Gluten-Free Vegan Lasagna

This gluten-free vegan lasagna is "cheesy," satisfying and oil-free too! Layered with lentil noodles, homemade cashew ricotta cheese, tomato sauce, spinach, broccoli, eggplant and carrots, this veggie-loaded lasagna is nutritious, hearty and sure to please! 

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Do you have a family member that's not totally down with the idea of vegan food...especially vegan Italian food?

For me, that person is my half-Italian father, the one who taught me how to cook and passed down all of his recipes for dishes like chicken Marsala, meatballs, risotto, homemade manicotti...you get the picture.

Not. Very. Vegan.

So, I've been taking the liberty of veganizing my childhood favorites to create dishes like pasta with a dollop of ricotta, vegan lemon risotto and vegan baked ziti.

Oh, I suppose I should mention the fact that telling him I was cooking with pasta made of legumes nearly made his heart stop.

However, I must say he was much more accepting of the idea of gluten-free pasta than dairy-free cheese.

So, when I first made a vegan lasagna for a non-vegan family function, he was skeptical of tasting something containing a cheese made from...gasp...nuts!

The look of disgust on his face was priceless.

I think he thought I was NUTS!

For everyone besides me, the main course was turkey.

So as the evening progressed, and family members started loading up on second helpings, my daughter noticed something odd about my father's plate.

"Granddaddy!" she yelled, "What's that hiding under your turkey?"

"Nothing. It's nothing. Eat your dinner," he replied.

"It's not nothing! It's lasagna! It's Mommy's vegan lasagna! You like it!"

Aha! My dad was actually enjoying something made with vegan cheese!

Now, that's my idea of an accomplishment! 😉

So, are you ready to give it a try?

Let's get to it!

Ingredients you'll need

• Cashew Ricotta (easy to make with raw cashews, water, nutritional yeast, lemon juice and salt)
• Gluten-Free, Oven-Ready Lentil Lasagna Noodles (using lentil noodles gives the lasagna an extra boost of protein)
• Vegetable Broth
• Carrots
• Broccoli
• Eggplant
• Baby Spinach
• Salt
• Tomato Sauce (I used canned sauce to keep this recipe oil-free as most jarred brands contain oil)

How to make gluten-free vegan lasagna - step by step

First, you'll need to make the ricotta filling.

Soak cashews in boiling water for 15 minutes.

Rinse and add to a high-powered blender along with water, nutritional yeast, lemon juice and salt.

Blend on high until creamy.

Check out the cashew ricotta post for instructional photographs.

Set the cheese aside until ready to use.

Next, preheat your oven to 400° F.

Warm ½ cup vegetable broth in a 12-inch non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the carrots and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.

Add the other ½ cup vegetable broth along with the broccoli and eggplant. Season with salt to taste.

Sauté for 3 more minutes, stirring frequently.

Add the spinach a little at a time, stirring constantly until wilted enough to add more until all spinach has been used and is wilted (approximately 3 minutes).

Remove from the heat and set aside until ready to use.

Now, line the bottom of a 9" x 13" baking dish with 1 ½ cups tomato sauce.

Add the first layer of lasagna noodle sheets (4 sheets) in the sauce-lined baking dish.

Spread ¼ cup of on each sheet.

For the next layer, add ½ of the veggie mixture and evenly distribute atop the cheese.

Pour 1 cup of sauce evenly over the veggie layer.

Then, add another layer of lasagna sheets and press each one down lightly.

Repeat this process 1 more time.

Pour the remaining sauce over top of the lasagna, and use a spatula or spoon to spread the sauce around, ensuring all parts of the lasagna sheets are covered by sauce so that they do not dry out.

Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 35 minutes.

Remove the foil and bake for 10 more minutes.

After removing from the oven, top with vegan Parmesan and fresh chopped basil, if desired.

Allow to cool for 10-15 minutes before cutting into squares and serving.

Substitutions

• Eggplant: You can replace the eggplant with zucchini, if preferred.
• Broccoli: You can substitute the fresh broccoli florets with frozen ones, if desired. Just be sure to thaw them first before chopping and cooking.
• Spinach: You can use frozen chopped spinach in place of the fresh; however, you will need less frozen than fresh because the frozen is typically blanched before being flash frozen. Use 3 ounces frozen instead of 5 ounces fresh. Be sure to thaw completely and squeeze out any excess water before using. You can add all of it at once instead of in batches since it has already been wilted. Cook until the moisture has evaporated.
• Sauce: Feel free to use homemade sauce or your favorite jarred sauce. Note that most jarred sauces contain oil, but you may be able to find one that does not. For example, the Simply Nature marinara at Aldi does not have oil nor does the 365 fat free marinara at Whole Foods. If you are not avoiding oil, you can use a jarred sauce that contains oil.
• Lentil Lasagna Noodles: You can use another type of noodle such as chickpea, brown rice or a corn/rice blend.
• Cashew Ricotta: If you don't like or can't have cashews, you can try using our almond ricotta instead. For a completely nut-free, option, you can use our sunflower seed ricotta.
• Pumpkin Seed Parmesan: If you're not following an oil-free diet, you can use store-bought dairy-free mozzarella-style shreds or shredded vegan Parmesan instead. Add your desired amount of store-bought vegan cheese to the top of the lasagna before covering with foil.

Tips for making gluten-free lasagna

• Don't skimp on the sauce! Be sure to fully coat the bottom of your baking dish or the noodles can stick to it. Also, ensure that ALL areas of the noodles are covered in sauce and that none are left exposed. Doing so will prevent the noodles from drying out and hardening during cooking.
• Don't remove the foil too soon. When uncovered, the sauce will start drying out. We want to get rid of some of the excess moisture from the sauce which is why the foil is removed for the last 10 minutes. However, if you leave the covering off for too long, as the sauce dries out, the noodles will start drying out too and will get hard.
• Want to prep in advance? You can make the ricotta and veggies ahead of time and store them in the fridge until ready to use. You can also prepare the lasagna in the morning, cover with aluminum foil and refrigerate until ready to bake. Remove the lasagna and leave out at room temperature for about 15-20 minutes before baking.

What to serve with vegetable lasagna

Enjoy alone or pair with a simple side salad of greens, tomatoes and cucumbers with a light dressing such as our vegan honey mustard or this oil-free balsamic by Whole Foods Market.

If you're not avoiding oil, you can opt for red wine vinegar and extra virgin olive oil instead.

Frequently asked questions

More gluten-free vegan Italian-inspired recipes

• Vegan Baked Ziti
• Gluten-Free Pasta with a Dollop of Vegan Ricotta
• Vegan Risotto
• Vegan Pasta Fagioli
• Vegan Bolognese

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