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This vegan zucchini lasagna is a hearty, delicious meal to make any day of the week. The lasagna is layered with zucchini slices, Italian-spiced lentils, and a cheesy white sauce. Baked to perfection, and finally, topped with loads of fresh basil. Best part? This zucchini lasagna is not watery, just perfectly saucy!! This recipe is a great way to use up all late summer produce, and a pretty simple meal for evenings when you’re craving Italian.
This vegan zucchini lasagna recipe is…
- not soggy!
- a great way to use up those late summer zucchini’s.
- a cozy, healthyish meal, that your whole family will love.
Simple ingredients for vegan zucchini lasagna…
- Zucchini: Duh! To replace the lasagna noodles used in traditional lasagna, you’ll need around 3-4 medium-sized zucchini’s.
- Lentils: A couple of cups of cooked brown lentils. This will be our meatless, protein-packed replacement.
- Garlic cloves: For the cheesy white sauce and the tomato spiced lentils.
- Olive oil: A good quality olive oil will be used to make the spicy tomato lentils layer, along with using some to make the best vegan white sauce. If preferred, you can also use vegan butter for the white sauce!
- Flour: This will be used to make a lovely, creamy, and thick cheesy white sauce.Substitute all-purpose flour for a gluten-free alternative for a gluten-free lasagna.
- Vegan cheese: Grab your favourite block of vegan cheese, and grate until you have around 2 cups. And to save time, use pre-grated vegan cheese!
- Plant milk: I’m an oat milk kinda girl, but use whatever non-dairy milk you have at home! Soy milk, cashew milk, rice milk, etc.
- Ground spices: salt, black pepper. and chili flakes (aka red pepper flakes).
- Dried herbs: dried basil and dried oregano.
- Tomato paste: This will gift our lasagna with a lovely tomato-based sauce, that’s got an umami kick to it.
- Tinned tomatoes: You’ll need around 3/4 cup of tinned chopped tomatoes. And if you only have tinned plum tomatoes, add them into a food processor and pulse it 2-3 times or until it resembles tinned chopped tomatoes.
- Fresh herbs: Loads of fresh basil, and even a little fresh oregano!
All about the zucchini…
The secret to a non-soggy zucchini lasagna is making sure you remove all that excess moisture. To do that, line a large baking tray with paper towel. And then, with a mandoline slicer , a vegetable peeler, or even a sharp knife, slice the zucchini into 1/8 inch thin slices. In a single layer, place the sliced zucchini over the paper tissues. Sprinkle the zucchini slices with a little salt, and let it set for 15 ish minutes. And with a clean kitchen towel, gently apply a little pressure to the zucchini slices to remove the excess water. Flip the zucchini slices and repeat. I like to do this step in between cooking the sauces, this way, the lasagna is ready to eat even quicker.
The cheesy white sauce…
Instead of using vegan, tofu ricotta, I wanted to make a cheesy sauce that didn’t require any tofu. As you know, I have many tofu recipes on my blog. so I have nothing against it, I just wanted to make it a little different. And, if you want to try a vegan lasagna recipe that’s made with vegan ricotta, you’ve got to try my mushroom lasagna with white pesto recipe. I also wanted this recipe to feel cheesy, but with minimal amounts of vegan cheese. This recipe calls for 2 cups of vegan cheese, but because we’re making a cheesy white sauce, it’s more than enough for all 4 layers. Plus, I know sometimes it can be a little harder to find certain types of vegan cheese like vegan mozzarella cheese or even vegan parmesan cheese, so I knew I didn’t want to include those in this recipe!
To start melt vegan butter in a pan over medium heat, add in the garlic and cook for a few seconds or until the raw smell disappears. Mix in the all-purpose flour, and cook for a minute or so, making sure to stir consistently to prevent it from burning. Slowly stream in the oat milk, or the plant milk of your choice, while constantly stirring. Once all the oat milk has been mixed in, it’ll become thick, which is what we want! Add in the grated vegan cheese, give it a quick mix, and then turn off the heat. Continue mixing until most of the vegan cheese has melted, the residue heat from the white sauce will help with this! Cover and set aside until needed.
Making the spicy tomato lentils…
The second secret to my sturdy vegan zucchini lasagna recipe is having a marinara sauce, that’s thick. I know it may seem a little strange, but just trust me! The end result will still be saucy, thanks to the remaining liquid in the zucchini!
