Vegetarian Lasagna

Lasagna has been a staple dish in many western homes for a reason. We’re happy to provide you with a vegetarian version that is a whole-foods and plant-based pan of goodness!

This is an excellent entrée that is actually better the next day. The beans and noodles take time soak up some of the excess vegetable water as it sits, making leftovers easier to handle and serve in a solid piece (which is so often the struggle with lasagna!) If you have company coming, feel free to save yourself some last-minute hassle and make it the day before.

If you’re making it the same day, let the lasagna rest for about 30 minutes once it’s out of the oven to allow the beans and noodles more soaking time. It stays hot for a surprising amount of time since it’s so thick!

Hats off to you for making a lasagna completely from scratch. I remember lasagna being a labour of love from my mom when we were kids, but oh boy did we ever love it! From start to finish the prep for this dish is about 1.5 hours. There are a few simple things you can do to speed it up though, if you don’t have that much time.

How to speed up the food prep

Firstly, if you have a good tomato-based pasta sauce, feel free to use that, about 2 cups per layer. I recommend adding some tomato paste into the sauce if it’s a runny one. A bit of juice is good though, as the noodles will soak it up and get hydrated from the sauce as the lasagna cooks. And no, you don’t need special noodles for this. Any old lasagna noodle will work perfectly.

If you eat cheese, you can replace the cashew cheese topping with some grated mozzarella, or cheese of your choice. If this is the case, I recommend adding the cheese during the last 30 minutes of baking.

The rest of the layers come together quite nicely as you can prepare one while another cooks or bakes. Since it’s only vegetables, it’s easy to just set them aside while you prepare the rest without a worry.

If you’re unfamiliar with cooking with dried beans, read our instructions to learn how to on the stovetop or in an Instant Pot (easier and faster).

Vegetarian Lasagna

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Prep Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr

Soaking Time 12 hours hrs

Servings: 12

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Ingredients Equipment Method

Ingredients

  

• 9 lasagna noodles
• 1 head broccoli large

Bean Layer

• 2 cups dry pinto beans soaked overnight. Cooked is ~5½ cups
• 3 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 2 tsp kosher salt

Tomato Sauce Layer

• 5 cups tomatoes fresh, or 6 cups frozen
• 3 bay leaves
• 156 ml can tomato paste organic
• 1½ cups fresh herbs parsley or cilantro, chopped
• 2-3 tbsp ginger grated
• 1 hot green pepper
• 2 tsp kosher salt
• ½ tsp ground pepper

Veggie Layer

• 5 carrots peeled and diced
• 5 red onions
• 1 tsp garlic minced
• 1 cup water add as needed for steaming, or use oil and no water

Cashew Cheese Sauce Layer

• 1 cup cashews raw
• 1 tsp garlic minced
• 1 cup hot water
• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1 tsp kosher salt

Optional

• 2 cups roasted, chopped nut of choice (to add texture and taste variety)

Equipment

• Oven
• Instant Pot
• Immersion/hand blender

Method

 

Day-Before Preparation:

1. Soak pinto beans 12+ hours
2. Soak cashews for 2-4 hours in hot water, or 12+ hours in refrigerator with the minced garlic.

Day-of Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°F
2. Wash broccoli, chop into small florets, and bake for approx. 20-25 minutes with ½ cup of water in the bottom of baking pan. Alternatively, coat florets in a heat-stable oil before baking. When done, remove from oven and set aside.
3. If you are opting to add some roasted nuts, lay approximately 2 cups evenly over a baking sheet and put in the oven for 15-20 minutes, or until they are browning (you'll smell the delicious aroma!)
4. Begin cooking pinto beans in pressure cooker on high pressure for 9 minutes. Let them vent naturally, until you're ready for them. If using a stovetop, cook until they're soft, remove pot from the burner, but let the beans sit in the hot water.
5. Combine all tomato sauce ingredients in a pot over medium heat until a light boil begins. Reduce heat and simmer for about 25 minutes. Remove bay leaves when finished.
6. Dice red onion into small chunks, mince garlic and sauté in either ⅓ cup water or 2 tbsp oil for 2-3 minutes.
7. Wash or peel carrots, cut off stems and dice them in blender. Add carrots to onion mixture on stove and cook until carrots start to soften. Add more water or oil as needed.
8. When the beans are done, strain water into a separate bowl. Remove approximately ¼-⅓ of the beans (depending on whether you prefer a more chunky or pasty bean layer) and set aside. Use an immersion blender to purée the remaining beans, adding some bean water as needed, approximately 2 cups. The mixture will continue to thicken as it blends. The result should be a thick but spreadable paste (refer to photos). Add the nutritional yeast and salt to the puree and mix well. Gently stir in the whole beans.
9. Begin preparing the cashew cheese. Remove approximately half the nuts and water. Use an immersion blender and begin to purée the cashews slowly. Often immersion blenders come with a tall and narrow container that works perfectly for this purpose. The slower you go, the creamier it will get. Add more cashews and water bit by bit, until it too is a thick but spreadable paste. Finish with adding the remaining ingredients and set aside.
10. When all steps are complete, line a 9X13 pan with parchment paper and begin layering the lasagna.

    Layer 1: ⅓ tomato sauce

    Layer 2: 3 uncooked lasagna noodles

    Layer 3: use a spatula to spread ⅓ bean mix over noodles

    Layer 4: Sprinkle ½ of the broccoli florets. Cut any that are large, smaller is better.

    Layer 5: Evenly spread approx. ½ the carrot and onion mixture over the broccoli.

    Repeat these 5 layers a second time. If using roasted nuts, place on middle layer atop the bean spread.

    Finish with the last ⅓ tomato sauce, last ⅓ bean mix and finally top with the cashew cheese layer.
11. Cover and bake at 375°F for 30 minutes, being careful that the tinfoil doesn't touch the cashew cheese (it will stick to the tinfoil). Remove the tinfoil and bake uncovered for the last 25-30 minutes
12. The lasagna will need some resting time to soak up excess water, about 30 minutes, before cutting into and serving it. For the best texture, let it fully cool and store it in the fridge overnight. Reheat it in the oven at 350°F for about 30 minutes, using a thermometer to check the central temperature.

Bon appétit!