunks and the mixture has a consistency similar to ricotta cheese.
Assembling the Vegan Lasagna
Ladle a bit of sauce into the bottom of a baking pan, then arrange 3 or 4 noodles over the sauce. Top the noodles with a layer of your vegan ricotta, followed by a layer of roasted veggies. Repeat the layering arrangement once, then finish with another layer of noodles followed by a final layer of sauce.
Cover your lasagna and bake it until the sauce gets bubbly. Uncover the lasagna and bake it for a few minutes more — feel free to add a layer of shredded vegan cheese on top at this point if you like.
I serve my lasagna with a sprinkle of homemade vegan Parmesan cheese.
Vegan Lasagna FAQ & Tips
- Vegan lasagna makes for excellent leftovers (and some would even say it’s better the second day). Kept in a sealed container, it will keep in the fridge for 3-4 days and in the freezer for 3-4 months.
- Can this lasagna be made gluten-free? Yup! Just use your favorite vegan and gluten-free lasagna noodles.
- Can I use no-boil noodles? I haven’t tested this recipe with no-boil noodles, but I think it should work.
- Feel free to switch things up by using different veggies, keeping in mind that softer veggies may roast up quicker, while harder veggies will take longer to cook.
- Can the veggies be omitted? They certainly can!
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The Best Vegan Lasagna
What makes this vegan lasagna the best? How about layers of roasted veggies, zesty marinara sauce and creamy dairy-free basil ricotta! You won't miss the dairy in this hearty veganized version of an Italian classic.
- 12 ounces dried lasagna noodles ((9 to 12 noodles))
- Dash olive oil
For the Roasted Veggies
- 8 ounces cremini mushrooms, (cleaned and sliced)
- 2 cups diced red bell pepper ((about 1 medium pepper))
- 2 cups diced zucchini ((about 1 medium zucchini))
- 4 teaspoons olive oil
- Salt and pepper
For the Vegan Ricotta
- 1 1/2 cups raw cashews, (soaked in water 4-8 hours, drained and rinsed)
- 1/2 cup unflavored and unsweetened non-dairy milk
- 2 garlic cloves
- 7 ounces firm or extra firm tofu, (broken into chunks)
- 1/2 cup roughly chopped fresh basil leaves
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 3/4 teaspoon salt, (or to taste)
For Assembling the Lasagna
- 6 cups marinara sauce
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Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
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Add the noodles and cook them according to the package directions.
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Drain the noodles into a colander, return them to the pot, and toss them with a few dashes of olive oil to prevent sticking.
To Roast the Veggies
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While the noodles boil, preheat the oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
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Arrange the mushrooms, bell pepper and zucchini on the baking sheet.
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Drizzle the mushrooms with 2 teaspoons of olive oil, and drizzle the zucchini and pepper each with 1 teaspoon. Gently use your hands to rub the oil into the veggies, distributing it evenly, then sprinkle the veggies with salt and pepper.
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Roast the veggies until tender and browned in spots, for about 25 minutes. Leave the oven on when you remove the veggies.
To Make the Vegan Ricotta
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While the veggies roast, place the cashews, milk, and garlic into the bowl of a food processor fitted with an s-blade.
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Blend the ingredients to a smooth paste, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
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Add the tofu, basil, lemon juice and salt to the food processor bowl.
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Pulse until the ingredients are finely chopped and the mixture has a chunky, ricotta cheese-like consistency.
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Taste-test and adjust the amount of salt and/or lemon juice if you like.
To Assemble the Lasagna
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Check to make sure the oven is still heated to 400°F.
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Ladle about 1 1/2 cups of marinara sauce into the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch baking dish.
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Arrange 3 or 4 lasagna noodles over the sauce, to cover the bottom.
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Spread half of the ricotta over the noodles.
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Distribute half of the veggies over the ricotta.
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Repeat the layers of sauce, noodles, ricotta, and veggies one time.
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Top the veggies with another layer of sauce, followed by another layer of noodles, and then a final layer of sauce.
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Cover the lasagna and bake it for 30 minutes, until the sauce is very bubbly.
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Uncover the lasagna and bake it for 10 minutes more.
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Remove the lasagna from the oven and allow it to sit for 10 minutes before slicing.
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Slice and serve.
The post The Best Vegan Lasagna appeared first on Connoisseurus Veg.
Recipe
Alissa Saenz, Khareem Sudlow
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