Are you ready for The Ultimate Vegan Lasagna? Loaded with vegan sausage, vegan ricotta and spinach. Plus a secret ingredient for a cheesy topping.
It is officially the last day of 2020 and what better way to say goodbye to the weirdest, craziest, most challenging year we've ever had than with a HUGE, delicious vegan lasagna! If there is ever a day, week, year that we need some serious comfort food it is now.
And this vegan lasagna has layers of a "meaty" marinara sauce, vegan ricotta, spinach and of course, all the noods. Plus, I have a secret for getting that nice crispy "cheesy" topping without using vegan cheese shreds 😉
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How to make the Filling
The filling for this lasagna is a combo of vegan ricotta, chopped spinach, non-dairy half & half and Italian seasoning. If you can't find vegan ricotta in your store, you can make my Tofu Ricotta recipe.
Combine all of these ingredients in a bowl and set it aside.
For the sauce, I like to use a combo of fresh ingredients and pre-made marinara sauce. By using some pre-made ingredients, it will make your life so much easier and keep the cooking process to a minimum. However, if you have a favorite homemade marinara recipe, you can make that instead.
For the "meat" in the sauce, I used my standby - Beyond Meat Italian Sausage. You can swap it for your favorite vegan sausage, but you may need to increase the Italian seasoning in the sauce to make-up for any lost seasoning. Just taste as you go.
How to Top it Off
It's no secret that I am not a fan of vegan shreds, so I needed to come up with something else that to get that cheesy, crispy crust. And that's where my "secret ingredient" comes in.
I used a combination of vegan cream cheese and non-dairy half & half! I honestly stumbled on this trick while making a breakfast casserole. It was a happy mistake that I am so happy to share with you. When you first combine the two together, it is a thick milky texture. But after it cooks, it creates this perfect cheesy topping.
I used Kite Hill chive-flavored cream cheese, but you can swap it for your favorite. As for the half & half, I used Ripple, but lots of brands make unflavored non-dairy cream these days.
How to Serve
Once you have everything assembled, bake the lasagna until hot and bubbly. Be sure to let it rest for 10-15 minutes before cutting into it, then top it off with fresh parsley.
You can serve this with garlic bread and a big green salad! It is seriously next level.
Need more recipe inspo? Check these out!
Did you Make this Recipe?
If you made The Ultimate Vegan Lasagna I would LOVE to hear what you thought. Be sure to drop a comment and a rating below! You can also tag me on social media if you snapped a photo. I LOVE seeing your recreations!
📖 Recipe
The Ultimate Vegan Lasagna
Ingredients
FOR THE SAUCE
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ yellow onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic diced
- salt & pepper to taste
- red pepper flakes to taste, optional
- 8 oz vegan Italian sausage
- water to deglaze the pan
- 1 15-ounce can diced fire roasted tomatoes
- 1 28-ounce jar marinara
- 3 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- ¼ cup chopped parsley
FOR THE FILLING
- 8 oz vegan ricotta*
- 8 oz frozen spinach thawed and drained
- 4 oz non-dairy half & half
- ½ tablespoon Italian seasoning
- salt & pepper to taste
FOR THE TOPPING
- 4 oz vegan cream cheese I used chive flavored
- 4 oz non-dairy half & half
FOR THE LASAGNA
- 9-12 lasagna noodles I used 12 short noodles
- parsley for topping
Instructions
- Prepare the lasagna noodles. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the lasagna noodles and cook for 4 minutes, stirring regularly so they don't stick. Drain the noodles and rinse them with cold water. Transfer the noodles to a bowl of water to stop them from cooking. Place the noodles in a single layer on a parchment lined baking sheet - use 2 baking sheets if needed. Set aside.
- Place the same pot back on the stove. Heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Stir to combine and cook for 2 minutes. Add the sausage and break it apart with a wooden spoon. Cook for a couple minutes or until it begins to brown. Add a splash of water to the pot to deglaze the pan - scraping down the brown bits.
- Add the fire roasted tomatoes, marinara, tomato paste and Italian seasoning to the pot and stir to combine. Cook for at least 15 minutes, stirring frequently - you can cook this longer if you have the time. Right before assembling add the fresh parsley.
- Combine all of the filling ingredients in a bowl and stir to combine. Set aside.
- Combine the topping ingredients and mix until smooth. Set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. To assemble add 1 cup of the sauce to the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish. Add a layer of lasagna noodles, followed by 1.5 cups sauce and ½ of the ricotta mixture. Repeat with noodles, sauce and ricotta. For the final layer add a layer of noodles, the rest of the sauce and pour over the cream cheese mixture.
