This vegan lasagna is made with vegetables, rich tomato sauce and has a special trick so you don't have to boil the noodles! It can also be made gluten free.
This recipe comes together much faster because of my easy trick. The key is in the raw vegetables and sauce cooking the raw noodles as it bakes!
This recipe was originally published on 11/18/2013
We love lasagna, but who has hours to make dinner?! Which is why I experimented with my homemade vegan ricotta cheese, raw vegetables, tomato sauce and lasagna noodles to get a quick, no boil trick to get this favorite dinner on the table with much less effort!
This easy vegetable lasagna is the lazy mom's dream. It gives you dinner for days, can be frozen for later and comes together so darn fast I could cry.
Ingredients
Here is what you need to make this plant based recipe:
- Lasagna noodles - to keep this vegan lasagna gluten free, make sure to choose gluten free lasagna noodles.
- Marinara sauce - Make your own or use your favorite jarred kind. Making your own allows you to adjust the flavors and salt content to your liking.
- Cashew ricotta - It's easy enough to make your own with raw cashews, otherwise use your favorite plant based ricotta such as almond, cashew, or tofu ricotta.
- Fresh spinach - spinach is great for its neutral taste, but other greens will work too if you prefer.
- Fresh chopped veggies - anything you have will work! I like zucchini, mushrooms, peppers, onions, garlic, and even carrots (shred or cut super small so they cook to tender).
- Grateable Vegan Parmesan Cheese - Another easy homemade cheese, or use your favorite store bought kind.
How To Make Easy Vegan Vegetable Lasagna
I love this recipe because you don't even have to boil noodles!
- Cover the bottom of the baking dish with sauce then place raw noodles on top.
- Stir together the spinach and ricotta and layer it on the noodles.
- Layer on more raw noodles, top with sauce and add the blend of chopped veggies.
- Continue until you are done with filling and finish with noodles, sauce and cheese.
- Cover with foil and bake.
- Serve!
NOTE: You can print the FULL recipe with all ingredients & detailed instructions below!
Tips for Layering Lasagna
You should layer veggie lasagna using the noodles as a guide. Also, look at how many filling ingredients you are using. Here is a quick guide:
- Put down some sauce on the bottom of your baking dish.
- Lay down noodles followed by sauce.
- Add a filling.
- Add more noodles followed by sauce.
- Repeat until you are done with the filling.
- Top with a final layer of noodles and more sauce.
- Sprinkle with cheese.
What to Serve with Lasagna
We love pairing this vegan lasagna recipe with at least one side dish, even though it's loaded with enough veggies to act as an all in one meal! Sprinkle some vegan Parmesan and fresh basil on top, and serve it with one of these dishes:
How to Make Lasagna Ahead of Time
As quick and easy as this vegan lasagna recipe is to put together, there are certain times you make want to prep it in advance. There are a few different ways to do this:
- Make the sauce and cheeses if you're using homemade, and wash and chop the veggies. Then simply assemble and bake when you're ready to go.
- The marinara sauce, cashew ricotta, and vegan parmesan can all be frozen to have on hand!
- Do all of the above and assemble but wait to bake. Remove from storage about 20 minutes before baking.
- Or, you can completely bake the lasagna, then reheat quickly when you're ready to eat.
Storage and Reheating Tips
- Leftovers of this gluten free vegan lasagna will keep in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, and the freezer up to 3 months.
- Usually, freezing lasagna before cooking is better, the cheese and filling hold up better. However, if you are not cooking the noodles first like in this recipe, it is better to freeze after cooking.
- If you decide to freeze leftovers, make sure the lasagna has cooled down fully and is stored in an airtight container.
- I like to put a layer of plastic wrap on the top as well to help prevent freezer burn.
- You'll also want to make sure you let it thaw completely before reheating.
- Reheat large portions, or the entire dish, in the oven as you would baking.
- Smaller slices heat up well in the microwave.
Do You Have To Boil Lasagna Noodles?
The short answer is not always. If you use enough moisture in the layers you do not need to boil the noodles first. This vegan lasagna recipe does just that!
There are 3 main keys to making this work.
- Use FRESH raw veggies, whatever you have in the fridge. Chop up and load them up.
- Use PLENTY of sauce. More is more.
- Cover the top COMPLETELY.
Fresh vegetables release water as they cook. So using them without cooking them in this lasagna allows the water to be sucked up by the noodles.
Also, increasing the sauce also helps contribute to the liquid needed. The noodles are super tasty because they are sucking up the sauce flavor with the released liquid from the fresh veggies.
Covering the top completely helps ensure that the top layer gets cooked and not burned to a crisp while baking. You also need to push the lasagna down if you notice those top noodle layers curling up as it bakes.
Common Questions
Traditionally, no. But you should always check ingredient lists when shopping. Some brands may use eggs.
