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This is the Ultimate Vegan Lasagne recipe which I have tested on my big meat eating friends who all absolutely loved it so it got many rave reviews! Some even said it’s better than their usual meat sauce lasagne!
Recipe Difficulty – Easy!
Table of Contents
Why this recipe works
From the fresh tomato sauce to the vegan cashew cream sauce, I am going to put my neck on the line and say this is the best veggie lasagna recipe you will make! It’s one of those recipes that looks super hard (and impressive), but is actually a very easy lasagna to make and the perfect comfort food!
The black beans and lentils give it a real vegan meat texture providing decent levels of protein when paired with my homemade vegan bechamel sauce to give it a creamy cheesy flavour – just what you want from this ultimate comfort food! It tastes just like the “real” thing.
If you’re looking for more delicious vegan comfort food then check out my Vegan Moussaka, Vegan Meatballs or Lentil Bolognese.
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! You could also use sautéed mushrooms.
- 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 Bechamel Ingredients
- Cashews – are the hero ingredient in so many vegan recipes! They help give a creamy and cheesy texture to this creamy sauce. If you have any spare then use them to make my Vegan Dauphinoise Potatoes.
- 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
- Lasagne Sheets – (I use gluten-free lasagna noodles) 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 or whole wheat lasagna 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, vegan mozzarella slices and vegan ricotta.
See recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Substitutions
- Tomato Sauce – If you’re in a rush you can totally use a pre-made sauce.
- 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.
- Passata – Swap for tinned chopped tomatoes and a squeeze of tomato paste.
- Extra Veggies – You can easily add in extra veg to this recipe such as red bell pepper.
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 lasagna recipe. But, if you are cooking for dinner guests or simply want to impress, you could add some fresh basil or chopped basil leaves, fresh parsley, or vegan parmesan cheese on top for a leveled-up look. If you feel the sauce needs extra umami flavour then add a splash of soy sauce (or tamari) or a small spoon of miso paste.
- 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!
How to make The Best Vegan Lasagne
Step 1: Firstly, preheat your oven to 200C/390F.
Then, chop the mushrooms, tomatoes, onions, and garlic.
Step 2: Heat a large saucepan with olive oil. Add the garlic, onion, oregano, basil, tomatoes, mushrooms, black beans, and lentils. Allow it to fry for a few minutes.
Step 3: 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.
Step 4: Meanwhile, whilst the tomato sauce simmers, combine the white sauce ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth.
Step 5: Layer the lasagne however you choose. I do tomato sauce, pasta sheets, tomato sauce, creamy white sauce, pasta sheet, and so on.
Step 6: Make sure to have sauce on top of the final layer of noodles. I like the top layer to be Vegan Bechamel Sauce followed by the cheese.
Step 7: 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!
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.
Recipe FAQs
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!
What to serve with Vegan Lasagne
I usually serve it with a fresh green crisp salad drizzled with my Maple Dijon Dressing and a portion of Air Fryer Chips. If I am hosting a 3 course meal for family/friends then for dessert I always make my super impressive but incredibly easy Vegan Chocolate Tart!
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE…
Dinner
Vegan Moussaka
Dinner
Vegan Meatballs
15 Minute Dinners
Vegan Mushroom Pasta
Dips/Sauces
Vegan White Sauce (Bechamel)
Tried this Vegan Lasagne 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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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 can 400g tinned black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 can 400g green lentils , drained and rinsed
- 680 g passata, 1 large glass jar
- 2 handfuls fresh spinach, (optional)
- salt & pepper
Vegan Bechamel 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 Lasagne Sheets, (I used gluten-free)
- 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
I would recommend this recipe for Vegans and non Vegans, it is delicious. I will definitely be making this again. This is the first time I have tried your recipes and I am now looking forward to trying many more.
Thanks so much Rosemary 🙂
Very easy to make and a great crowd-pleaser! Fab recipe!
Thanks so much Becky 🙂
Best vegan lasagna I have ever made! W
YAY! so pleased to hear that Michelle 🙂