Ultimate Vegan and Gluten-Free Lasagne
This vegan and gluten-free lasagne is food indulgence at its very best. It's a show-stopping plant-based dish reserved for the most special of dinners or occasions.
Ingredients
Roasted Veg (Optional)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 aubergine, cut lengthways into thin slices (approx. ½ cm / ¼ inch thick)
- 1 courgette, cut diagonally into long thin slices (approx. ½ cm / ¼ inch thick)
- 1 red pepper, deseeded and cut into 8 slices
- Salt and pepper to taste
'Meaty' Tomato Sauce
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 2 carrots, grated or finely chopped
- 3 sticks celery, finely chopped
- 6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 10 oz (300 g) mushrooms, finely chopped
- 10 oz (300 g) meat-free mince (GF if necessary)
- 2 tablespoons tomato puree
- 3x 14 oz (400 g) tins plum tomatoes
- 1 vegan stock cube (or 2 teaspoons vegan bouillon powder)
- 2 tablespoons Henderson's Relish (or half the amount of red wine vinegar - see notes)
- 1 tablespoon Marmite (or other yeast extract if GF)
- 4 bay leaves
- 2 teaspoons oregano or dried mixed herbs
- Large handful fresh basil (approx. 30 g)
- Salt and black pepper to taste
Béchamel Sauce (White Sauce)
- 5 tablespoons (50 g) gluten-free plain white flour (or regular plain flour)
- 4 tablespoons (50 g) plant-based butter
- 3½ cups (800 ml) unsweetened plant-based milk (see notes)
- 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
- 4 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg (optional)
- Salt and pepper to taste
Lasagne
- 18 oz (500 g) dried gluten-free lasagne sheets (or regular dried lasagne sheets)
- Grated vegan cheese (optional)
Instructions
Roasted Veg (Optional)
- Preheat the oven to 200°C (390°F).
- Place the slices of aubergine, courgette, and pepper in a lightly oiled oven dish (you can use the same dish that you're going to cook the lasagne in later). If necessary, layer the veg or use a second oven dish. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and roast in the oven for 25 mins.
- Once cooked, remove from the oven and set aside. Depending on which stage you're at with the other steps, you might want to turn off the oven at this point.
'Meaty' Tomato Sauce
- Meanwhile, heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a large pan. Add the chopped onion, carrot, and celery, and soften for 10-12 minutes on a low heat, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle in some salt and pepper at this stage.
- After 10-12 mins, add the chopped garlic and chopped mushrooms and cook for 3-4 mins.
- Next, add in the meat-free mince and cook for another 3-4 mins. If using frozen/fresh mince, simply throw it in and break it apart. If using dried mince, you'll first need to rehydrate it according to package instructions.
- Once the mince has cooked for a few minutes, stir in the tomato puree. Cook for a couple of minutes before adding the tinned tomatoes, crumbled vegan stock cube/powder, Henderson's Relish, Marmite, bay leaves, dried oregano/mixed herbs, and some more salt and pepper. You can also rinse each tomato tin with a splash of water and add this to the pan.
- Break the tomatoes apart with a spoon, then reduce the heat and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. The sauce should become quite thick. After around 20 minutes, turn off the heat and stir through the chopped basil. Remove the bay leaves and set aside.
Béchamel Sauce (White Sauce)
- Melt the butter in a saucepan on low/medium heat then add the flour and combine well. Cook over the heat for one minute. The flour/butter mix will form a paste in the pan.
- After a minute, add in one third of the plant-based milk. Use a whisk to gently whisk the mixture until it comes together and thickens, making sure there are no lumps. Feel free to remove the pan from the heat at any point while you do this.
- Once combined, gradually whisk in the rest of the milk and add the nutritional yeast, cider vinegar, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. It will take a few minutes for everything to thicken while you whisk.
- Once cooked, the consistency should be creamy but not too thick. Adjust the seasoning, turn off the heat, and set aside.
Assembling the Lasagne
- Heat the oven to 180°C (360°F).
- A few notes prior to assembly:a) My oven dish was 36 cm x 24 cm and 6 cm deep.b) For me, 18 oz (500 g) of dried pasta = around 24 sheets. I split this across four layers, so six sheets per layer.c) For four layers of pasta, I want five layers of tomato sauce. This is because I start with the tomato sauce and I like a final layer on top before the final layer of white sauce.d) Like the lasagne sheets, I split the white sauce across four layers.
- Start by spreading out a thin layer (approx. one fifth) of the tomato sauce on the bottom of the oven dish. Add a layer of lasagne sheets, breaking these as necessary to fill any gaps. Top this with a thin layer of the white sauce (approx. one quarter), using a spoon or spatula to spread it out.
