Vegan Lentil Lasagna
This vegan lentil lasagna is hearty, protein-packed, and a guaranteed crowd-pleaser. Layers of oven-ready noodles, seasoned sunflower seed ricotta, lentil-studded marinara, and creamy dairy-free béchamel come together for comfort food that everyone at the table will love.
Why this lentil lasagna recipe works
I've made a lot of plant-based versions of cheese-heavy Italian dishes, from dairy-free cacio e pepe to dairy-free baked ziti. This lentil lasagna recipe might be my favorite of the bunch.
The lentils add protein and a meaty texture without any fake meat products. The sunflower seed ricotta is creamy and tangy. The béchamel brings richness that ties every layer together. And because I use no-boil noodles, assembly takes about 20 minutes once your components are ready.
Whether you're vegan, dairy-free, or just looking to add more plant-based meals to your rotation, this is a lasagna worth making. It reheats well, freezes for months, and feeds a crowd. If you're planning ahead, check out my high protein vegan meal prep ideas for more batch-cooking inspiration.
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Ingredients you'll need for vegan lasagna with lentils
This recipe has three components: the sunflower ricotta, the lentil marinara, and the béchamel. Here's what you'll need for each.
For the ricotta filling
To make the filling, I used a modified version of my sunflower seed ricotta recipe with parsley instead of basil, plus vegan Parmesan. Feel free to use basil if you prefer.
For the lentil sauce
- 2 (24-25 oz.) jars pasta sauce
- Canned lentils (green or brown). I recommend Westbrae or Natural Value brand. You can also use precooked bagged lentils such as this kind from Geffen.
For the white sauce
For the béchamel layer, I used my vegan béchamel recipe.
For the lasagna assembly
- Oven-Ready Lasagna Noodles (traditional or gluten-free). I used Jovial brown rice noodles for the photographs. If you're not gluten-free, regular oven-ready lasagna noodles like the Good and Gather brand from Target work well.
How to make vegan lentil lasagna
For the vegan ricotta
Step 1: Soak the sunflower seeds in boiling water for 20 minutes. Drain.
Step 2: Add sunflower seeds, water, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, salt and apple cider vinegar to a blender. Blend on high until seeds have been fully blended and no visible chunks remain, stopping to scrape down the sides as needed.
Step 3: Transfer to a mixing bowl. Add vegan Parmesan, parsley, garlic powder, and black pepper.
Stir to combine. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Make the béchamel sauce
Step 1: Melt the butter or heat the oil over medium heat.
Step 2: Once the butter is melted, whisk in the chickpea flour to make a roux. Whisk until it resembles a thick paste and turns golden. Any clumps will melt during cooking.
Step 3: Whisk in the milk, salt, and pepper.
Step 4: Bring to a boil, whisking frequently. Once boiling, whisk for 30 seconds and remove from heat.
The sauce will continue to thicken as it sits. Stir in more salt and pepper to taste if desired. Cover and set aside until ready to use. Give it a good stir before using.
Prepare the lentil sauce
Step 1: Add pasta sauce to a mixing bowl. Add the drained lentils.
Stir in the lentils.
Assemble the lasagna
Step 1: Preheat oven to 375° F.
Step 2: Line the bottom of a 9" x 13" baking dish with 1 cup of the lentil sauce.
Step 3: Add the first layer of lasagna sheets (4 sheets) in the sauce-lined baking dish. It's okay if they overlap a bit.
Step 4: Dollop approximately ⅓ cup of the ricotta mixture onto each lasagna sheet.
Spread the ricotta across the entire layer of noodles using a small silicone spatula or spoon.
Step 5: Pour 2 cups of lentil sauce over the ricotta layer. Spread evenly.
Step 6: Pour ¼ cup of béchamel over the sauce layer and spread it around.
Step 7: Top with 4 more lasagna sheets. Repeat the ricotta, sauce, and béchamel layers one more time.
Step 8: Cover the top with the remaining lentil sauce and spread evenly. Pour on the remaining béchamel.
Step 9: Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for 10 more minutes.
Tips
- Don't skimp on sauce. 48 to 50 ounces of pasta sauce sounds like a lot, but no-boil noodles absorb liquid during baking since they weren't precooked. Make sure the bottom of your dish is fully coated with sauce and that no noodles are exposed. Exposed noodles will dry out and harden. I keep extra sauce on hand for serving since my husband likes to add more to his portions.
- Keep the foil on until the last 10 minutes. Removing it too early causes the sauce to dry out. The foil comes off at the end so excess moisture can escape and the top can set, but leave it off too long and your noodles will turn dry.
- Fold the béchamel in while it's warm. Cold béchamel gets thick and clumpy. If yours has been sitting, warm it gently and whisk before spreading.
- Prep components ahead. You can make the ricotta, lentil sauce, and béchamel ahead of time and refrigerate them until ready to assemble. You can also assemble the entire lasagna in the morning, cover with foil, and refrigerate. Let it sit at room temperature for 15 to 20 minutes before baking.
Lentil lasagna variations
Red lentil lasagna
Red lentils break down more than green or brown lentils, creating a smoother, saucier filling. If you want that texture, use my red lentil bolognese as the sauce layer instead of stirring whole lentils into jarred marinara. The bolognese is heartier and has a meaty quality that works well in lasagna.
Green lentil lasagna
Green lentils and brown lentils hold their shape during baking, giving you more texture in every bite. This recipe uses canned green or brown lentils for convenience. If you want even more lentil flavor, add an extra half can.
