Lasagna was one of those comfort foods that I loved but rarely had, even before going vegan. I wanted to come up with a recipe that reminded me of traditional lasagna but a vegan and healthy version of it. It’s a great dish to make for a huge household or something that can last for days in the fridge for a smaller one. I love knowing I have some yummy leftovers in the fridge for lunch or dinner, which makes my days easier. I just have to make breakfast which is usually my easy to make 1-bowl vegan banana oat pancakes or a smoothie!
Estimated reading time: 8 minutes
Lasagna is usually meat-based. For this recipe I wanted to make my own green lentil and quinoa “meat.” You can use either brown or green lentils for this recipe. This is a good alternative to using mock “meat” if that is not your style. My sister prefers “meat” made of simple ingredients so I decided to make the lentil quinoa “meat.” This adds extra protein and nutrients. Plus quinoa has lots of goodies.
Quinoa:
- has all essential amino acids
- high in protein
- gluten free
- high in fiber
Green lentils:
- has non-heme iron
- high in protein
- high in fiber
When cooking the lentil and quinoa simply follow the directions on the packet they come in. I cooked my quinoa with a 1:2 ratio. An example is 1 cup quinoa to 2 cups water. When cooking quinoa in a pot, it may dry out. Add more water if necessary. It is best to watch it every 5-7 minutes. The best way to tell when it is done is when the white spot in the middle of the seed has disappeared. I included pictures below for you to see the difference of uncooked quinoa vs. cooked quinoa.
I’ve been trying to incorporate quinoa into my diet because it’s a complete protein. This is one option to create your own fake meat at home without buying the store bought ones. While it doesn’t taste like meat, it still provides you a meal with protein that is equally as filling. It also saves you money and tends to be the healthier option. I normally go for the store bought ones since its quick and easy, but it’s fun to explore.
If you are uncertain adding green lentils to the lasagna, you can just add two cups of the quinoa instead of 1 cup lentil and 1 cup quinoa. However, this is the best time to incorporate lentils into your diet if you haven’t yet! It also disguises the earthy taste. Believe me, I was not the person who typically chooses legumes over “meat”, but it really helped change my taste buds. It’s a good way to train your body to get into the habit of eating different type of plant based protein like quinoa and lentils!
The filling for the lasagna tastes just like restaurant pasta sauce. The red wine makes a huge difference. Although, for the youngsters, replace the red wine with 1/4 cup tamari. When cooking the filling, it’s always important to let everything boil and simmer together so all the flavors mix together well.
What is in the filling you may ask? The filling consists of onion, garlic, eggplant, mushrooms, and zucchini. The tomato sauce I used was the Lucini Italia Rustic Tomato Basil. I added more of the Italian seasoning to increase the flavor.
I went ahead and pre-cut the produce into small cubes so that I can fit in a blender or food processor. Adding the filling in the blender or food processor helps achieve a nice thick sauce so that there aren’t any big pieces of veggies when eating the lasagna. However, I like sautéing the onion and garlic in the pot before adding the filling. This usually takes 20-25 minutes to boil and simmer.
Fun fact, this is my first time deciding to add mushrooms into a dish that I, myself, would eat. I never really liked the taste of mushrooms but I figured it wouldn’t hurt putting it into my lasagna. Trying new things will only open fresh and new opportunities to you, but I like hiding vegetables or fruits drenched with sauce and seasonings. That is my tip, always.
Next is the tofu ricotta. I tried to make it affordable and inexpensive, so I used tofu, lemon, and nutritional yeast. All you need is a food processor and some ingredients that will make it taste cheesy.
When preparing the tofu, I like to drain the excess water by using 3 objects to construct this method. Using a knife, carefully poke holes into the bottom of the tofu container. Place it upside down on the plate, with the holes at the surface of the container facing upward. Place a reusable towel or paper towel on top of the tofu so it doesn’t get contaminated by the heavy object you will place on top of it. I actually saw this on Instagram “how to drain your tofu effectively”, and it works! Once the tofu is done draining, I add all the ingredients into a food processor, instead of a blender because it gives a smooth and thick texture. When making it in a blender, use the pulse method.
Nutritional yeast is the star ingredient for my tofu ricotta because it gives that cheesy flavor. It is the staple ingredient for most vegans and vegetarians. When I first used it, I thought it smelled weird, but it tasted like the real thing! Feel free to add fresh basil to the ricotta; unfortunately, my grocery store didn’t have any in stock the day I purchased the ingredients.
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For the lasagna noodles, I just followed the directions on the package. Make sure to check the ingredients and confirm that the lasagna noodles you get are vegan. I decided to cook mine for about 4-5 minutes long before assembling the lasagna which was optional. I placed it on a cooling rack to cool off.
Assembling the lasagna is easier than it looks. The system I found most feasible was to: add a tbsp. from the 1/4 cup pasta sauce, lasagna noodles, tofu ricotta, filling, and lastly the lentil and quinoa and repeat! The last layer I added Daiya mozzarella cheese.
There you have it, a saucy and cheesy lasagna made by your own hands! I was so happy to end up eating a whole big slice of it, with bread and butter. Enjoy and let me know if you liked, loved it!!
On to the Vegan Tofu Ricotta Lasagna recipe!
