Vegan meat lasagna is easy to make with no-boil noodles and easy-to-find ingredients. It's meaty, cheesy, tomatoey perfection!
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This hearty vegan meat lasagna uses pre-made tomato sauce and veggie crumbles with my homemade vegan ricotta cheese for a decadent casserole that my child has declared his favorite thing.
You can use homemade tomato sauce instead of store-bought, if you prefer, but I wanted to make this meaty vegan lasagna recipe as quick and easy as possible.
You can also use other meaty fillings, like Impossible or Beyond Meat that you sauté until browned. Or use my vegan sausage crumbles or even just use lentils. I like using veggie grounds here, because I can quickly thaw them in the microwave without dirtying another pan.
💖 Why You'll Love this Recipe
- easy, meaty vegan lasagna with tomato sauce and 2 cheeses
- no boiling the lasagna noodles in advance
- versatile! Use vegan meat of your choice and homemade or store-bought sauce.
- hearty, comforting, panful of deliciousness with minimal prep (as minimal as you can get with a lasagna!)
✓ Ingredients and Substitutions
- vegan ricotta - You can use store-bought vegan ricotta, but I love using my homemade version! It's super quick to make in the food processor with a block of firm or extra firm tofu, olive oil, lemon juice, Italian seasoning, miso, garlic powder, and onion powder.
- tomato sauce - Use homemade or store-bought! Choose one you like the taste of, because this recipe uses a LOT of sauce!
- no-boil lasagna noodles - Don't use regular lasagna noodles, because they will probably not cook through.
- veggie crumbles - I am using bagged veggie crumbles, like the ones from Morningstar Farms, that you can just microwave. If you want to use Beyond Meat or other vegan meats that aren't designed to be used that way, you may want to brown them in the pan before starting to assemble your lasagna.
- vegan cheese - I am using a mix of vegan mozzarella and vegan parmesan. You can omit the parmesan, if you want, or use my Magical Fairy Dust on top in place of the parmesan. The mozzarella is pretty non-negotiable, but you can reduce the amount to 1 cup, if you want to use less cheese on top.
🔪 How to Make Vegan Meat Lasagna
Combine all of the ricotta ingredients in the food processor, and run until you have an even mixture.
Preheat the oven to 375° F.
Pour about 1 ½ cups of the tomato sauce into the bottom of a 9x12" baking dish, and sprinkle on half of the veggie crumbles. Top with 3 lasagna noodles.
Spread another 2 cups of sauce over the noodles, and sprinkle on the remaining veggie crumbles. Top with 3 more lasagna noodles.
Place dollops of the ricotta all over the noodles until you've used up all of the ricotta.
Then, top that with 3 more noodles and another 2 cups of sauce.
Sprinkle on the vegan mozzarella and vegan parmesan. Cover the pan with foil, and bake for 50 minutes, or until the lasagna noodles are cooked through.
Increase the heat of the oven to 425° F, remove the foil from the pan, and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes, until the cheese is melted and browned to your preference.
💡 Helpful Tips
- If you are using a vegan meat, like Beyond Meat, that doesn't do well in the microwave, you may want to brown it in a pan instead.
- Depending on the width of your pan, you may be able to squeeze a fourth lasagna noodle into each layer. If so, go for it! My pan only fits three because of how the sides taper in.
⏰ Make-Ahead Directions
To make this ahead of time, assemble the casserole, cover, and do the first bake. Then, you can refrigerate for up to a day. When you're ready to cook, pull the pan out of the fridge while the oven preheats, and bake at 350° F for 25 to 30 minutes, until heated through.
🫙 Storage Directions
Leftovers will keep for 3 to 5 days in a covered container in the fridge.
You can also freeze individual slices in freezer safe containers. Thaw overnight in the fridge, then warm them up in the oven or in the microwave.
💬 Frequently Asked Questions
Well, first of all, that's not a question, but I'm sure some of you are screaming that. 😂 Vegans use words like "cheese" and "meat" to evoke flavors and textures that are nostalgic from our childhoods. Think of it as a shorthand.
📖 Recipe
Vegan Meat Lasagna
Equipment
- 9x12" baking dish - or similar sized dish
Ingredients
For the Vegan Ricotta
- 14 ounces extra firm tofu pressed
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1 tablespoon miso paste
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
For the Lasagna
- 5 ½ cups tomato sauce homemade or store-bought, just choose one you like the taste of!
- 9 no-boil lasagna noodles
- 7 ounces veggie crumbles thawed in the microwave, if frozen
- 7 ounces vegan mozzarella shreds
- ¼ cup vegan Parmesan or my Magical Fairy Dust, optional
Instructions
Make the ricotta.
- Combine all of the ricotta ingredients in the food processor, and run until you have an even mixture.
Assemble the vegan meat lasagna.
- Preheat the oven to 375° F.
- Pour about 1 ½ cups of the tomato sauce into the bottom of a 9x12" baking dish, and sprinkle on half of the veggie crumbles. Top with 3 lasagna noodles.
- Spread another 2 cups of sauce over the noodles, and sprinkle on the remaining veggie crumbles. Top with 3 more lasagna noodles.
- Place dollops of the ricotta all over the noodles until you've used up all of the ricotta, then top that with 3 more noodles and another 2 cups of sauce. Sprinkle on the vegan mozzarella and vegan parmesan.
- Cover the pan with foil, and bake for 50 minutes, or until the lasagna noodles are cooked through. Increase the heat of the oven to 425° F, remove the foil from the pan, and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes, until the cheese is melted and browned to your preference.
Got a question? Tried this recipe? Leave a reply!