Red Lentil Vegan Lasagna
This easy vegan lasagna is gluten free, nut free and packed with plant protein. Great if you're looking for a healthy weeknight dinner with portions to spare!
Servings: 4 people
Ingredients
Cheese Sauce
- 2 cups unsweetened soy or coconut milk
- ¼ cup tapioca flour
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- 1 tbsp onion powder
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp sea salt
Filling
- 2 tsp 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 tbsp 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 vegan cheese shreds or slices
Instructions
To make the cheese sauce
- In a medium saucepan on a low heat, combine all sauce ingredients (using a metal whisk to remove any lumps if needed).
- Heat the mixture for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until it thickens and resembles cheese sauce.
- Remove from the heat and set aside.
To make the filling
- Preheat your oven to 350°F/175°C.
- Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan on a medium heat. Add the diced onion and sauté for 5 minutes until soft, stirring regularly.
- Add garlic, zucchini and red pepper and sauté for a further 5 minutes, continuing to stir.
- Pour in the tomatoes, lentils, stock and dried herbs. Increase the heat to bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat and cover with a lid.
- Simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the lentils are completely soft.
To assemble
- Pour the tomato/lentil filling into a deep ovenproof dish (just enough to cover the bottom of the dish).
- Cover this with 3 of the lasagna sheets/noodles, and pour half the cheese sauce over these evenly. (If your cheese sauce has become too thick while you've been making the tomato/lentil filling, simply reheat it very gently or thin it out with a small amount of water.)
- Repeat the process, using all the remaining tomato/lentil filling, the remaining 3 lasagna sheets and the remaining cheese sauce.
- Sprinkle cheese shreds over the top, and cover the dish in foil.
- Bake for 15 minutes in the oven, remove the foil and bake for a further 15 minutes until cheese/cheese sauce is golden.
- Serve with your favourite salad for a hearty, protein-packed dinner!
Notes
- Soaking Lentils - To cut down on cooking time, soak your red lentils for a few hours prior to cooking (as little as 2 hours). This will reduce their cooking time on the stovetop and make them easier to digest!
- Lasagna Sheets - Don't have any lasagna sheets? No problem! You can use 2 cups regular or gluten free pasta instead to make it into a vegan pasta bake. Just mix it uncooked into the tomato/lentil filling and it will cook in the oven.
- Make it Faster - 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).