![Vegan Caesar Salad With Crisp Chickpeas](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2020/01/02/dining/bh-vegan-caesar/bh-vegan-caesar-mediumThreeByTwo440.jpg?width=1280&quality=75&auto=webp)
Vegan Lasagna
![Vegan Lasagna](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2020/03/09/dining/gh-vegan-lasagna/merlin_170017074_223a2161-e4da-45e6-a390-58247bef06dd-articleLarge.jpg?width=1280&quality=75&auto=webp)
- Total Time
- 1¼ hours
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
- 1tablespoon olive oil
- 1small white or yellow onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
- 2garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 2tablespoons tomato paste
- 1teaspoon Italian seasoning (or 1 teaspoon dried oregano)
- ¼teaspoon red-pepper flakes
- 1(14-ounce) can diced tomatoes with their juices
- 1(14-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 1tablespoon vegan sugar (optional)
- Kosher salt, to taste
- 2cups raw cashews
- 1small garlic clove
- 3tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1(15-ounce) block extra-firm tofu, lightly pressed between paper towels to remove excess moisture
- 2tablespoons nutritional yeast
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- Olive oil, for greasing
- Kosher salt
- 9 to 12uncooked lasagna noodles
- Fresh basil leaves, for garnish (optional)
For the Sauce
For the Vegan Ricotta
For Assembly
Preparation
- Step 1
Make the marinara sauce: Heat the olive oil in a pot over medium-high. Add the onion and cook, stirring often, until the onion is soft and translucent, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, for another minute. Stir in the tomato paste, Italian seasoning and red-pepper flakes, then stir in the diced and crushed tomatoes and sugar, if using. Allow the sauce to come to a simmer, then reduce the heat to low and cook for 5 minutes, uncovered. Add salt to taste. You can leave the sauce textured or purée it with an immersion blender, depending on your preference. Remove from heat.
- Step 2
Make the ricotta: Add the cashews and garlic to a food processor and process until the cashews form a coarse meal, about 1 minute. Stop and scrape down the sides of the processor, then turn the processor back on. While it’s running, drizzle in ½ cup water and the lemon juice. Process until completely smooth and the texture resembles hummus, another 2 minutes.
- Step 3
Crumble the block of tofu into the processor, add the nutritional yeast, and season with salt and pepper. Continue processing until the mixture is smooth and resembles ricotta, stopping to scrape the sides of the processor as needed, about 1 minute. Taste and adjust salt and pepper.
- Step 4
Assemble the lasagna: Heat the oven to 350 degrees and lightly oil a 9-by-13-inch casserole dish. Bring a large, salted pot of water to boil. Cook the lasagna noodles according to package instructions, until they’re al dente. (Skip this step if you’re using no-boil noodles.)
- Step 5
Layer 1 scant cup marinara sauce at the bottom of your lasagna dish. Cover it with a layer of 3 to 4 lasagna noodles. Cover the noodles with half the vegan ricotta. Cover the ricotta with another layer of noodles, followed by another cup of marinara and the remaining ricotta. Add a final layer of noodles and the remaining marinara sauce. Bake the lasagna for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the marinara on top is dark and the lasagna is bubbling. Top with torn basil leaves, if desired, and serve.
Private Notes
Cooking Notes
A good base recipe. I was short on time so I used a large jar of Raos sauce and 1 large can of crushed tomatoes for the marinara. The tofu cashew mix is great, but I definitely recommend add in layers of veggies with the “ricotta” for flavor and texture. I did a layer of marinated artichoke hearts and wish I added a different veggie for the second layer. Also my fave lasagna tip - no need to cook the noodles. Soak the lasagna for ~30min in hot water while you are prepping.
Grated 3 large carrots (about 1 cup), 1 red bell pepper, 1 medium zucchini, 1 medium yellow onion in food processor, sautéd in olive oil over medium heat for 10 minutes and combined with the “ricotta” and proceeded with recipe as directed. Extra step but totally worth it. Also used the excellent suggestion of a large jar of Rao’s with a can of crushed tomatoes instead of making sauce.
