Delicious Vegan Lasagna
This delicious vegan lasagna recipe came about during the rainy season in Minneapolis once when I needed a warm food hug. An original lasagna recipe can easily take upwards of five to six hours. But we will finish making this recipe within 90 minutes, more than thirty minutes of which is baking time. If you’re looking for a good side salad to pair this with, you’ll find this lasagna goes great with my Easy Tossed Green Salad.
Looking for quick meals that are also healthy and budget-friendly? Simply prepare the meat sauce and cashew ricotta cheese and refrigerate up to a week in advance. You can easily assemble and bake it when you’re ready. To save you even more time while hosting a get together, you can prepare this lasagna recipe in advance and freeze it (unbaked, of course).
We are first going to soak soya chunks overnight. The following day we will create our meat sauce. First we’ll blend the soaked soya chunks with some seasonings, then simmer them on a stovetop with red pasta sauce. If you’d rather not buy red pasta sauce, you can make your own Italian red tomato sauce. In the meantime, we’ll boil lasagna noodles and prepare our cashew ricotta cheese.
What are soya chunks? Soya is a legume that gets used in numerous ways. Tofu, soy milk, tempeh, oil, sauces, and paste all use soya. Soybeans are high in protein and low in fat, which is why they make such a great substitute for meat and dairy products. Soya chunks can easily be found in South Asian grocery stores and are always available online.
We will not be using any dairy or eggs in this lasagna recipe. Which means that it’s not just delicious, but healthier, high in protein, and quicker to make. But feel free to use your choice of cheese and/or grounded protein instead. I promise this recipe will turn out just as great!
I encourage you to share your experience in the comments below if you tried this Delicious Vegan Lasagna recipe or made it differently. If you took a photo, please share with me on my instagram account ‘zesty_zahra’ and I will share your stories there. I am always happy to learn about people’s food choices and preferences!
Delicious Vegan Lasagna
Ingredients
Vegan Meat Sauce
- 1 cup Dried Soya Chunks
- ½ cup Red Onion chopped
- 1 Roma Tomato medium size, chopped
- 3 cloves Garlic whole
- 1 tsp Italian Dried Herbs
- 1 tsp Smoked Paprika
- 1 tbsp Soy Sauce
- ¼ cup Water
- 3 cups Red Pasta Sauce
- Salt to taste
Cashew Ricotta Cheese
- 8 oz Cashews
- 1 tbsp Nutritional Yeast
- 1 tbsp Lemon Juice
- 1 tsp Italian Seasoning
- 1 oz Baby Arugula
- ½ cup Plant-Based Milk
- ¼ tsp Salt or to taste
- ⅛ tsp Black Pepper
Assembling
- 12 pieces Lasagna Pasta Noodles
- 4 oz Vegan Smoked Gouda Cheese shredded
Instructions
Vegan Meat Sauce
- Soak soya chunks in water overnight. The following day, drain and squeeze water out of soya chunks, like a sponge.
- In a food processor add soya chunks, onion, tomato, garlic, Italian dried herbs, soy sauce and water and blend until it looks like uncooked ground chicken.
- Heat a medium size pan on medium heat, add this mixture and cover the lid. When you start to see bubbles, reduce heat to low-medium and simmer for 30 minutes. Stir occasionally.
- Add pasta sauce, mix well together and remove from heat. Adjust salt to taste.
Cashew Ricotta Cheese
- In a food processor add cashews, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, Italian seasoning, arugula, milk, salt and pepper and blend until smooth.
Assembling and Baking
- Boil noodles according to their package.
- Preheat the oven to 350 F. In the meantime, in a deep baking pan, start layering lasagna with meat sauce followed by a layer of pasta noodles, then spread cashew ricotta cheese and smoked gouda. Repeat this layer three more times. Leave some of the meat sauce for the final topping.
- Cover with foil paper and bake for 30 minutes. Take the foil off and bake for another 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool down for 5 to 7 minutes.
- Serve hot.