Last night I had the pleasure of having dinner with a group of people taking a Civil Rights Tour through the South. The menu for the night was barbecued pork sandwiches and pork-and-beans, the idea being to give them a little taste of local cuisine (which revolves around pork, apparently). The only problem: Several of the 30 participants were vegetarian. When the planners of the dinner realized this, a call went out for vegan dishes, and I was happy to oblige with my potluck standard, Easy Spinach and Mushroom Lasagna.
I’ve been making this recipe for years, and I can’t bring myself to change it. I keep thinking I should do something to fancy it up, but it’s my daughter’s all-time favorite food, so I never want to risk ruining a batch. (This is a kid who has written several essays this year about her love for lasagna; her hero is Garfield.) Recipes for vegan lasagna abound, and I’m sure you can find fancier, richer tasting versions, but for sheer easiness of preparation and basic yumminess, this one can’t be beat. You don’t need to pre-cook the lasagna noodles, and you can make it super-easy by using jarred spaghetti sauce.
Easy Vegan Spinach and Mushroom Lasagna
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb fresh mushrooms, sliced
- 1 tsp. chopped garlic
- 2 tbsp. water
- 2 24-oz jars of spaghetti sauce (or your favorite pasta sauce)
- 9 lasagna noodles (regular lasagna noodles, uncooked)
- Soy Parmesan (optional)
- Sliced black olives (optional)
Filling:
- 10 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
- 1 lb tofu (firm, reduced-fat recommended–not silken!)
- 1 tsp. salt (optional)
- 2 tbsp. nutritional yeast (adds a cheesy taste)
- 1 1/2 tsp. oregano
- 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
- 1 tsp. basil
- 1/2 tsp. rosemary, crushed
- 1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
Instructions
- Sauté the mushrooms and garlic over medium heat in the 2 tbsp. water until tender; cover between stirring to keep them from drying out. Remove from heat and add the spaghetti sauce.
- Place the tofu and thawed spinach in the food processor and process briefly. Add the remaining filling ingredients to the processor and blend until smooth. (You may do this without a food processor by using a potato masher on the tofu.)
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Spread half of the sauce in the bottom of a 9×12-inch pan. Place a layer of noodles over the sauce, using three dry noodles and leaving a little space in between them. Spread half of the tofu mixture on the noodles (I drop it by spoonfuls and then spread it). Cover with another layer of 3 noodles and then spread the remaining tofu mixture over them. Top with a final layer of noodles, and pour the remaining sauce over this. Cover the dish tightly with foil, and bake for 30 minutes. Then, remove the foil and bake for another 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with soy Parmesan and sliced black olives if you want. The lasagna will cut better if you allow it to cool for 15 minutes before serving.
Cooking time (duration): 1 hour 15 minutes
Number of servings (yield): 9
Makes about 9 servings. Nutritional breakdown will change depending on the exact ingredients you use. Using regular (not light) tofu and Barilla Tuscan Herb Pasta Sauce (with 70 calories and 2 grams of fat per 1/2 cup) and no optional ingredients, one serving provides 190 calories, 47 calories from fat, 5.2g total fat, 0mg cholesterol, 809.6mg sodium, 269.6mg potassium, 25.4g carbohydrates, 5.6g fiber, 7.7g sugar, 11.1g protein, 5.3 points.
The lasagna seemed to be a hit at last night’s dinner. The pan returned home empty (and not just because E. ate 4 pieces!) I regret that I never got the opportunity to find out who the vegetarians in the group were, but it felt good just to know that they were there.
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{ 105 comments… read them below or add one }
Here are the comments posted before the blog was moved to Wordpress:
Kourtney said…
Do you use oven-ready noodles or regular noodles?
