Yummy Recipe for Vegan Lasagne
This recipe yields 12 lasagne squares and we ate 2 per person (because so yummy!). You could also cut the squares a bit smaller (or larger) depending on your appetite and the people you want to treat with this super yummy dish!If you're interested in the nutritional information, scroll to the bottom of the recipe, I embedded the information there (this is only valid for the products I used. That information will differ for you especially when it comes to the processed ingredients e.g. vegan cheeses depending on the brands you use).
Servings 12 squares
Calories 405kcal
Equipment
- Large Baking Dish(es) (I only have two medium sized ones with dimensions approx. 27x17cm and used both, so using a larger one with dimensions of 27x34cm would be perfect)
Ingredients
Vegan Lasagna Filling
- 150 g Uncooked Quinoa (I used mixed colored Quinoa, can be whatever color you prefer)
- 300 ml Water to cook the quinoa
- 140 g Carrots sliced
- 200 g Bell peppers cut in squares (any color your prefer)
- 200 g Eggplant cut in squares
- 150 g Zucchini sliced
- 100 g Mushrooms cut in pieces
- 1 can Chopped Tomatoes (= 400g)
- 1 can Chickpeas in Water (= 400g)
Vegan Lasagna Layers
- 400 g Lasagna Pasta Sheets (I used Barilla Spinach Sheets which are egg-free and dairy-free)
- 100 g Vegan Cream Cheese (I used Violife Creamy Original Flavor)
- 400 g Vegan Cheese Slices (I used Violife Original Flavor Slices)
- 200 ml (Organic) Coconut Milk canned (I used Earth's Finest, yellow can)
Spices & Herbs
- 1 tsp Garlic Flakes
- 1 tsp Sweet Paprika Powder
- 1 tsp Dry Rosemary
Misc
- 3 tsp (Organic) Coconut Oil
Instructions
Vegan Lasagne Filling Prep
- Rinse the quinoa and cook with 300ml of water on medium heat until done. This should take about 15 - 20 minutes. I use pre-cooked quinoa which I do once a week for easier and faster meal prep throughout the week.
- Heat up the oven to 180°C - 200°C. It should be moderately hot, before you put the lasagna in. You know your oven best (I use a gas oven, which is very different to the ones I used before).
- While the quinoa is cooking: Cut and slice all the veggies.
- Heat up 1 tsp of coconut oil in large pan together with the paprika powder and stir until flavors develop. Add the veggies and stir. Let simmer for 10 minutes and stir every once in a while to avoid burning.
- While the veggies are simmering - Here's a neat trick: Pre-cook the lasagna pasta sheets for 5 mins, so they're al dente. That means they're not crunchy anymore but far away from being smooshy. Most lasagne pasta will say that pre-cooking is not needed (the ones I use say so) but the lasagna will turn out so much better when the sheets are a little moist and flexible in my opinion. When I skip this step, the lasagne turns out much harder to bite with way too much crunch (maybe classic lasagne have more moist to begin with e.g. the meat, bechamel sauce etc. which the plant-based version lacks, idk). Once done with cooking, put aside.
- Add chopped tomatoes and chickpeas to the veggies. Add the garlic flakes and dry rosemary. Stir and let everything simmer for another 10 minutes.
- Use the other 2 tsp of coconut oil to grease the baking dish(es).
Layering the Vegan Lasagne
- Now the real fun begins: Layering! Put a layer of pasta sheets on the bottom of the baking dish first.
- Now cover with quinoa.
- Cover with veggie mix.
- Use vegan cheese slices as next layer.
- Use some small chunks of vegan cream cheese and try to spread it as good as possible (not easy, best to use small chunks and put across evenly, these will melt anyway).
- Next layer of pasta sheets begins. Repeat everything until baking dish is full.
- End with a layer of vegan cheese slices on top (I made two versions as you'll see in the pictures: one with quinoa as last layer before putting cheese on top, one with pasta sheets as last layer - both were super yummy, but finishing with the pasta sheets layer gave the lasagne more stability.).
- Pour the coconut milk on top and let it rinse through the dish until it reaches the bottom.
Oven Time
- Put in the middle height of oven for about 20 minutes or until the cheese melts and looks delicious! This really depends on the cheese you use, there are some vegan cheeses out there, that will not melt, no matter what you do. I hate these. Where's the use in having a plant-based alternative for cheese if it doesn't melt?! You'll need to try tbh. I really like the Violife brand, their products taste great and never upset my stomach - and they melt :D However, these should normally be used sparsely due to their nutritional value. Making a lasagna with them will be ok as long as it's not a 365-days dish.
- Congrats, you're done! Enjoy! If you want to, you can use more rosemary as a garnish on top.We served two squares per person and had no issues putting what was left into the fridge for the next day. I think, it'll be ok for two days in the fridge, but I didn't try that (yet). We also put it into a glass food container and took it to work the next day to heat it up in the microwave for lunch and it was still delicious!
