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This is vegan lasagna recipe has been fully approved by my Sicilian grandmother!! With layers of garlic rosemary lentils, marinara, gooey vegan cheese, and pasta noodles, this easy vegan lasagna is a family favorite for dinner, protein packed and it’s easily made gluten-free!
Why you’ll love this easy vegan lasagna recipe:
This is honestly THE BEST vegan lasagna you’ll ever make. Not only is this easy dairy free lasagna recipe incredibly simple in ingredients (we’re talking no hard to find vegan cheeses nor tofu!), but this lasagna is reminiscent of the classic Italian pasta dish that’s been fully approved by my Sicilian grandmother. Yes, 80 years old, and she LOVED it.
In fact, it’s so good, this vegan lasagna inspired my vegan lasagna soup (just as easy and protein packed!).
Here’s why you and your family are just going to LOVE this vegan lasagna recipe:
- It’s the ultimate comfort food: like my other classic Italian dishes (pasta con broccoli, gnocchi alla Sorrentina, and creamy vegan risotto to name a few), this is truly the epitome of cozy Sunday dinner. We’re talking layers of gooey vegan cheese melted with marinara sauce and packed with garlic and rosemary between perfectly cooked pasta noodles. It’s a slice of heaven on a plate. PLUS I’m giving you the best recs for vegan cheeses that actually pass for regular cheese, so that even the non-vegans in your family will dig it 😉
- This plant based lasagna is super simple to make: in fact, there’s a way to make it even easier by using pre-cooked lentils, but on the whole, the lasagna is as straightforward as it comes.
- It’s protein-packed: a little know fact about lentils- they’re actually full of protein! This makes the vegan lasagna a really great plant-based dinner option for anyone transitioning into a fully vegan diet that’s skeptical of getting enough protein (a little secret: vegans can get a lot of protein naturally!).
- You only need 7 ingredients: and guess what? This veggie lasagna is entirely soy free and nut free. There’s absolutely no tofu in this lasagna, and no cashew cheeses! Plus, you can easily make it gluten free with some recommendations below.
- This vegan lasagna is perfect for family dinners or even holiday dinners! Make this lasagna as a vegan option for your Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner, or even Father’s Day meal. Everyone will be grabbing a slice, believe me! And asking for the recipe 🙂 Even kids love this lasagna!
Simple ingredients:
What I love about this vegan lasagna is how simple the ingredients are. No tofu, no hard to find vegan cheeses (in fact, the one I recommend for this recipe is by Violife Foods, which is found nationwide and internationally!).
I did stray from the classic lasagna form in that instead of substituting in a vegan ricotta (which can be annoying to try and locate!), I opted for just more vegan shredded mozzarella. Honestly, I think I like this version BEST. It is truly the best vegan lasagna I have ever had, even before my vegan days!
For this easy lasagna you’ll need:
- Lasagna noodles
- Lentils: I used pre-cooked lentils from Trader Joe’s, but you can also use 1 cup of dried lentils!
- Marinara sauce or my favorite homemade 5 ingredient cherry tomato sauce!
- Rosemary
- Garlic
- Olive oil
- Vegan cheese: I used Violife Foods and Forager Project, as I mentioned above. They’re the best for vegan mozzarella and vegan parmesan! You can also use homemade vegan mozzarella cheese that takes only 10 minutes to make.
How to make vegan lasagna (overview)
For the full written instructions and ingredient measurements, see the bottom of this post in the recipe card. You can also hit the “jump to recipe” button at the top of this post! Here, we’ll go over a brief overview of the steps, along with providing visuals for a better understanding of the recipe.
As I mentioned above, making vegan lasagna is, in my opinion, way easier than traditional lasagna. It’s quicker to cook if you’re using pre-cooked lentils, and super simple to assemble.
The lasagna making process can be broken down into three major steps:
- Make the lentil filling: you’ll simply cook the lentils with the garlic and rosemary until fragrant. This will be your lentil filling!
- Boil the noodles: we’ll go over if you can get away with no-boil lasagna down below. But I personally recommend cooking the lasagna noodles al dente.
- Assemble the lasagna: this is layers of pasta, sauce, lentils, and cheese. I did two full layers, then topped mine with the remaining sauce and cheese.
Then simply bake the lasagna in the oven covered, then serve!
Do I have to pre-cook my lasagna noodles?