10:41 AM, March 24, 2006
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sarchan said…
“The menu for the night was barbecued pork sandwiches and pork-and-beans, the idea being to give them a little taste of local cuisine (which revolves around pork, apparently).” Oh, man, this makes me laugh. Over my spring break (I’m in college) I went to Georgia with Habitat for Humanity and over half the meals provided for us were ham or some other incarnation of pork. Ugh, vegetarian = iceberg lettuce (w/ non-vegan dressing). Thank goodness for peanut butter and Clif Bars! It’s awesome that you could help out some fellow vegetarians
10:44 AM, March 24, 2006
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Monkey Eat Food said…
Out of curiosity, why do you recommend not using silken tofu? I usually use firm silken for lasagna and it comes out ok. Does non-silken hold up better? If so, I’ll be making the switch
10:47 AM, March 24, 2006
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Shawn Powers said…
This is my favorite dish too (Plus I’m a HUGE Garfield fan — E has good taste!), but I have a hard time getting the tofu paste to spread on the noodles. It’s always a pain, and I end up glupping it all over, and sorta spreading it with my fingers. It’s really messy.
I use regular whole-wheat noodles in mine, and they cook up scrum-diddly-umptous.
(I’ll add olives next time, that’s not in the recipe on your site, if I recall correctly…)
12:20 PM, March 24, 2006
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karina said…
Susan, this sounds delicious! [My younger son was a major Garfield fan, too.] How cool that you got to provide the vegan dish for this event!
2:47 PM, March 24, 2006
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SusanV said…
Kourtney–Use the regular lasagna noodles. They work perfectly.
Sarchan–Allow me a mini-rant. I’m wondering if it is only in the South that people involved in progressive social or political causes forget to provide vegetarian food. I don’t want to sound like I equate vegetarianism with liberalism; I know that all vegetarians aren’t liberal, and certainly all liberals aren’t vegetarian. But it’s always seemed to me that there is usually a higher percentage of vegetarians involved in social action groups than there is in the general population. Yet, here in Mississippi especially, people involved in these groups completely forget to provide vegetarian dishes most of the time.
[end of mini-rant]
On a side note, my brother and sister-in-law work for Habitat in Georgia.
Monkey Eat Food–I like the texture of regular tofu much better for lasagna because it’s much more like ricotta (to me) than silken. It does seem to hold up better and is less watery.
Shawn, that’s exactly why I like to use uncooked noodles in this. I drop the filling by the spoonful, and then spread it out. If the noodles are cooked, this gets even more tricky to me! (True, I’ve added the olives since I posted the recipe to the site. I guess I did make it a little more fancy, LOL.) Glad you like the recipe!
Hi Karina! Actually, there were 3 different vegan dishes, which was fortunate since there were so many people. I did hear a couple of people express relief that the non-meat dishes were there.
Thanks to all of you for your great comments and questions. And GARFIELD FANS UNITE!
4:27 PM, March 24, 2006
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mipmup said…
super timely! my husband has been bugging me for lasagna, but i just can’t bring myself to make a traditional version since he is pre-diabetic. i’m going to try this recipe and replace the noodles with layers of spinach or zucchini (when it comes in season). thanks for posting! looks delish!
5:34 PM, March 24, 2006
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Anonymous Pearl said…
I just came in via Harmonia’s. Your food sounds so good and blog is so beautifully laid out. I’ll be back for more.
7:24 PM, March 24, 2006
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SusanV said…
Hey mipmup, that’s how I make it for myself, with zucchini or lasagna instead of noodles!
Welcome, Pearl! Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope to hear from you again.
9:26 PM, March 24, 2006
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Shawn Powers said…
Does zucchini hold up and not turn to slime? I love zucchini, but really don’t like eggplant. I have tried the eggplant version quite a few times, and have to poke it down with a fork.
I always worried that the zucchini would get to mushy to be good. I hope I’m wrong! (Please let me know before I try it and ruin a whole batch)
Thanks a ton!