Lasagna must have at least 2 layers, but you can absolutely add more if you'd like! I would suggest looking at how many fillings types you have. I prefer no more than 1-2 filling ingredients per layer.
Your last layer of lasagna should be the noodles, with a little sauce and some cheese sprinkled on top! This helps keep everything together and gives a nice browning layer on top.
You can freeze vegan lasagna! You just have to make sure to store it properly. Lasagna can be frozen before cooking or after. See blog post for detailed instructions on how to freeze lasagna.
More Vegan Pasta Recipes
If you like this vegan lasagna, you need to try more! These veggie filled recipes are all easy to make from simple whole food, plant based ingredients.
Easy Vegan Vegetable Lasagna (Gluten Free)
Ingredients
- 1 box 15 lasagna noodles , gluten-free if needed
- 7 cups your favorite jarred marinara , can use homemade too
- 1 ½ cups cashew ricotta
- 2 cups fresh spinach , measure packed
- 4 cups mixed chopped veggies , use fresh
- 1 cup Grateable Vegan Parmesan Cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 F/ 190 C.
- Mix the ricotta and spinach in a bowl, set aside.
- Cover the bottom of a 9 x 12 baking pan with 2 cups sauce.
- Add 5 raw lasagna noodles.
- Top with ricotta spinach mixture.
- Add 5 more raw lasagna noodles.
- Top with 2 cups sauce.
- Add 4 cups fresh chopped veggies.
- Sprinkle on ½ cup Parmesan.
- Add 5 more raw lasagna noodles.
- Top with 3 cups sauce, making sure to cover the noodles completely.
- Finally, add ½ cup Parmesan on top.
- Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Check periodically to make sure top noodles aren’t popping up. If they are, simply use your spatula to push them back down into the liquid.
- Take off the foil and bake 15 more minutes. You may need more time depending on what noodles you use. Let cool before cutting.
Notes
- The jarred sauce is used for convenience, feel free to make your own.
- I tested this with gluten free brown rice noodles and it turned out great.
- You can also use store bought ricotta and Parmesan to make this even easier.
- If your noodles start to buckle on top as it cooks, just use a spatula to keep pushing them down. This happened to me and eventually they got cooked enough to stay down.
Recipe by Veggies Don’t Bite, visit our site for more great plant-based recipes.
Nutrition
Nutrition and metric information should be considered an estimate.
Ella
Not a vegan but this recipe was so good it made it into our rotation, and I plan to make the Parmesan and ricotta for other dishes. Trust me - I was so skeptical - but it was delicious.
Sophia DeSantis
Wow Ella! I am so happy you liked this! Thank you so much. We aren't vegan either, just try to eat a plant rich diet. There are no rules, you don't have to be a certain diet to eat things in that diet!
Stella
What would be the best way to reheat this after freezing? Should it be rebaked in the oven?
veggiesdontbite
Hi Stella! I would let it defrost at room temp. If it's just pieces then I heat in the microwave. If you froze the entire thing, then I would rebake but watch it closely to make sure it doesn't dry up. You may need to add some broth if it is getting dry.
Jocelyn
I'm the only vegan in my family and I've been looking for vegan meals that my family would like. I gave this a go and they loved it!!!! They even said its better than the traditional meat version. Its now in the rotation. Thank you x
veggiesdontbite
Awesome!!! I am so happy you guys liked it so much! Thank you for the great review!
Sarah
This is my go-to lasagna recipe! I make it when friends come over for dinner, I make it as a present for sick friends, friends with newborns,...Everybody just LOOOOVES it, just like all your other recipes!
veggiesdontbite
Wow Sarah!! Thank you so so much for this awesome review! I am so happy everyone loves it!
Vegannesss
I haven't tried this yet, but i am planning to in the next few days. Just wondering if you have any suggestions on what to use for the mixed veggies. I was thinking cauliflower, eggplant, mushrooms, maybe a little zucchini. Thanks fr your feedback! it looks easy and I love lasagna but I've only been vegan for 6 months, but dairy fee for my whole life.
veggiesdontbite
Hi! I used a combo of zucchini, broccoli and mushrooms!
Sally
This was SO good!! All 5 of us liked it and that never happens! And it's true to it's name - easy to make! Thank you!!
veggiesdontbite
Yay!! I am so happy you all liked this Sally!!! Thank you so much for letting me know!
Brittany
So easy and so delicious 🌱
veggiesdontbite
Thank you Brittany! Thrilled you liked it!
Cindy
Great fast and easy lasagna. I cooked it in my rectangular crockpot. My family loved it. It will become part of our regular meal schedule!
veggiesdontbite
So happy to hear it's in the rotation!
Cynthia
The best non- meat lasagna I've ever had or made. My family loved it.
veggiesdontbite
I'm so happy you liked it Cynthia! Thanks so much for the great review!
Gail Johnson
Made this. SO good!! Making again and freezing!!
veggiesdontbite
SO happy you liked it Gail!