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The Best Vegan Lasagna with Tofu Ricotta recipe by Joyful Balance

Vegan Lasagna With Tofu Ricotta

Delaney Marie
This Vegan Lasagna with Tofu Ricotta is a delicious, veganized take on the classic! We will be cooking up a flavorful marinara mixture with veggies and lentils, then layering it with lasagna noodles and tofu ricotta to make the best vegan lasagna you've seen yet! Give this one a try for Veganuary, or any time of the year!
*Note From Start to Finish is an estimate that includes 25 minutes to make your Lemon Tofu Ricotta and chop your veggies, and 95 minutes to complete the recipe directions. Much of this time is spent simmering your lentil mixture and baking your lasagna, so not all of it is hands-on time.
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From Start to Finish2 hours

Ingredients

  • ½ medium yellow onion - diced
  • 2 small/medium carrots - peeled and diced
  • 1 small/medium zucchini - diced
  • 1 cup cremini mushrooms - diced
  • 4 cloves garlic - minced
  • ¾ cup uncooked green lentils
  • 24 oz marinara sauce
  • 1.5 cups veggie broth
  • 14 oz tomato puree
  • ¼ cup basil - thinly sliced
  • Salt, to taste - (I use ¼ tsp)
  • 9 uncooked lasagna noodles
  • 2.5 cups Joyful Balance Lemon Tofu Ricotta* - (OR another vegan ricotta)
  • Optional: 2-4 tablespoon plant milk
  • Optional: ¾ cup grated vegan mozzarella

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 375F.
  • Bring a medium nonstick pot to medium-high heat on the stovetop. Add just a bit of water to prevent sticking, and add your yellow onion. Allow to sauté for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally and adding small amounts of water as needed to prevent sticking.
  • Add the carrot, zucchini, and mushrooms to the pot. Continue to sauté for another 3 minutes, still stirring occasionally and adding small amounts of water as needed to prevent sticking.
  • Add garlic to the pot. Sauté one more minute.
  • Add your uncooked green lentils, marinara, veggie broth, tomato puree, basil, and salt to taste. Give everything a mix and bring the mixture to a boil.
  • Lower the heat to a simmer. Cover and allow to simmer 25-30 minutes, or until lentils are cooked. You may work on steps 7 & 8 while your mixture simmers.
  • Cook your pasta according to package directions. When it's done cooking, drain the pasta. Let it cool a few minutes, until cool enough to handle. (At this point if you still have a while before your lentil mixture is done, you may want to lay the noodles out on a cooling rack to prevent them from sticking together).
  • If your vegan ricotta is thick enough that it seems that it may be hard to spread, mix in about 2 tablespoon of plant milk at a time until it seems like a more spreadable (but still ricotta-like) consistency. I find that with the Lemon Tofu Ricotta, this is sometimes necessary if the ricotta has sat in the fridge overnight and thickened a bit. If your ricotta is already easily spreadable to begin with, then just skip this step!
  • Assemble your lasagna:
    -Spread approximately 1.5 cups of the marinara mixture on the bottom of a 9x13 dish. Top it with 3 lasagna noodles. Add half of the ricotta mixture and gently spread it.
    -Spread another 1.5 cups of the marinara mixture, followed by another layer of noodles. (No ricotta this time)
    -Spread another 1.5 cups of the marinara mixture, followed by one last layer of noodles, and the second half of the ricotta.
    -Top with the last of the marinara mixture (should also be approximately 1.5 cups).
  • Cover with foil and bake 35 minutes.
  • Carefully remove the foil and sprinkle on the optional vegan mozzarella. Bake for an additional 5-10 minutes (uncovered) to melt the cheese a bit.
  • Allow to cool and serve as you wish!

Notes

*The Lemon Tofu Ricotta recipe includes optional lemon zest - you may include this if you'd like, but I prefer to leave it out for this particular recipe! Including it will just make your ricotta much more lemon-forward. 
Did you make this recipe?Mention @joyfulbalanceofficial on Instagram and show the world your plant based creation!