This delicious vegan zucchini lasagna is made completely without noodles … but you won’t miss them! It’s made with zesty tomato sauce, rich dairy-free ricotta, and roasted zucchini slices. A delicious and gluten-free vegan dinner that’s perfect for special occasions!
I love noodles. I have nothing at all against pasta, and I especially love it in vegan lasagna. But I also love zucchini, and sometimes, particularly during late summer when I have too much zucchini on my hands, I’ll experiment with replacing some of my pasta with zucchini. Full disclosure: I’m not always happy with the results. Sometimes I’m still hungry after dinner.
But there are also successes, and this vegan zucchini lasagna was a big time win! The creamy ricotta, zesty sauce, and vegan mozzarella shreds make this a super satisfying, super hearty, and oh-so-yummy meal.
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Ingredients You’ll Need
- Zucchini. It’s best to use medium or large zukes for this recipe. Small ones will work fine, but you’ll have to spend a lot more time slicing, and since the slabs will be smaller, the lasagna might not hold together as well when you cut it.
- Olive oil.
- Cashews. You’ll need raw cashews to make the creamy base for your vegan ricotta. Roasted cashews can not be substituted, unless you want your lasagna to taste like cashew butter.
- Water.
- Garlic.
- Tofu. Extra-firm tofu is best. Firm tofu will work in a pinch though. I don’t recommend using super-firm, as the texture isn’t quite right for vegan ricotta.
- Fresh basil.
- Lemon juice. Use the fresh stuff — not bottled!
- Salt and pepper.
- Marinara sauce. I’ve included a link in the recipe card to my marinara sauce recipe. You could also use store-bought, or another version of homemade if you have a favorite.
- Vegan mozzarella cheese. This is optional, but it makes a nice topper for the lasagna. I used Violife brand.
How It’s Made
The following is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you’d like to skip right to the recipe!
Make your zucchini noodles first. Slice the zucchini into thin slabs, lightly brush them with oil, then arrange them on parchment paper-lined baking sheets (you’ll need about three).
Roast the zucchini slices until they soften a a bit and a few of them start to brown around the edges. this should take about twenty minutes.
Tip: Don’t skip this step of pre-roasting your zucchini! It’ll soften the slices up so they’re easier to work with, and draw out some of the excess moisture so your lasagna doesn’t end up watery.
To make the ricotta, first place soaked raw cashews into a food processor, along with some water and a clove of garlic.
Blend the cashew mixture to a paste. It should get somewhat smooth, but don’t worry if it has a little texture.
Add tofu, basil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper to the food processor bowl.
Now just pulse the machine until the mixture is blended, but still a bit chunky.
Time to assemble the lasagna! Start with a layer of sauce, followed by zucchini slices, ricotta, then more sauce. Now more zucchini slices, the rest of your ricotta, and more sauce. Top the arrangement with a final layer of zucchini, then sauce. If you’re using vegan cheese, sprinkle it on top.
Bake the lasagna until the sauce is bubbling. If you see the lasagna start to burn around the edges, cover it with foil.
Let the vegan zucchini lasagna rest for a few minutes when it comes out of the oven, then slice it up and dig in! If you’d like, you can top each slice with a sprinkle of my vegan Parmesan cheese.
Leftovers & Storage
You can either store your zucchini lasagna in it’s baking dish, covered tightly with plastic, or transfer it to an airtight storage container. It will keep in the fridge for about three days.
If you do transfer it to a sealed container, feel free to stick it in the freezer for long term storage. It’ll keep for about three months.
More Vegan Zucchini Recipes
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Vegan Zucchini Lasagna
This delicious vegan zucchini lasagna is made completely without noodles … but you won’t miss them! It’s made with zesty tomato sauce, rich dairy-free ricotta, and roasted zucchini slices. A delicious and gluten-free vegan dinner that’s perfect for special occasions!
Ingredients
- 4 medium zucchini (about 2 ½ to 3 pounds total)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 ½ cups raw cashews, soaked in water 4 to 8 hours, drained, and rinsed
- ½ cup water
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 (14 ounce/400 gram) package extra-firm tofu, drained
- ½ cup fresh basil leaves
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 3 cups marinara sauce
- 1 ½ cups shredded vegan mozzarella cheese (optional)
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 400°F.
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Slice the zucchini lengthwise into thin slabs, aiming for each slab to be about ⅛ inch thick. Lightly brush the tops and bottoms of the slices with the olive oil and arrange them on several parchment paper-lined baking sheets.
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Bake the zucchini slices for about 20 minutes, until they’ve softened and some have browned a bit at the edges.
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Make the ricotta filling while the zucchini bakes. Place the cashews, water, and garlic into the bowl of a food processor fitted with an s-blade. Blend the mixture until it is relatively smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
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Break the block of tofu into a few chunks and add them to the food processor bowl, along with the basil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Pulse the machine until the ingredients are combined, but the mixture is still slightly chunky, like ricotta cheese. Stop to scrape down the sides of the bowl when needed.
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Ladle about one cup of sauce into the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch baking pan. Arrange a third of your zucchini slices over the sauce, then spread half of your ricotta over the zucchini. Ladle about a half cup of sauce over the ricotta. Repeat the layering arrangement starting with another third of your zucchini. Top the lasagna with a final layer of zucchini and the remaining sauce. Sprinkle the lasagna with cheese if using (Note 1).
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Bake the lasagna for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly. Keep an eye on it and cover the dish with foil if it starts to burn around the edges.
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Let the lasagna sit for 10 to 15 minutes before slicing and serving.
Notes
- I like to lightly spritz the cheese with some oil to help it melt.
Nutrition
Calories: 298kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Sodium: 984mg | Potassium: 972mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 856IU | Vitamin C: 37mg | Calcium: 84mg | Iron: 4mg