Vegan Tofu Ricotta Lasagna
Equipment
- pot
- spatula
- knife
- cutting board
- measuring cups and spoons
- casserole bowl
Ingredients
tofu ricotta
- 2 extra firm tofu blocks
- 2 medium sized lemons
- 2 tsp salt
- 2.5 tbsp. oil
- 3 tbsp. nutritional yeast
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 2 tsp pepper
filling
- 16 oz. Lucini Tomato pasta sauce *see notes*
- 2/3 of an onion
- 1 eggplant
- 1 zucchini
- 1.5 cup of mushrooms
- 5 garlic cloves
- 2 tbsp of Italian seasoning
- 2/3 cup red wine *see notes*
lentil & quinoa "meat" see notes
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa *see notes* took 25 mins
- 1 cup cooked lentil
- 1/3 of the onion
- 1/2 cup Lucini tomato pasta sauce
- 1 tsp of salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp cumin
sauce & noodles
- 2/3 cup pasta sauce
- 1 box GF lasagna noodles
Instructions
- Cook the quinoa and lentils in separate pots. Follow the cooking directions followed by the package they came with. I cooked 1 cup of quinoa with 2 cups of water. If it seems dry, add an extra ½ cup of water. In a small pot, set the fire on high heat until it reaches a boil, and reduce the heat to low heat. Cook for about 20-23 minutes. Cover with a lid. A rice cooker can be appropriate for this step as well.
- Cook the green lentils in a medium size pot. Follow the cooking directions followed by the package they came with. I poured the 1 cup of lentils into the pot, following with the 4 cups of water. It takes about 20-27 minutes, check them in the last few minutes to prevent mushiness.
- Drain the tofu with a clean reusable towel and place a plate on top of it for about 5-7 minutes.
- Set the oven for 400 degrees Fahrenheit for the lentil & quinoa.
- While the quinoa and lentils are cooking, chop the eggplant, mushrooms, onion and zucchini into bite sized cubes. Cut the garlic into a minced size garlic.
- Tofu Ricotta cheeze: Use a blender or food processor to mix the tofu, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, pepper, garlic & onion powder together. Blend for about 1-2 minutes until the texture is about smooth and creamy. Transfer it to a bowl. Clean it right after.
- Lentil & quinoa “meat”: once the quinoa and lentils are done place them on a large tray. Mix the 1/3 onion, pasta sauce, and seasonings with it. Bake for 40 minutes at 400 degrees F.
- Filling: In a blender or preferably a food processor, add the eggplant, zucchini, mushrooms, Italian seasonings and pasta sauce of your choice. We want it to be chunky not smooth. In a big pot sauté the onions until they are translucent and then add the garlic and mix for 2 minutes. Sauté with water if you’re on an oil free diet, it will take a little longer than oil. Add the filling that we just made into the pot and cook for about 10 minutes. Once 10 minutes are up add the red wine. *see notes if younger than 21*. Then leave it for 15 minutes until it reaches a boil.
- GF lasagna noodles: First check the directions of how to cook the lasagna noodles. The directions that were located on the packaging said to cook it for about 4-5 minutes long. Once they are done, place it on a drying rack.
- Time to assemble the lasagna! I used a 9.5 x 13.5 x 2in 3 qt pan that fit perfectly. I first added some of the pasta sauce on the bottom, the noodles, the tofu ricotta, the filling, the lentil and quinoa, and repeat. It was constructed as a 4 layered lasagna dish. I decided to start with 4 noodles on the bottom and worked my way up with 3 noodles for the upcoming rows.
- Cover it with foil and bake for 35 mins, and 10-15 minutes without foil at 375 degrees F. It is optional but you can add daiya or vivo life cheese on top for the last 10-15 minutes.
- Grab the lasagna from the oven and enjoy a slice with some bread and butter. Stay Gucci and have a “cheezy daiya“.
- “What did the plate of lasagna say to the bowl of spaghetti?¿Que pasta?”-Ziny (u/ZinyZee) reddit
Notes
- This serves around 10-12 servings. Half the ingredients so it can be for about 5-7 servings ? or freeze it up to a 2-3 months in your freezer with a holding temperature of 0 degrees F. It will only suffice by only baking it 1 time, so make sure to freeze whatever you want after it cools down after the first bake.
- I bought the Lucini Italia Rustic Tomato Basil, no added sugar, organic sauce. It is 25.5 oz. (720g). It was enough sauce for me. I wanted to give cup/oz. measurements since there is an option to pick your own sauce. It is over 3 cups, so I used 2 cups for the filling, 1/2 cup for lentil & quinoa, and 1/2 cup for layering the lasagna.
- If you are under the age 21-years-old you can opt to using 1/4 cup GF soy sauce/tamari. Tamari gives a salty and strong taste like wine.
- Check the directions onto how to cook the lasagna noodles on the box. I myself cooked the noodles for 5 mins with some salt, because of the directions that cam with the box/package. I am happy how the texture of the noodles came out, it was soft and not at all hard.
- Making the Lentil and quinoa “meat” is optional. You can use beyond meat for another solution or don’t add it at all. Although, if you do add the fake meat, follow the ingredients of what to flavor the fake meat with. If you do skip this step the mushrooms give off a meaty texture and it still taste really good without the lentil & quinoa or fake meat. ?
- Nutrition facts include everything. Contact me for a new nutritional label if you decide to do without or add fake meat ?
Nutrition
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Before I went vegan, lasagna was my favorite. I have never been able to get the top layer of “cheese” right with all my vegan versions. However, I have never tried it with tofu. This looks like a great option and I will be trying it out. Thank you!
Of course!!! I would add more vegan cheese on the top, I recommend violife!
Stunning! You make great and tasty dishes!
Thank you! It was fun to make 🙂