I have to admit, the thought of making lasagna without cheese is kind of strange. I am used to eating lasagna full of different cheeses and sometimes meat.
When making a plant-based lasagna, the first thing to think about is what to fill it with since we can’t use meat or cheese. I decided to fill mine with sauteed zucchini, mushrooms, and a white bean “ricotta.”
For the white bean filling, you will use two 15 ounce cans of white cannellini beans or great northern beans, garlic, fresh Italian parsley, and soy milk. Blend these together in your food processor or blender and you have something that looks similar to ricotta cheese. To me, it tastes even better because I was never a huge ricotta fan to begin with.
For the lasagna noodles, I use Barilla Whole Grain noodles. There are a few choices out there now that are whole food plant-based, it shouldn’t be hard to find. I had a few noodles leftover when I made a 9×13 pan. You can add all the noodles, do 4 across instead of 3. I like my lasagna to be more filling and less noodle. It’s all up to you.
I included my Super Easy Spaghetti Sauce recipe on this page as well. My recipe calls for 2 jars of store-bought marinara or sauce of your choice, crushed tomatoes, garlic, onion, Italian seasoning, and crushed red pepper. Pretty easy. When shopping for the jarred marinara sauce, look for low sodium and also no sugar added.
add a layer of sauce to 9×13 baking dish, then add a layer of noodles 
top with a layer of white bean “ricotta” 
top “ricotta” with zucchini and mushrooms 
add some sauce, repeat steps again. 
add last layer of noodles and top with remaining sauce
Lasagna
Equipment
- Food processor or blender, 9" x 13" pan
Ingredients
For the white bean "ricotta"
- 2 15 oz cans white cannellini or great northern beans, drained and rinsed.
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup fresh Italian parsley, chopped
- 1/2 cup unsweetened soy milk
For the vegetables:
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 8 oz sliced mushrooms
- 1 large zucchini, chopped
- 1/3 cup low sodium vegetable stock
For the Lasagna:
- 1 13.25 oz box lasagna noodles, whole grain
- 7 cups spaghetti sauce, your own recipe or see the recipe for Super Easy Spaghetti Sauce
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F.
- Cook lasagna noodles according to package instructions.
- In a saute pan over medium-high heat, add the vegetable stock, 2 cloves minced garlic, zucchini, and mushrooms.
- Cook for 7-10 minutes until vegetables are tender.
- While vegetables are cooking prepare the "ricotta."
- Add white beans, 2 cloves minced garlic, parsley and soy milk to a food processor or blender.
- Process until smooth. Set aside until assembling the lasagna.
- When vegetables are done set aside to cool.
- To assemble lasagna line the bottom of the 9×13 casserole dish with about 1 cup spaghetti sauce.
- A- Add a layer of noodles.
- B-Top with the white bean "ricotta."
- C- Add half of the zucchini mixture next.
- D-Top with spaghetti sauce. repeat steps A-D.
- Top last layer with noodles and top with remaining spaghetti sauce.
- Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. (remove foil halfway through baking time)
Super Easy Spaghetti Sauce
Equipment
- Dutch oven or large sauce pot
Ingredients
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 small onion, diced
- 2 25 oz jars store-bought marinara sauce, low sodium, no sugar added
- 1 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to large saucepot or Dutch oven over medium heat.
- Cook for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. If you are in a hurry you can actually use the sauce right now. I think it has more flavor if you let it cook longer.
- Reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- You can top your favorite pasta with this sauce or use it for lasagna.