Vegan Lentil Lasagna

5 from 2 votes

This vegan lentil lasagna makes for such an amazing comfort food vegan recipe that your whole family will love. Features a super simple lentil marinara sauce plus a quick vegan bechamel. Makes for a hearty no-meat and dairy-free lasagna that's so satisfying and flavorful!

Prep Time40

Cook Time40

Total Time1 20

Course: gratin, Main Course, Pasta

Cuisine: American

Keyword: healthy, lasagna, plant-based, Vegan, vegetarian

Servings: servings

Calories: 410kcal

Author: Jessica Laroche

Ingredients

Simple Lentil Tomato Sauce

1 cup dry lentils (du Puy or green or brown) or about 1.5 cans of cooked lentils
1 yellow onion diced
2 carrots shredded or finely diced
3 cloves of garlic crushed
1 tbsp dried Italian herbs mix or oregano, basil, etc
28 oz crushed tomatoes
14 oz diced tomatoes
salt to taste

For the lasagna

9 uncooked (no boil) oven-ready lasagna noodles sheets choose gluten-free if necessary
1 batch vegan bechamel sauce see note for recipe, use gluten-free flour as needed
2 tbsp nutritional yeast to add to the bechamel sauce

Instructions

Start by cooking the lentils. Combine the dry lentils with 3 cups of water, bring to a simmer, cover and let the lentils cook until tender, about 20-30 minutes. Add more water if they dry out while cooking and drain the excess water once done. Set aside.
While the lentils are simmering, start the tomato sauce. Warm up a large pan with a little oil and cook the onions for about 5 minutes with a pinch of salt until they start to soften. Then, add the garlic and dried herbs and cook for one more minute.
Then, add the crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes and carrots. Stir and cook uncovered on medium heat for about 20-25 minutes. Then, add the drained cooked lentils and cook for 10 more minutes stirring once in a while.
While the tomato lentil sauce is simmering, make the bechamel sauce. When the bechamel is done, salt to taste and add 2 tablespoons of nutritional yeast plus some ground black pepper to taste.
Pre-heat the oven to 350º.
Assemble the lasagna:
1- Add 1 cup tomato sauce to the bottom of a baking dish of about 9 x 13 inches size. Then, layer 3 no-boil noodles over and add ½ cup of bechamel over the noodles.
2- Add one more cup of lentil sauce over the bechamel, then 3 more noodles and then another ½ cup of bechamel.
3- For the last layer, top the bechamel with one cup of lentil sauce, then 3 noodles and then, another cup of lentil sauce.
4- Drizzle the remaining bechamel sauce over and use the back of a spoon or a spatula to spread it out over the whole surface.
Bake for 40-45 minutes (or until the noodles are tender and the top starts to brown) and then let the lasagna rest for about 10 minutes before slicing. Enjoy!

Video

Notes

Keep the leftovers in an air-tight container for up to 3 days. Reheat using the microwave or the oven (350º for about 15-20 minutes). You can also freeze the lasagna for up to 3 months.
You can find the bechamel sauce recipe here. You can also make an oat milk Alfredo pasta sauce.
If you want to save some time, you could also use a jarred marinara sauce (25 ounces) and add some cooked lentils to it.
To boost the lentil tomato sauce with even more flavor, then feel free to add some red wine, a dash of chili powder, a splash or soy sauce, spinach, finely chopped mushrooms, etc.
Nutrition: please note that the nutritional information is an estimate per serving provided for informational purposes only (calculated by software) and accuracy is not guaranteed. Consult with your healthcare provider or a registered dietitian if you need precise nutrition calculations for health reasons.

Nutrition