- Spray a piece of foil with non-stick spray and cover the lasagna. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and cook for an additional 10 minutes.** You can remove the lasagna now, or for an extra crispy top, turn the oven to broil. Cook for an additional 3-5 minutes until browned and bubbly on top - be sure to keep an eye on it so it doesn't burn.
- Remove from the oven and allow the lasagna to rest for 10 minutes. Cut into 8 pieces and top with fresh parsley.
TF
This is the BEST vegan lasagna i've ever had. I followed the recipe exactly, but for the topping I used two types of vegan Parmesan and 1 vegan mozzarella. DELICIOUS !
Rene
Yes - love to hear it! So glad you enjoyed it!
Lisa
I made this for a group of non vegan friends. They loved it! So did my husband. Only thing I substituted was I used vegan smoked provolone for the top. Viola brand. Thank you for this great recipe. It’s a keeper.
Rene
So glad it was a hit Lisa!
Julie Nielson
Oh my gosh! This is truly the best vegan lasagna we have ever made. Been vegan for 4 years and have tried many really good lasagnas but this one wins the prize. The homemade ricotta was to die for and the "cheese" topping was so delicious. We added mushrooms and capers and made no other changes. Thank you for sharing this!
Rene
So glad you enjoyed it Julie!
Mandy
Hi there 🙂 ! Is it okay to use a baking pan? I also purchased some vegan sour cream United of ricotta . I cannot do the texture. I read somewhere it is an acceptable substitute. Would this work in your recipe ? If I use a baking pan would the cook temp change ?
Rene
Hi Mandy, a baking pan will definitely work and will not change the baking time. I can't speak to the flavor of the sour cream, since I haven't tried it. I almost think vegan cream cheese would be a better replacement.
Traci
I cannot wait to make this lasagna! What brand of half and half do you use? Thanks!
Rene
I really like Ripple!
Traci
Thank you! I used Ripple and wow! Its my go-to for coffee now and this lasagna is incredible! Thank you!!
Crystal Spear
I used almond milk and it turned out really great. For the topping I used vegan mozzarella and Parmesan cheese
Crystal Spear
I us Calfia unsweetened unflavored creamer
Todd M
I would like to make with fresh spinach as Liz did: anything special that I need to do with the spinach to make this swap? Any difference in measuring?
Rene
I would just be sure to chop your spinach into bite-sized pieces before adding it to the ricotta 👍
Liz M.
Rene, this was absolutely delicious! Hands down the best vegan lasagna my husband and I have ever had. I switched a few things up by making my own tofu ricotta, using fresh spinach instead of frozen, and using no-cook green lentil lasagna noodles. I also can't help but add some extra fennel in the sauce. I loved the addition of Beyond Meat® vegan sausages - they added so much flavor! Thanks again for a new staple in our rotation!
Rene
Yay! SO glad you both liked it and were able to make adjustments to make it work for you! I love fennel too!
Elaine
Do you use a ground Italian meatless sausage or do you cut up links? Thank you !
Rene
I used the Beyond Meat links!
Catty
This was AMAZING! I made it as a ziti instead of lasagna and it was so good! My meat-eating husband and kids liked it too. Will definitely be making again.
Rene
Love it! Your ziti looked so good!!!
Richard
Hey Rene, loved this lasagna but wanted to make a couple comments...first, your method of cooking the noodles is perfect. When I read the recipe I assumed you must be using the no cook kind, which I do not like. Watched the video again and realized you used the regular noodle. They come out perfect! Second, maybe it was the brand of sausage I used, but they didn't add anything to the party, just disappeared into the sauce...thirdly (is that a word?) "let's add red pepper flakes to our lasagna" said no Italian ever! I did because I like a little spice but my wife is not a fan of spicy, so it spoiled it for her. Not your fault, I know better! All in all it was great, she said let's make this again.
Rene
I can't resist a little spice 😂 Thanks for the feedback and glad you enjoyed this!
Dakota
I just made this recipe tonight and I’m in love! This is my favorite lasagna I’ve ever made, it’s definitely going into my regular recipe rotation and I already can’t wait to make it again. Thank you thank you!! 💕
Rene
I'm so happy you liked it!!! I think I ate this for 4 days straight for lunch and dinner after shooting this and I still wasn't tired of eating it 😂
Lisa
This turned out great! Everyone non vegan loved it! Subbed the topping with vegan smoked provolone cheese. Thank you! I will for sure make this again.
Julie Morrison
Just made this for our New Year’s Eve dinner! Wonderful! Happy New Year, one and all!
Rene
Happy New Year! So glad you liked it!