Vegetarian lentil and ricotta lasagne
If you eat dairy, you can swap the sunflower seed ricotta for traditional ricotta cheese. Use my ricotta cheese mixture recipe, which is seasoned and ready for layering. The rest of the recipe stays the same.
Freqently asked questions
Yes. Swap the canned lentils for ¾ cup dry red, green, or brown lentils. Cook according to package directions and set aside until ready to use. I recommend starting them before the vegan ricotta so they cook while you make the cheese. For another way to use cooked lentils, try my lentil curry.
Leftover lasagna can be stored in the refrigerator for 3-5 days. If your baking dish has a lid, you can keep it stored in the baking dish.
Otherwise, you can store the cut pieces alone or in groups in airtight containers.
Cut lasagna pieces can be frozen in airtight containers for up to 3 months. Before freezing, top the lasagna pieces with additional red pasta sauce. You can place a layer of plastic wrap or aluminum foil over top of the container before sealing for extra protection. Thaw thoroughly in the refrigerator before reheating.
To reheat, place lasagna in a small baking dish lined with some additional tomato sauce, cover with aluminum foil and bake at 375° F until warmed throughout. You can also microwave instead, if desired. Place a piece of lasagna on a microwave safe dish and cover. Microwave for 1 minute, followed by 30-second intervals, until thoroughly heated.
Yes, you can make this lasagna a day ahead of time. Follow all of the steps except for baking and then cover tightly with foil and store in the refrigerator. Allow it to sit at room temperature for about 15-20 minutes before baking according to the cooking instructions.
Ingredients
FOR THE RICOTTA FILLING
- 1 ½ cups raw sunflower seeds
- ¾ cups filtered water (plus 1-2 tablespoons more, if needed)
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- ½ cup grated or shredded vegan Parmesan cheese (I used Follow Your Heart)
- ½ cup parsley leaves, finely chopped (or combine ¼ cup fresh parsley and ¼ cup fresh basil, if preferred)
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
FOR THE BECHAMEL (WHITE) SAUCE
- 2 tablespoon vegan butter (sub olive oil if desired)
- 2 ½ tablespoon chickpea flour (aka garbanzo bean flour) (sub 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour if preferred/not avoiding gluten)
- 1 ½ cups plain, unsweetened oat milk, brought to room temperature or warmed but not boiling (ensure the brand you are using is certified GF if necessary)
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt or kosher salt, plus more to taste if desired
- ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste, if desired
FOR THE LASAGNA
- 12 oven-ready lasagna noodles, traditional or gluten-free
- 2 (24-25 oz.) jars pasta sauce
- 1 (15 oz) can brown or green lentils, drained and rinsed (Alternatively, you can use a 16 oz. bag of plain pre-cooked brown or green lentils, drained and rinsed; **see notes below for using dried lentils instead)
Instructions
FOR THE RICOTTA FILLING
- Cover sunflower seeds with boiling water and soak for 20 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water.
- Add the sunflower seeds to a high-powered blender or food processor. Add water, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, salt and apple cider vinegar to the blender. Blend on high until sunflower seeds have been fully blended and no visible chunks of the seeds remain, stopping to scrape down the sides as needed. You can add 1-2 tablespoons more water if needed and blend again. The final product should be creamy with the consistency resembling traditional ricotta. Be careful not to overblend or the consistency will become paste-like.
- Transfer ricotta to a mixing bowl. Stir in vegan Parmesan, parsley, garlic powder and black pepper. Refrigerate until ready to use.
FOR THE BECHAMEL (WHITE) SAUCE
- Melt the butter or heat the oil in a 2-qt. or 3-qt. saucepan over medium heat.
- Once the butter is melted or oil is heated, whisk in the chickpea flour to make a roux. Whisk for about 1-2 minutes (it should resemble a smooth, thick paste and have a golden color). Be careful not to burn. Any clumps will melt during cooking and whisking.
- Whisk in the milk, salt and pepper.
- Bring to a boil, whisking frequently. Once boiling, whisk for 30 seconds and then remove from heat. Sauce will continue to thicken as it sits off of the heat. Stir in more salt and pepper to taste, if desired. Cover and set aside (off the heat) until ready to use. Give it a good stir right before using.
FOR THE LASAGNA
- Preheat oven to 375° F.
- Add sauce to a mixing bowl and stir in lentils. Line the bottom of a 9" x 13" baking dish with 1 cup of the lentil sauce. Add the first layer of lasagna noodles (4 noodles) in the sauce-lined baking dish. It's okay if they overlap a bit.
- Dollop approximately ⅓ cup of the ricotta mixture onto each lasagna sheet. Spread around across the entire layer using a small silicone spatula or spoon. Pour 2 cups of sauce over top of the cheese layer. Spread around. Pour ¼ cup of bechamel over top of the sauce layer. Spread around. Top with 4 more lasagna noodles. Repeat this process 1 more time.
- Cover the top of the lasagna with the remaining lentil sauce. Spread around. Pour on the remaining bechamel.
- Cover with foil and bake for *45 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for 10 more minutes.
- Allow to cool for approximately 10 minutes before serving.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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Wow that vegan lentil lasagna is totally calling my name! I would love to try baking these because my husband loves lentils! Great idea Sherri!
Thanks so much! I hope he enjoys it! 🙂