While I always recommend cooking the lasagna noodles (as it’s the way I’ve always done it!), some people say that you can make lasagna without boiling the lasagna noodles. From what I’ve read, however, the most important part is having a super moist filling. This will come from the lentil mixture and the marinara sauce.
Can I make this lasagna gluten free?
Yes, you can easily make this vegan lasagna 100% gluten free as well! My favorite gluten-free lasagna noodles are by Jovial Foods. They’re truly just the best, and know pasta!
Vegan lasagna variations:
This vegan lasagna is a classic for a reason, but it’s also so fun to switch up the fillings! Here are some great filling ideas to add along with the rosemary lentils:
- Roasted zucchini
- Sautéed mushrooms
- Sautéed eggplant
- Sliced olives
- Raw spinach (it will cook in the oven!)
This vegan lasagna recipe is going to be your new family favorite dinner recipe in no time! It’s just so easy and the perfect comfort food that all eaters love, vegan or not!
If you make this recipe, please be sure to leave a comment and a rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ below. This helps others to find the recipes! As always, I absolutely love to see your beautiful creations on Instagram and Pinterest, so be sure to tag me there as well!
More easy vegan dinner recipes you’ll love:
Best Vegan Lentil Meatloaf
Easy Vegan Lentil Meatballs
Vegan Gnocchi
Best Vegan Mushroom Pasta
Want to save this recipe for later? Add it to your favorite recipe board on Pinterest!
If you make this recipe, please be sure to leave a comment and a rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ below. This helps others to find the recipes! As always, I absolutely love to see your beautiful creations on Instagram and Pinterest, so be sure to tag me there as well!
The Easiest Vegan Lasagna with Lentils (No Nuts, No Tofu!)
5 Stars4 Stars3 Stars2 Stars1 Star5 from 2 reviews
- Author: Britt Berlin
- Prep Time: 20
- Cook Time: 45
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Yield: 12 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This is vegan lasagna recipe has been fully approved by my Sicilian grandmother!! With layers of garlic rosemary lentils, marinara, gooey vegan cheese, and pasta noodles, this easy vegan lasagna is a family favorite for dinner, protein packed and it’s easily made gluten-free!
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 cups cooked lentils
- 1/2 tbsp olive oil or cooking oil
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 1 tbsp chopped rosemary
- 1/2 package lasagna noddles, uncooked
- 24 ounces marinara sauce or 1 batch of cherry tomato sauce
- 16 ounce vegan mozzarella shreds or homemade vegan mozzarella (see notes)
- 1/2 cup shredded vegan parmesan
Instructions
- Measure out allingredients before beginning and read through the instructions.
- Prep: preheat the oven to 350F. Grease a 9×13″ casserole dish with cooking oil. Make sure that the lentils are fully cooked prior to beginning if you haven’t purchased pre-cooked lentils.
- Make the lentil filling:in a large sauce pan, add the olive oil and garlic, cooking on medium heat until the garlic is lightly browned. Then add in the lentils and rosemary, and sauté on medium-low heat until the rosemary is fragrant. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Boil the pasta:bring the large pot of water to a boil, then carefully add the lasagna noodles. Cook the noodles until just al dente. Then strain the pasta and set aside to cool.
- Assemble the vegan lasagna: allow the lasagna noodles to cool enough to handle. While the noodles are cooling, toss the vegan mozzarella and vegan parmesan together. Then layer 4-5 lasagna noodles onto the bottom of your prepared casserole dish. Add about 1/3 of sauce from the jar to dish, spreading to the edges. Then top with the 1/2 of the lentil mixture, followed by about 1-1 1/2 cups vegan cheese. Repeat once more, finishing the vegan cheese. Then add 4-5 noodles on top, along with the remaining sauce and cheese.
- Bake the vegan lasagna:cover the lasagna casserole dish in tinfoil, and place the lasagna into the oven to bake for 45-50 minutes. With 10 minutes remaining, you can carefully remove the tinfoil to allow the vegan cheese to fully cook.
- Serve:allow the lasagna to cool for 10 minutes. Then slice into 12 squares, serve, and enjoy!
- Storage:store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week or in the freezer for up to 1 month.
Notes
Gluten free: use gluten-free lasagna noodles as needed.
Nut-free vegan cheese: I like Violife Foods for a nut-free soy-free vegan cheese.
Lentils: if you don’t like lentils, you can use any bean or legume that you prefer!