For the tomatoey lentil sauce, heat the oil in a pan, add the onions and cook until translucent. Add in the grated garlic, cook for a few seconds, and then add in the dried oregano, dried basil and chili flakes. Cook together for 1-2 minutes. Add in the tomato puree, and while constantly mixing, cook for 2-3 minutes. Mix in the tinned chopped tomatoes, and add in the lentils, and maple syrup. Cook for a further 3-5 minutes. And just like that – you have the perfect Italian tomato spiced lentils.
Time to bake!
The first I like to do is grab the cheesy vegan white sauce, and take out 3/4 cup to reserve for the topping. Then, in a casserole dish, add a thin layer of marinara sauce to the bottom and spread it out using the back of a spoon. Add the zucchini strips in a single layer over the sauce. Don’t worry if the zucchini strips overlap slightly! Break the tender zucchini big enough to fill in the gaps, as you want to make sure that every zucchini layer is packed with just enough to cover the sauces. Add 1/3 of the white sauce over the zucchini, spread it over so the zucchini is covered, and then dollop 1/3 of the tomato lentil sauce all over. And spread into an even layer using the back of a spoon.
Add the second layer of zucchini over the swirled sauces, but this time, place them in the opposite direction. Meaning that if the first layer was all horizontal, place this next layer, vertically. This will help the zucchini lasagna’s structure, so when you cut into it, it won’t fall apart!
Add the marinara sauce, cheesy white sauce, and then the next layer of zucchini slices. Repeat until you have 4 layers of zucchini, and no more tomato sauce left. Dollop the reserved cheesy white sauce over the final layer of zucchini. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until the white sauce starts to get a little golden around the edges.
For the best results, allow the piping hot vegan lasagna to cool down for at least 30-40 minutes. Doing so will allow the sauces to all firm up, so when you slice into it, it won’t fall apart. Just before serving top with some fresh basil, and for some additional heat, some more chili flakes. And if you have any leftover lasagna, simply store it in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days. Good news – this zucchini lasagna tastes even better the next day!
Once you try this vegan zucchini lasagna recipe, please leave a star rating and review below! I try my best to respond to you all. Oh, and don’t forget to tag me on Instagram – I can’t wait to see your images!!
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Ingredients
- 3–4 medium zucchini
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium white onion
- 3–4 garlic cloves (grated)
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1–2 tsp chili flakes (or to taste)
- salt + black pepper (to taste)
- 4 tbsp tomato puree (aka tomato paste)
- 3/4 cup tinned chopped tomatoes
- 2 cups cooked brown lentils
Cheesy White Sauce
- 6 tbsp vegan butter
- 6 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 3 garlic cloves (grated)
- 1 cup oat milk
- salt + black pepper
- 2 cups vegan cheese
Instructions
- Cheesy white sauce: Heat the pan, add the vegan butter, and once melted, add in the grated garlic. Cook for a few seconds, then add in the all-purpose flour. Cook and constantly mix everything for a minute. Stream in the oat milk while continuing to stir constantly. Add in the salt, black pepper, and grated vegan cheese. Mix, turn off the heat and continue to mix until most of the vegan cheese has melted. Cover pan, and set aside until needed.
- Zucchini: Slice zucchini into 1/8 inch slices, and place on a baking tray lined with paper towels. Sprinkle with a little salt, and let sit for 10 minutes. With a kitchen towel or paper towel, and a little pressure, blot the zucchini to remove all the excess moisture. Flip the zucchini slices, and repeat.
- Tomato Lentil Marinara: Heat oil in a pan, add the onions and cook until translucent. Mix in grated garlic, then add the dried oregano, dried basil, chili flakes, and cook for under a minute. Add the tomato puree, and while constantly mixing, cook for 3-4 minutes. Add in the tinned chopped tomatoes, lentils, maple syrup and salt. Mix until well combined, and cook for 5 minutes.
- Assembly: Reserve 3/4 cup of the cheesy white sauce for the topping. In a baking dish add a little of the thick tomato lentil marinara sauce to the bottom. Add zucchini strips in a single layer, with them overlapping very slightly. Add 1/3 of the white sauce over the zucchini strips, and add 1/3 of the thick tomato lentil marinara. Repeat the above steps, but for the second layer, flip the direction the zucchini strips are sitting in. Meaning, that if you placed the zucchini vertically for the first layer, place it diagonally for the second, vertically for the third, and diagonally for the fourth. Spread the reserved 3/4 cup of cheesy white sauce over the final layer of zucchini. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until the top starts to get a little golden.
- Resting: Allow the vegan zucchini lasagna to rest for 30-40 minutes before slicing. And don't forget to top it with loads of fresh basil! Enjoy!
Nutrition
- Calories: 380