- Repeat these steps once again before adding all of the roasted veg in one layer. Once you've added the veg, continue with the sauce and pasta steps. If you're not including roasted veg, simply carry on adding the layers of sauce and pasta. The idea is that the veg is placed in between the second and third layers.
- After adding the final layer of pasta, you should be left with some tomato sauce and some white sauce. Add the tomato sauce first, then smooth over the white sauce. If you have any remaining pieces of dried pasta, you can squeeze these into any gaps or down the sides of the dish.
- Add a few splashes of Henderson's Relish (or vegan Worcestershire sauce) and bake in the oven for 45 minutes or until golden-brown on top.
- If adding grated vegan cheese, sprinkle this over and switch to the the grill for the final 5-10 minutes, depending on how melted and crispy you like it.
- Remove from the oven, allowing to cool for five minutes before serving. Enjoy this lasagne with garlic bread, fresh salad leaves, and some homemade vegan parmesan.
Notes
Quantity: Because this recipe takes a while to make, I've done the amounts for a total of eight servings. Depending on your appetite, this could easily become fewer servings, but it should provide you with several meals over the coming days.
Béchamel variations: If you don't like plant-based butter, you could replace this with olive oil. You could also try stirring in some grated vegan cheese or Dijon mustard (although be aware that this is not always strictly vegan).
Plant-based milk: For the béchamel sauce, I'd suggest using a neutral all-rounder such as unsweetened oat milk or soya milk. Note that soya milk may thicken more, and so you may need to use more than stated above.
Veg: It really helps to prep your veg before starting. If you can’t stand the idea of finely chopping/grating a load of veg, you could also do this in a food processor. The carrot and celery give the sauce a nice sweetness and depth, but you can omit these if you like.
Red wine: I haven't included this in the recipe, but a small glass of (ideally vegan) red wine would add another level of flavour. Add in and reduce for a couple of minutes before adding the tomatoes.
Pre-cooking lasagne sheets: If your dried lasagne sheets come with instructions for pre-cooking, follow those steps and then reduce the overall oven-baking time in this recipe.
Leftover lasagne sheets: The amount of dried lasagne sheets you have left will depend on the size of the packs and the size/shape of your oven dish. If you have just a few extra pieces then break these up and stuff them down the sides or into gaps, otherwise save the sheets until next time or for another recipe.
Texture: I like to use a mix of mushrooms and meat-free mince, but you could simply swap one out for double the amount of the other. You could also replace one with a drained tin of green lentils.
Henderson’s Relish: This famous Sheffield product can be found in eateries and households throughout the city, but I appreciate it may not be available where you are. Feel free to swap it out for vegan Worcestershire sauce or half the amount of red wine vinegar (just be aware that this is not always strictly vegan).
Soya-free: If you want the recipe to be soya-free, simply use a plant-based mince and plant-based milk that don’t contain soya.
Gluten-free: If you need to ensure that this recipe is 100% gluten-free, use a vegan stock, yeast extract, meat-free mince, plant-based milk, and GF pasta that are all certified or labelled as such.
Non-GF: If this recipe doesn't need to be gluten-free, simply use regular dried pasta sheets and regular plain flour in the white sauce.
Storage: You can store this lasagne in the fridge for up to four days or freezer for up to six months.
If you liked this recipe, you might also enjoy:
- Ultimate Vegan Fish Pie
- Vegan Spaghetti Bolognese
- Ultimate Vegan Haggis
- Tempeh Bolognese
- Smoked Tofu Risotto with Lemon & Basil
- Vegan Spaghetti alla Puttanesca
- Vegan Cottage Pie
- Butternut Squash Pasta Bake
Nutrition
Calories: 538kcalCarbohydrates: 92gProtein: 20gFat: 13gSaturated Fat: 2gSodium: 937mgPotassium: 1167mgFiber: 12gSugar: 21gVitamin A: 4071IUVitamin C: 43mgVitamin D: 42µgCalcium: 241mgIron: 6mg
Nutrition Facts
Ultimate Vegan and Gluten-Free Lasagne
Amount Per Serving
Calories 538
Calories from Fat 117
% Daily Value*
Fat 13g20%
Saturated Fat 2g13%
Sodium 937mg41%
Potassium 1167mg33%
Carbohydrates 92g31%
Fiber 12g50%
Sugar 21g23%
Protein 20g40%
Vitamin A 4071IU81%
Vitamin C 43mg52%
Vitamin D 42µg280%
Calcium 241mg24%
Iron 6mg33%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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