Take the stress out of catering for dinner parties with this Vegan Lasagna recipe. It can be assembled the day before and baked just in time for dinner.
Sometimes catering for large family gatherings or dinner parties can be quite stressful. Lasagna is one of those go-to dishes that make it easy to cook for crowds.
This vegan lasagna is enough for 8-10 servings. If you can fit two rectangular oven trays into your oven, then double the recipe to bake two lasagnas. The best thing about this recipe is that the elements can be made the day before and all you need to do is assemble it and bake it in time for dinner.
Serve it with a big mixed salad and some fresh crusty bread. Try this Easy Homemade Vegan Bread Recipe.
What to use instead of dairy in this vegan lasagna
Traditional lasagna normally has a white cheese sauce and grated cheese on top. We’ve used tofu and nutritional yeast to create a ricotta cheese-like sauce. For the grated cheese on top, we’ve used vegan cheese.
If you are new to veganism, you might like to read: What is Vegan Cheese and How Is It Made?
How to make this vegan lasagna stress free
This recipe is made up of three elements: the tomato sauce, the “ricotta” cheese, and the vegan lasagna pasta. Each of these can be made the day before and the lasagna can be assembled and kept in the refrigerator overnight. Take it out an hour or so before baking so that it comes to room temperature.
Here are a few tips to help you:
Use a blender to make the “ricotta” cheese
Use a blender or food processor to mix the tofu and the rest of the ingredients to make the cheese sauce. Keep blending until you get a ricotta texture.
Cook the tomato layer in a pot and mix it to make a tomato sauce
Mix the tomatoes with the rest of the sauce ingredients, and cook for 5 minutes. This will allow the seasoning to permeate the tomatoes.
Assemble the lasagna
The lasagna pasta can also be cooked the day before. Once it’s cooled, assemble the lasagna layers. If you are making it the day before, cover it with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator once it’s cooled.
Just before baking, sprinkle the grated cheese on top and bake for 45 minutes.
Stress-Free Vegan Lasagna
Ingredients
"Cheese" sauce layer
- 1 packet firm or extra-firm tofu
- ½ cup water
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- 1 T apple cider vinegar
- 1 t garlic powder
- Salt and Pepper, to taste
Tomato layer
- 1 can diced tomatoes
- 1 T balsamic vinegar
- 1 t garlic powder
- 2 t oregano, dried
- Salt and Pepper, to taste
Pasta layer and topping
- 6 cooked vegan lasagna sheets
- ¾ cup vegan cheese, grated
Instructions
To make the "cheese" sauce layer
- Break the tofu into pieces.
- Put it in a blender or food processor with the water, nutritional yeast, apple cider vinegar, garlic powder, and salt and pepper to taste.
- Blend until you get a ricotta cheese-like texture.
To make the tomato layer
- In a pot, over medium heat, add the diced tomatoes and the rest of the ingredients.
- Mix and cook for 5 minutes.
To assemble the lasagna
- Pour a ¼ cup of the tomato sauce into the bottom of the lasagna pan. Cover with a row of cooked pasta.
- Then spread a layer of the cheese sauce and cover it with tomato sauce.
- Layer another layer of pasta on top. Repeat until there is no more cheese sauce and pasta strips.
- Pour the rest of the tomato sauce on top of the last layer of pasta and add the vegan cheese.
- Cover with aluminum foil and cook for 45 minutes.
- Remove the aluminum foil and cook for an additional 5 minutes to brown the cheese around the edges.