Lentil Lasagna (Vegan)

Image shows a large wedge of vegan red lentil lasagna on a white plate.

5 from 8 votes

This easy vegan lentil lasagna is gluten free, nut free and packed with protein. Great if you're looking for a healthy weeknight dinner that makes loads of portions!

Prep Time10

Cook Time1 5

Total Time1 15

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American, comfort food, gluten-free, healthy, Italian, vegan, vegetarian

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan

Servings: people

Calories: 460kcal

Author: Elizabeth Emery

Ingredients

Cheese Sauce

2 cups unsweetened soy or coconut milk
¼ cup tapioca flour
¼ cup nutritional yeast
1 tablespoon onion powder
2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon sea salt

Filling

2 teaspoon olive oil
1 medium onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 large zucchini/courgette, chopped into 1cm cubes (about 2 cups)
1 large red bell pepper, chopped into 1cm cubes (about 1½ cups)
3 cups crushed tomatoes (just under one 800ml can)
1 cup uncooked red lentils
1½ cup vegetable stock (1 stock cube dissolved in 1½ cups boiling water)
2 tablespoon dried mixed Italian herbs
6 (approx.) gluten free or regular lasagna sheets/noodles as needed (or you can use pasta - see notes)

Topping

1 cup homemade vegan mozzarella or store-bought vegan cheese shreds

Instructions

To make cheese sauce

Preheat oven to 350°F/175°C.
In a medium saucepan on a low heat, combine all sauce ingredients (using a metal whisk to remove any lumps if needed).
Heat mixture for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until it thickens and resembles cheese sauce. Remove from heat and set aside.

To make filling

Heat olive oil in a large saucepan on a medium heat. Add diced onion and sauté for 5 minutes until soft, stirring regularly.
Add garlic, zucchini and red pepper and sauté a further 5 minutes, continuing to stir.
Pour in tomatoes, lentils, stock and dried herbs. Increase heat to bring mixture to a boil, then reduce and cover with a lid. Simmer about 20 minutes, or until lentils are completely soft.

To assemble

Pour lentil filling into a deep ovenproof dish (just enough to cover bottom of dish). Cover with 3 lasagna sheets/noodles, and pour half cheese sauce over these evenly. (If your cheese sauce has become too thick while you've been making the filling, reheat it very gently or thin it out with a small amount of water.)
Repeat process, using all remaining lentil filling, 3 lasagna sheets and cheese sauce. Sprinkle cheese shreds on top, and cover dish in foil.
Bake for 15 minutes in oven, remove foil and bake for a further 10 minutes until cheese sauce is golden. Serve alone or with your favourite salad for a hearty.

Notes

Allergen Free - I also love that this lasagna can be gluten free if you use brown rice or corn pasta (or any other gluten free pasat), nut free and of course totally dairy free.

Don't have lasagna noodles? No problem! You can use 2 cups of your favourite pasta instead by just mixing it into the tomato/lentil sauce and it will cook in the oven.

Need to Make it Quicker? - If you're short on time and this recipe still looks a little long to you, use pre-cooked lentils to cut down your stovetop cooking time by 10 minutes (just simmer the tomato/lentil mixture for 10 minutes instead of 20 as the veggies will finish cooking in the oven).

Soaking Lentils - To cut down on cooking time and to make the red lentils easier to digest, soak them for a few hours prior to cooking (as little as 2 hours). This will reduce their cooking time on the stovetop.

Nutrition