This is the BEST Vegan Lasagna you'll ever eat! It comes together in under an hour, and is filled with flavor and protein. Cooked lasagna noodles topped with delicious tofu ricotta, spinach and your favorite marinara sauce, along with a little vegan mozzarella cheese.
Yes it's true, vegan lasagna is the only lasagna I'll be eating from here on out!
To me, lasagna is a holiday food (anyone else?!), but this vegan lasagna is one that I'll be making again and again. It's full of flavor and protein thanks to the tofu, and is super easy to prepare.
Growing up, my mom always made me my favorite meal on my birthday, and believe it or not, that meal was almost always lasagna. Pasta layered with ricotta and marinara sauce? Yes please! These days, my stomach can't handle regular ricotta cheese, so I use tofu ricotta instead. If you haven't tried it, you must. I know that "tofu ricotta" doesn't exactly sound amazing, but it definitely is I promise.
WHY THIS VEGAN LASAGNA IS THE BEST
- It's VEGAN, so it's family-friendly. Every family has different dietary needs, and this lasagna is perfect for everyone.
- The tofu ricotta is so delicious, you'll want to eat it with your fingers.
- It uses store-bought marinara sauce, so you can use your favorite kind! I'm partial to this arrabbiata sauce.
HOW TO MAKE VEGAN LASAGNA
Cook the noodles: While you're making the ricotta, cook the noodles over the stove as you normally would.
Make the tofu ricotta: Add the cashews to your food processor and pulse for 30 seconds or so before adding in the rest of the ingredients. I like to do this while the food processor is running; with the motor on, add the tofu, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, nutritional yeast, and spices until they all come together. The result should be a ricotta-like texture that tastes delicious!
HOW TO LAYER LASAGNA
Once the lasagna noodles are cooked and the tofu ricotta is made, layer everything in a 9x13 baking pan.
- Add ½ cup of the marinara sauce onto the bottom of the dish.
- Place 3 lasagna noodles on top.
- Add some of the tofu ricotta. If the ricotta is too thick to spread, add a little bit of water to it.
- Sprinkle a handful of spinach on top.
- Pour 1 cup of marinara sauce on top of that, before repeating the whole process two more times.
HOW TO FREEZE LASAGNA
If you want to freeze the whole pan, wait until it cools completely before covering it and placing it directly into the freezer. Be sure to let it defrost in the refrigerator for 24 hours before reheating. Alternatively, you can slice the lasagna into portions and place them into freezer-safe bags.
HOW TO REHEAT LASAGNA
Oven method: Do NOT place frozen lasagna directly into the oven; be sure to defrost it in the refrigerator first. Heat the oven to 350° and heat the lasagna for 20-30 minutes.
Microwave method: If you're ok with using the microwave, this method is faster. Simply place however many pieces of lasagna you're planning on eating onto a microwave-safe plate and microwaving it for 1-2 minutes.
TRY THESE OTHER DELICIOUS VEGAN RECIPES
The BEST Vegan Lasagna
Ingredients
- 9 lasagna noodles
- 3 cups spinach
- 4 cups marinara sauce
for the tofu ricotta
- 1 cup raw cashews soaked
- 1 block firm tofu pressed
- ½ cup nutritional yeast
- 1 garlic clove
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon basil
- ½ teaspoon oregano
- ½ teaspoon salt
- pinch black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°.
- Cook lasagna noodles in a large pot over the stove. Once they're done, drain the noodles and run cold water over them so they don't stick together and/or tear.
- While the noodles are cooking, make the tofu ricotta. Add all ricotta ingredients EXCEPT the tofu to a food processor and pulse for 30 seconds. Then, with the processor still on, add the tofu in a little bit at a time and pulse until the mixture is smooth and similar to the texture of ricotta.
- Next, layer the lasagna. Add ½ cup marinara to the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish, then place 3 cooked lasagna noodles on top. Spread a few dollops of ricotta on top of the noodles*, then add 1 cup spinach over that, and 1 cup marinara on top of the spinach. Repeat this process 2 more times.
- Cover the baking dish with foil and bake the lasagna for 15 minutes.
- While the lasagna is baking, make the vegan mozzarella.
- Remove lasagna from the oven, add the mozzarella cheese on top, then bake lasagna for 5 more minutes.
- Wait a few minutes for lasagna to cool, then slice into 9 pieces and serve.
- Enjoy!
Dana says
This ricotta was amazing. I did use a little less nutritional yeast because of the reviews. I could have used the full amount I am sure just fine but cutting back by 25% worked well. I found that with the noodles I used I had to cook for an extra 10 minutes.
Jody says
I LOVED this recipe! The nutritional yeast blended right in and didn't stand out at all. I added squash and zucchini, and next time I think I will add even more veggies but I loved the ricotta and the basic recipe is wonderful! Thank you!
Tal says
The tofu ricotta is so good! I added only half of the recommended nutritional yeast. When it’s all blended together, the ricotta tastes pretty good, but then you bake it with everything else and it’s incredible. My friend shared the recipe with me and she recommended adding squash and zucchini (which I baked before adding to the lasagna). Delicious! I’ve made this three times now!
Erin says
Thanks for the comment, Tal -- so glad you like the recipe!
Rachel Hardie says
An ungodly amount of nutritional yeast, completely overpowered the cheese.
Erin says
Hi Rachel -- sorry you feel that way. It does sound like a lot, but for the amount of "cheese" used in lasagna, it really isn't. Plus, the nutritional yeast is what gives it flavor; otherwise, it just tastes like cashews.
Alexandra Shytsman says
I usually make my ricotta with just cashews but the tofu seems to make it really creamy... I'm gonna have to try this!
Erin says
It definitely does! Let me know if you try it.