Easy Vegan Vegetable Lasagna (Gluten Free)

Name: Easy Vegan Vegetable Lasagna (Gluten Free)
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 85 min
Ingredients: 1 box 15 lasagna noodles (, gluten-free if needed); 7 cups your favorite jarred marinara (, can use homemade too); 1 ½ cups cashew ricotta; 2 cups fresh spinach (, measure packed); 4 cups mixed chopped veggies (, use fresh); 1 cup Grateable Vegan Parmesan Cheese

Last modified: October 24, 2022. Originally posted: October 24, 2022 By Sophia DeSantis

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This is a super easy way to make a vegan vegetable lasagna without having to boil the noodles! This lasagna is healthy and also gluten free.

This vegan lasagna comes together much faster that the traditional way to make it. The key is in the raw vegetables and sauce cooking the raw noodles as it bakes!

White plate with piece of vegetable lasagna and a fork on it.

This recipe was originally published on 11/18/2013

We love lasagna, but who has hours to make dinner?! Which is why I experimented with my homemade vegan ricotta cheese, raw vegetables, tomato sauce and lasagna noodles to get a quick, no boil trick to get this favorite dinner on the table with much less effort!

This easy vegetable lasagna is the lazy mom's dream. It gives you dinner for days, can be frozen for later and comes together so darn fast I could cry.

Ingredients

Here is what you need to make this plant based recipe:

Lasagna noodles - to keep this vegan lasagna gluten free, make sure to choose gluten free noodles.
Marinara sauce - Make your own or use your favorite jarred kind.
Cashew ricotta - It's easy enough to make your own, otherwise use your favorite plant based ricotta.
Fresh spinach
Fresh chopped veggies
Grateable Vegan Parmesan Cheese - Another easy homemade cheese, or use your favorite store bought kind.

Top view of lasagna noodles, vegetables, cheese and sauce on a wooden surface.

How To Make Easy Vegan Vegetable Lasagna

Cover the bottom of the baking dish with sauce then place raw noodles on top.
Add some of the filling mixture.
Layer on more raw noodles, top with sauce and add on another filling mixture.
Continue until you are done with filling and finish with noodles, sauce and cheese.
Cover with foil and bake.
Serve!

Top view of raw lasagna noodles in red sauce in a white baking dish.

Top view of raw spinach over hidden layers of lasagna in a white baking dish.

Do You Have To Boil Lasagna Noodles?

The short answer is not always. If you use enough moisture in the layers you do not need to boil the noodles first. This vegetable lasagna recipe does just that!

There are 3 main keys to making this work.

Use FRESH raw veggies, whatever you have in the fridge. Chop up and load them up.
Use PLENTY of sauce. More is more.
Cover the top COMPLETELY.

Fresh vegetables release water as they cook. So using them without cooking them in this lasagna allows the water to be sucked up by the noodles.

Also, increasing the sauce also helps contribute to the liquid needed. The noodles are super tasty because they are sucking up the sauce flavor with the released liquid from the fresh veggies.

Covering the top completely helps ensure that the top layer gets cooked and not burned to a crisp while baking. You also need to push the lasagna down if you notice those top noodle layers curling up as it bakes.

How do you layer a lasagna?

You should layer using the noodles as a guide. Also, look at how many filling ingredients you are using. Here is a quick guide:

Put down some sauce on the bottom of your baking dish.
Lay down noodles followed by sauce.
Add a filling.
Add more noodles followed by sauce.
Repeat until you are done with the filling.
Top with noodles and more sauce.
Sprinkle with cheese.

What to Serve with Lasagna

We love pairing this vegan lasagna recipe with at least one side dish, even though it's loaded with enough veggies to act as an all in one meal! Sprinkle some vegan Parmesan and freshly chopped basil on top, and serve it with one of these dishes:

How to Make Lasagna Ahead of Time

As quick and easy as this plant based lasagna recipe is to put together, there are certain times you make want to prep it in advance. There are a few different ways to do this:

Make the sauce and cheeses if you're using homemade, and wash and chop the veggies. Then simply assemble and bake when you're ready to go.
- The marinara sauce, cashew ricotta, and vegan parmesan can all be frozen to have on hand!
Do all of the above and assemble but wait to bake. Remove from storage about 20 minutes before baking.
Or, you can completely bake the lasagna, then reheat quickly when you're ready to eat.

Storage and Reheating Tips

Leftovers of this gluten free vegan lasagna will keep in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, and the freezer up to 3 months.
Seal it in an airtight container to keep it freshest the longest.
Reheat large portions, or the entire dish, in the oven as you would baking.
Smaller portions heat up well in the microwave.

Can you freeze vegan lasagna?

You can freeze vegan lasagna! You just have to make sure to store it properly. Lasagna can be frozen before cooking or after.

Usually, freezing lasagna before cooking is better, the cheese and filling hold up better. However, if you are not cooking the noodles first like in this recipe, it is better to freeze after cooking.
If you decide to freeze leftovers, make sure the lasagna has cooled down fully and is stored in an airtight container.
I like to put a layer of plastic wrap on the top as well to help prevent freezer burn.
You'll also want to make sure you let it thaw completely before reheating.

Common Questions

Do lasagna noodles have egg in them?

Traditionally, no. But you should always check ingredient lists when shopping. Some brands may use eggs.

How many layers should be in Lasagna?

Lasagna must have at least 2 layers, but you can absolutely add more if you'd like! I would suggest looking at how many fillings types you have. I prefer no more than 1-2 filling ingredients per layer.

What layer do you finish with on a lasagna?

Your last layer of lasagna should be the noodles, with a little sauce and some cheese sprinkled on top! This helps keep everything together and gives a nice browning layer on top.

More Vegan and Gluten Free Recipes

These veggie filled recipes are all easy to make from simple whole food, plant based ingredients.