Best Vegan Lasagna
This is hands down the best vegan lasagna you will ever try! Layered with a spicy arabbiata marinara sauce, sautéed zucchini, yellow squash, red peppers, almond crema, and herbed cashew cheese.
This is my family’s favorite vegan dinner. You might not know this but, I’m the only one in my family that’s vegan! That being said, I’m the one who makes dinner so they have to make what I eat. Yet somehow every week when I ask them what they want for dinner they yell “lasagna!!!” It has taken some time to perfect this recipe, but if my meat-eating family loves it I think you will too.
What makes a good vegan lasagna??
A good vegan lasagna needs to be creamy, rich, and satisfying. Satisfying enough that you won’t have to wonder if it has cheese or not. I’ve never been a fan of processed vegan cheese, that’s why I try to mimic the flavor and texture in other ways like this almond crema and herbed ricotta made with cashews and tofu.
I have also added onion, zucchini, red bell pepper, and yellow squash which not only gives this already amazing dish additional nutritional value but makes it more delicious.
PRIMAL KITCHEN
Sometimes it’s hard to find vegan-friendly products and brands, especially at the big grocery stores. That’s why I was so happy when I found Primal Kitchen. Their products are made without sugar, dairy, gluten, grain, refined sugar or soy, and use ingredients like avocado oil, apple cider vinegar, and oregano. My absolute favorite is the Primal Kitchen Organic Unsweetened Ketchup which is sweetened with balsamic vinegar, but I also love the Garlic Alfredo Sauce and the Buffalo Sauce.
For this recipe, I used the Spicy Arrabbiata Marinara Sauce made with avocado oil, organic diced tomatoes, sea salt, organic garlic, organic onions, organic black pepper, organic basil, and organic oregano. It’s just the right amount of spicy, tangy, and sweet. If you would like to try it, use the code DORAPRIMAL to get a discount at check out.
The Recipe: The Best Vegan Lasagna
- I used oven-ready lasagna to save myself a couple of steps, but you can pre-cook lasagna
- This sauce is spicy, so if your kids don’t eat spicy food you can use Primal Kitchen Tomato Basil Marinara Sauce.
The Best Vegan Lasagna
Ingredients
Cashew Cheese:
- 1 cup Cashews soaked overnight in hot water
- 7 oz. Extra firm tofu pressed (1/2 block)
- 2 cloves Garlic peeled
- 1 tbsp. Nutritional yeast
- 2 tbsp. Lemon Juice fresh
- ½ tsp. Chopped thyme
- 1 tbsp. Chopped chives
- 1 tbsp Chopped basil
Almond Crema:
- ½ cup Almonds raw
- 1 clove Garlic
- ¾ cup Water
- ¼ cup Almond milk unsweetened
- 1 tbsp. Lemon juice fresh
Lasagna:
- 1 jar (23.5 oz.) Spicy Arrabbiata Marinara Sauce
- 1 tbsp. Primal Kitchen extra virgin olive oil
- ½ Red onion minced
- 1 Zucchini diced
- 1 Yellow squash diced
- 1 Red bell pepper diced
- 1 ½ cups Vegetable stock
- ¼ cup Chopped basil
- 1 box Oven ready lasagna sheets (12oz)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- To make the cashew cheese: Drain your cashews and place in the food processor and process for 3-5 minutes until the cashews become like a paste, scrape down the sides of the food processor.
- Add the tofu, garlic, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, and process until you have a smooth paste. Add salt and pepper to taste, and the herbs then process one more time to incorporate. Set aside.
- To make the almond crema: Place all the ingredients in the blender and process until smooth. (If you don’t have a high powered blender I recommend you soak and peel the almonds beforehand). Set aside.
- To make the lasagna: Heat a large pot to medium heat and add olive oil. Add onion and cook for 3- 4 minutes until it is translucent, add bell pepper and cook for 3 more minutes until it’s tender. Add zucchini and yellow squash and continue to cook until the squash is firm but completely cooked, about 4 minutes.
- Add jar of sauce, and vegetable broth. Simmer slowly for 6 minutes then blend until smooth (I use a hand blender for this).
- Pour a layer of sauce into a 9 X 13 baking dish add three sheets of lasagna. Top with 5 tbsp. of cashew ricotta and pour 2 – 3 tbsp. of almond crema. Repeat until you have used all the cashew ricotta, and sauce. Reserve 1/4 cup of almond crema.
- Cover with foil and bake for 45 min. Remove from oven and let sit for 8 minutes. Pour the remaining almond sauce on top and swirl with a spoon to evenly distribute it. Sprinkle with chopped basil and serve.
Video
Notes
• This sauce is spicy, so if your kids don’t eat spicy food you can use Primal Kitchen Tomato Basil Marinara Sauce.
Nutrition
Although dorastable.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates.
Hello, I’m excited to try this recipe! Do you have alternatives for those with tree nut allergies? Thank you!
You can make the almond crema with silken tofu and for the ricotta omit the cashews and double the tofu.
So silly, but I almost forgot to buy the lasagna pasta sheets!! It wasn’t on the ingredients list for the recipe. Looking forward to baking this for Christmas Eve! Many thanks
OMG!! Thanks for letting me know. I’ll add it now.
When do you add the basil to the lasagna? I don’t see that in the steps?
You add it to the tofu-cashew cheese. Thanks for letting me know.
Hi Dora, I would like to know what “nutritional yeast” is. Is that just regular yeast? and where can I find it.?
Nutritional yeast is not regular yeast. It is deactivated yeast. I order it from amazon. If you live near a Trader Joe’s they have it too. Sprouts also has it
Although this is the first vegan lasagna I’ve ever made, your recipe is delicious and satisfying the way lasagna should be. Thanks for sharing. I will be making this again.
So glad you liked it!