I love this recipe but recommend a few things. add more sauce. I used one jar of raos and a can of crushed tomatoes. I also added zucchini, squash, and ground turkey because I was looking for non-dairy not necessarily vegan. I find that the cheese recipe makes nearly double the amount you really need (this is a slight exaggeration but it makes A LOT of cheese). Both times I’ve made it and not adjusted the amount of cheese it ended up being overwhelming. This is a wonderfully simple recipe.
I'm not vegan, but try to limit use of dairy products. The cashew-tofu blend in this recipe that replaces ricotta cheese is excellent! I didn't have the nutritional yeast, so made it without, and I still think I like this better than real ricotta. I added layers of spinach and sauteed onions and mushrooms and used a single jar of Raos sauce, per the recommendations of others in this thread. As a non-vegan, I did sprinkle Parmesan cheese on the top. Overall, this is an excellent dish!
Suggestion: For a really cheesy cashew "cream cheese" add a tablespoon of vegan yogurt (preferably with no additives) or a bit of yogurt culture to the cashew cream, and then let it ferment at room temperature in covered glass container for 24 to 36 hours. I would add the lemon juice after the fermenting is over. It's really worth it in terms of the added depth of flavor. (I boil cashews first to kill extraneous bacteria. It's great as vegan "cream cheese" too, for bagels, etc.)
Ricotta is the star of this dish. I added sautéed onion, zucchini and yellow squash in a layer in between the ricotta and marinara and it was delicious. I used jarred sauce and a 28oz canned tomatoes and added Italian seasoning. Also added 1/2 cup cooked red lentils to the sauce for meaty feel and more protein. Excellent and will make again!
The ricotta is the star of this dish. It's so good. I really enjoyed this dish. I agree with all the notes to add more tomatoes for the sauce - I'd say at least 50 percent more tomatoes. I also added about 1.5 cups each of chopped zucchini and yellow squash, and a red pepper. Next time I'll try mushrooms. Anyway, this dish is bomb!
1st time making vegan cheese and the "ricotta" is so yummy on its own. Prepped the "ricotta" on a different day to break up the steps well and have been skimming off spoonfuls for pasta or to eat straight ever since :). Used Kirkland organic marinara sauce to simplify steps further, mixed 4 cups blanched spinach (squeezed/drained) into cheese & added 1/2 sliced onion 1/2 bell pepper 1 grated zucchini (sauteed) for layering as others have suggested. Such a tasty gateway drug to veganism!
This recipe is absolutely delicious and I made it just as written and it’s very easy and the pasta i used was ready to use immediately without boiling. I love this sauce and ricotta substitute is amazingly delicious. Can’t wait to share with my vegan friends Thanks for a great recipe!
This was fantastic! I also cheated with a jar of good marinara, added 14 oz can crushed tomatoes. Oven ready noodles. Left half plain “cheese” for my kids, added spinach and carmelized onions to the other half for the grown ups. It came together really quickly. Used a pan that was slightly smaller than 9x13, didn’t have any problems with the portions, as others indicated. Didn’t have any fresh basil…Delicious! Even my super picky 5 year old devoured it! Will definitely be in rotation
This is an amazing recipe and my family, which includes only one vegan, appreciated that it was lighter than regular lasagna. I added a lot of vegetables--mushrooms, artichoke hearts, zucchini, onion, and spinach-- and used about twice the amount of sauce the recipe called for. I used homemade sauce from an Italian market, mixed with fire roasted diced tomatoes, and no boil noodles. My pan was 10 by 15 inches and I used all the ricotta. Easy to make and a complete winner.
I didn't have extra firm tofu, so I pressed firm tofu for half an hour to get the right texture. I added large handfuls of fresh baby spinach to the finished tofu ricotta at the end of step 3 and processed until I had a nice green "cheese", 5 or 6 ounces of spinach. I love this vegan lasagna. Thank you!
