Are you a lasagna lover? Us too. Lately we wondered: is cheese essential to that classic Italian baked pasta? After lots of testing…turns out, no! Vegan lasagna is a thing, and it’s extremely tasty. In fact, we agreed: this is our favorite lasagna recipe, period. You can make this huge pan on a budget, so it’s a healthy dinner recipe that’s affordable to all! It pleases everyone, even meat eaters, and is great for entertaining or a casual family dinner. Ready to get started?
What makes it the best vegan lasagna recipe?
No matter how you eat, this vegan lasagna will be a hit. We promise! We had a few friends over for dinner to try it, and here’s what they had to say: “Wow! This is so good. I can’t stop eating it. I need another piece!” Somehow we stumbled upon a truly delicious way to make a dairy free lasagna. Even better, it’s easy to make and made with all whole foods. No cheese or meat substitutes here! Here’s what makes this vegan lasagna recipe special:
Really good pasta sauce. We used an organic tomato basil pasta sauce that has a great, robust flavor. You’ll want to use the best sauce you can find.Mushroom, cashews, & spinach. For a meaty filling, chop mushrooms and cashews, and sauté with spinach.Hummus! Our secret ingredient is hummus! It stands in for the typical creamy ricotta cheese filling and infuses huge flavor. “Parmesan” Cashews blended with garlic powder make for a Parmesan-like topping.
Watch how to make vegan lasagna
No boil noodles are required!
This vegan lasagna is made with no boil lasagna noodles. No boil noodles are required here: no substitutions please! No boil noodles are different from standard noodles: they’re made especially so you don’t have to cook them before baking lasagna. This makes prep time shorter. Even better, some people even argue that no boil noodles have the superior texture for a lasagna. So wins all around! More liquid is required in a lasagna when making it with no boil noodles. This recipe is specially formulated to cook the no boil noodles while baking. Bottom line: Don’t try this vegan recipe with standard noodles or it could end up too watery. Another noodle note: If you have a large 9 x 13” aluminum pan with square sides, you’ll need 13 ounces noodles. A 9 x 13” glass baking dish with rounded sides only needs 10 ounces of pasta noodles! Because baking dish shapes and noodle shapes can vary, make sure you have enough pasta based on the baking dish you plan to use.
Use a high-quality pasta sauce
The only other “must” for this recipe: find a high-quality pasta sauce! We made this vegan lasagna recipe especially to use pasta sauce because: let’s face it! Lasagna takes a while to make, and a jarred sauce truly speeds up prep time. There are lots of high-quality pasta sauces these days, even organic. Find your favorite and use it for this lasagna. You could of course substitute your favorite homemade marinara sauce. For this recipe, we used Simply Nature organic tomato & basil pasta sauce from ALDI. It had fantastic flavor and really made this vegan lasagna shine.
Are there any time savers?
Lasagna is notoriously time-intensive. We’ve optimized this vegan lasagna recipe so that it’s as easy to make as possible. If you’re looking for ways to save time when baking it the day of, here are a few options:
Use a food processor (optional). A food processor is not required for this recipe! We used ours because it makes chopping the mushrooms and making the “Parmesan” topping very fast. If you don’t have one, you can use a regular large knife for chopping. Make the mushroom filling and Parmesan in advance. The main prep steps here are the mushroom filling and the dairy free “Parmesan” topping. You can make and cook the filling in advance: just store it refrigerated until making the lasagna. Make and store the Parmesan topping at room temperature.
Sides to serve with vegan lasagna
Ready to make this vegan lasagna into a meal? The best side to serve with lasagna is the good old standard: a green salad! Here are a few we’d recommend:
Apple Salad Easy to whip up, with tangy apples covered in a zingy balsamic vinaigrette. Make it while the lasagna bakes! (Omit the cheese crumbles for vegan.)BEST Kale Salad Features a tangy lemon vinaigrette that makes kale taste like a dream! (Omit the Parmesan cheese.)Favorite Chopped Salad or Perfect Italian Salad Our favorites, with crisp veggies and tangy Italian dressing. (Omit the Parmesan cheese.)Sauteed Spinach or Sauteed Broccoli add a splash of green.Easy Garlic Toast It’s garlicky, crunchy and vegan.
This vegan lasagna recipe is…
Vegetarian, vegan, plant based, and dairy free. For gluten free, use gluten free no boil lasagna noodles.
4.8 from 5 reviews **If you have a large 9 x 13” aluminum pan with square sides, you’ll need 13 ounces noodles. A 9 x 13” glass baking dish with rounded sides only needs 10 ounces of pasta noodles! Baking dish shapes and noodle shapes can vary, so make sure you have enough pasta based on your baking dish.
