This hearty vegan lasagna is made with layers of noodles, rich cashew ricotta and hearty mushrooms and lentils simmered in spicy tomato sauce.
This year I was at a bit of a loss as to what to give my family members as holiday gifts. About a week before Christmas it came to me: food! For years my grandfather gave out lasagnas for Christmas (including a cute little vegetarian lasagna for yours truly) and they were always much appreciated. I decided to pick up the tradition, went out and bought some pretty dishes, and cooked up some freezer friendly, reheatable dinners for the family. I went with enchiladas instead of grandpop's usual choice of lasagna, and they were awesome, but I guess the whole experience got lasagna on my brain, because I started craving it like crazy after that.
This lasagna totally satisfied my cravings!
Between the savory mushrooms, hearty lentils, creamy cashew ricotta, and of course the mildly spiced tomato sauce, this is one of the tastiest lasagnas I've had the pleasure of dining on, vegan or otherwise. If you're feeling lazy you can even skip the whole ricotta and noodle layering thing and just throw a batch of the mushroom lentil sauce onto some spaghetti. Also interestingly, my lasagna recipe comes in time for Valentine's Day, and since I'm a married lady these days, I can share it with my newest family member, my husband. You'll be well served to put this recipe to use for impressing your vegan date on the big day.
Vegan Mushroom Lentil Lasagna
Ingredients
- About 12-16 dried lasagna noodles just under a pound
For the Mushroom Lentil Sauce
- ¼ cup olive oil, divided
- 8 oz. cremini mushrooms, stemmed and coarsely chopped
- ½ large onion, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 (28 oz.) can crushed tomatoes
- 1 (28 oz.) can diced tomatoes
- 1 cup dried green lentils
- 2 tbsp. granulated sugar, or sweetener of choice
- 2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
- 2 tsp. dried basil
- 1-2 tsp. red pepper flakes, optional, or to taste
- ½ tsp. crushed fennel seeds
- salt and pepper to taste
For the Cashew Ricotta
- 1 cup raw cashews, soaked in water 4-8 hours, drained and rinsed
- 3 tbsp. unflavored soy or almond milk
- 3 tbsp. lemon juice
- 1 lb. firm or extra firm tofu, drained
- ½ large onion, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- ¼ cup fresh parsley leaves
- ½ tsp. salt
- ¼ tsp. black pepper
Instructions
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Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions, until al dente. Drain in a colander and return to the pot. Toss with a few dashes of olive oil to avoid sticking.
Make the Mushroom Lentil Sauce
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Coat the bottom of a large pot with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and place over medium heat. Add mushrooms in as even a layer as possible. Cook until tender and lightly browned, flipping once, about 6 minutes total. Remove from pot and transfer to a plate.
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Add remaining 2 tablespoons of oil to the pot and place back over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and sauté 1 minute more.
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Return mushrooms to pot, and add crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, lentils, sugar, vinegar, basil, red pepper flakes and fennel. Bring to a simmer. Cover and allow to cook until lentils are tender but not mushy, about 35 minutes, uncovering and stirring occasionally. Remove cover and cook about 3 minutes more, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens just a bit. Remove from heat. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Make the Tofu Ricotta
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While sauce simmers, place cashews, milk and lemon juice into food processor bowl. Blend until smooth, stopping to scrape down sides of bowl as needed (don't stress if you can't get it perfectly smooth). Add tofu, onion, garlic, parsley, salt and pepper to bowl. Pulse until blended and a ricotta-like texture is achieved, stopping to scrape down sides of bowl as needed.
Make the Mushroom Lentil Lasagna
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Preheat oven to 400°.
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Ladle about ½ cup of mushroom lentil sauce into the bottom of a 9 inch by 13 inch baking pan. Arrange a layer of 3 or 4 noodles into the bottom of the pan. Top with one third of cashew ricotta mixture, then a fourth of remaining mushroom lentil sauce. Repeat until the last of the noodles and cashew ricotta are used, finishing with a layer of noodles (four layers of noodles total), and then top with the last of the mushroom lentil sauce.
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Cover and bake until bubbly, 30 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to sit for 10 minutes before cutting.
Such a fab idea, who doesn't love lasagne?!
Thank you! Agreed - I can always go for some lasagna. :)
Delicious!! A big hit for .my vegan daughters and my nonvegan son, husband and myself. I bought pre-made almond ricotta 16 oz and mixed it with a pound of tofu to save time. Already made it twice.
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How do you know that there is no BPA in the lining, does it say on the can? The only tomatoes I can find that have a BPA free lining are Muir Glen organic tomatoes. Will try this recipe btw.
Yup! It says right on the label! Hope you enjoy this!
I looooooooooooooooove ur idea it is soooooooo creative and interesting!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am TOTALLY GOING TO TRY THIS!
Awesome! Hope you enjoy!!
I just wanted to say I tried this the other night and it was amazing! Normally I chop and change with recipes but yours was pretty spot on! The "ricotta" turned out perfectly and I loved the heartiness that the lentils added to the texture. Even my meat eating Dad gave it the thumbs up! Thanks for the recipe!
So happy to hear it! Thanks so much Jess!!
You have really outdone yourself with this one Alissa! I added in some thinly sliced eggplant and zucchini layers. It was super delicious!! Thank you!
Awesome! Eggplant and zucchini sound like perfect additions to this. Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks Jen!!
Sooooo good. Thank you!
Would I be able to freeze this and then bake it at a later time? Trying to plan some meals for when life gets busy.
Thank you.
Hi I decided to try this today ... i made the lenil/mushroom component first. I Didnt understand the idea of behind adding balsamic and sugar to the cheesy layer at first but when it all comes together... WOW mind blowing. Ive only been vegan 8 months and this is my first effort at a vegan lasagne and gotta say.. Im impressed xx thank you xx
I'm so glad to hear you liked it! Thanks for stopping by to let me know!
We made this yesterday, and it was absolutely fantastic! One more great recipe from Alissa. :) Thank you!
Minor nitpicking: I believe the 50 min total time is a little underestimated, it looks like it is closer to 80 min. ;)
Glad you enjoyed it! I just took a look and you're totally right - I got 100 minutes when I added everything up! Thank you - I updated the recipe. :)
Hi, trying this tonight, the lasagne sheets I have on hand are the instant ones that don't need pre cooking. Am I right in assuming they will still cook ok while the lasagne is cooking, much the same as they would in a traditional lasagne?
This lasagna cooks up pretty much the same as a conventional one, so I think substituting the no boil noodles should be just fine!
Hello! This sounds and looks delicious!
Would you be able to omit the tofu in the cashew ricotta? I don't like tofu.
Thank you!
You could try omiting it and replacing it with some extra cashews.
I don't usually like tofu, do you suggest trying it or it's okay to leave it out and have a white sauce?
I'd leave the tofu out and just use some extra cashews in the ricotta. :)
Protein grams? Left off nutrition list.
Whoops! Thanks for catching that! I just added it - 22.2 grams. :)