Echoing that this lasagna makes a great base recipe, it's really all about the cashew-tofu ricotta and then making lasagna the way you like it. I added layers of frozen spinach, defrosted, water squeezed out, with garlic powder, onion powder, & chopped black olives. The cashew ricotta is so rich you really don't need to add cheese. Wonderful, this recipe is a keeper. Note if you caramelize onions it adds sweetness, and you're less likely needing to add sugar. See Samin Norsat's Tomato Sauce.
This is my go-to, special occasion recipe. Such a crowd pleaser for vegans and non vegans alike! I use the Rao's, no boil noodles, and make a quick veggie layer saute with whatever veg I have in the fridge. Simple and yummy.
This is a fantastic base recipe. We jazz it up by adding more vegetables including zucchini, spinach and carrots. And because we always have leftovers, we make it with more sauce so that it stays nice and moist during the reheating process. I'm surprised this only has four stars because in my opinion this is a five-star recipe. I swear most people wouldn't realize it's not ricotta, but maybe I'm deluding myself!
You can sub a handful of sunflower or pumpkin seeds for the cashew to save calories. Less rich, still yummy -and a bit of texture.
Ended with a layer of the ricotta mixture, which browned quite nicely, & I thought prettier than sauce on top. Be kind to your food processor & soak your cashews in freshly boiled water ~30 min before making the ricotta.
I made this with Barilla gluten free oven ready lasagna noodles and after 50 mins in the oven and about 10 resting cut into the dish finding undercooked noodles - around the stage just before al dente. So sad. We each had a small piece and while the flavor was good just couldn't get past the chewiness. I'm hoping the noodles will soften and reheat to al dente. Next time I will try covering the pan with foil and see if that helps.
I'll be the 3rd to ask what no one has answered.... Can this be frozen and reheated successfully?
I love this dish and have been making it regularly for years. I use no-boil noodles, add organic baby spinach, and use extra sauce. My only slight critique is that the cashew cheese is hard on my equipment and difficult to blend consistently. But we still love it!
I made this for our main Thanksgiving meal and it was a hit! The only thing I will change in future bakes is to make more of the sauce to use in the recipe.
I prepare this dish once a month. It is a hit with my family. If I am short on time, I use one jar of Michael's of Brooklyn Marinara Sauce and no-boil lasagna noodles. To the 2nd layer of ricotta, I scatter 1.5 links of chopped Field Roast Italian Garlic & Fennel Plant-Based Sausages and a 1/2 package of frozen chopped spinach. If adding the Field Roast Italian sausage, be conservative with the salt you add.
I discovered this recipe last year because I made a vegan lasagna alongside a meat/dairy version. The meat eating crowd couldn't get enough of the vegan version. I now make it regularly with homemade noodles. This is an easy recipe & a keeper!
This is my third time making this super lasagna. This time I finely chopped 5 ounces spinach in the food processor and layered it in after the cashew cheese (so twice). I made half a lasagna because that's all the noodles I had on hand but I made the full amount of sauce and used it all. Happy National Lasagna Day!!
The cashew-tofu ricotta is the real deal. Very easy to make, too. I miss the pull of mozzarella, though.
This is an amazing recipe and my family, which includes only one vegan, appreciated that it was lighter than regular lasagna. I added a lot of vegetables--mushrooms, artichoke hearts, zucchini, onion, and spinach-- and used about twice the amount of sauce the recipe called for. I used homemade sauce from an Italian market, mixed with fire roasted diced tomatoes, and no boil noodles. My pan was 10 by 15 inches and I used all the ricotta. Easy to make and a complete winner.
Ricotta is the star of this dish. I added sautéed onion, zucchini and yellow squash in a layer in between the ricotta and marinara and it was delicious. I used jarred sauce and a 28oz canned tomatoes and added Italian seasoning. Also added 1/2 cup cooked red lentils to the sauce for meaty feel and more protein. Excellent and will make again!
Excellent recipe. I added some grated nutmeg to the vegan ricotta mixture. I wonder how it might be with a tiny amount of lemon zest. Like others have noted, the recipe doesn’t make quite enough sauce. I was short a half cup at the end and could have used even more.
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