9:50 PM, March 24, 2006
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Shawn Powers said…
argh, of course I meant “too” mushy…
9:51 PM, March 24, 2006
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SusanV said…
Hey Shawn–Zucchini holds up, but of course it doesn’t have the “bite” that pasta does. Click here to see how I’ve made it with zucchini in the past. I think that after I wrote that recipe I tried doing it with uncooked slices of zucchini and they worked too, but a little more watery.
8:07 AM, March 25, 2006
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KaiVegan said…
It does look really good. I must admit that as much as I like lasagna, I have never thought of making my own. Silly as that is, I wasn’t much of a cook in my pre-veggie days and then I thought it was intimidating. Looks like that’s really changing! I have to try this one:)
8:40 AM, March 25, 2006
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Anonymous said…
i was just wondering why you choose to use “reduced fat” tofu most of the time. i realize that this is called “fat free vegan” however you mentioned that you still eat avocados and nuts and stuff, and it is more accurately “oil free”. since the fat in tofu is naturally occuring and you realize that good fat is very important to your diet, why do you choose to use the reduced fat stuff? i don’t mean to sound offensive; i’m just curious!
10:54 PM, March 25, 2006
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SusanV said…
Hi anonymous–That’s a fair question. I guess I’m used to specifying low-fat tofu for those who follow an even lower-fat diet than I do. And, since tofu is a processed product, I’m not convinced that the fat in it is as healthy as the fat in nuts or avocado. Even so, I have to confess that most of the time I use regular, full-fat tofu. I used to be able to get a really excellent low-fat tofu, but I can’t always find it now. Instead, I prefer the regular tofu I get at an Asian market for about half the cost of supermarket tofu.
Was that too much information?
11:06 PM, March 25, 2006
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Anonymous Carrie said…
This looks like the lively discussion place, so I’ll sneak in a question here – I posted it in the ratings spot, but there’s no action there. When I try this yummy looking recipe, and want to rate it, I’m confused about the number of stars – it looks like we can give a recipe 1-10 stars, but then there’s the heading “5 Star Recipes” and I don’t think I’ve seen any that were more than 5. So if it’s a 10, do I give it a 5?
Signed, Confused
P.S. With no cheese, does this recipe please even the non-vegan members of the family? I hope?????
10:38 AM, April 21, 2006
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SusanV said…
Hi Carrie–I apologize about not seeing your comment on the message board (I actually saw and answered it earlier today). I’m actually notified by email whenever someone posts here, so it is a good way to get your questions answered quickly.
About the ratings: Hi Carrie–Yes, the top score is 5. It’s confusing, but it breaks down this way–
when you give a recipe a 10, 5 stars show
when you give a recipe a 9, 4 1/2 stars show
when you give a recipe a 8, 4 stars show…and so on
Basically, your score is double the number of stars. It is confusing, and I might look into changing that.
About the lasagna: I’ve had lots of complements on the lasagna whenever I’ve served it to meateaters. I usually bring this to potluck events because it travels well and it looks like “normal” food to non-vegs. People are often confused and think that it must have cheese!
10:48 AM, April 21, 2006
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Anonymous Carrie said…
Hooray – now that that’s cleared up, I’ll get busy rating a few recipes I’ve tried. I love your site, and I’ve enjoyed trying some of the recipes. Thanks for your quick response.
Carrie
11:33 AM, April 21, 2006
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Anonymous Carrie said…
In answer to my own question above, I’ve served this to three non-vegetarians so far, and none of them noticed that it was different from our usual spinach lasagna recipe (made with cottage cheese and some mozzarella). This is truly amazing! I think it’s actually better than the usual recipe. Way to go, Susan!
9:00 PM, May 01, 2006
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~~my~~ said…
HI! that recipe seemed delicious, not to mention healthy. I was just wondering… i’m not from the US and the tofu i can buy here are the ones soaked in water. If i use that, should i press the tofu to release the water from it?
And we have the ordinary lasagna noodle, that almost always needs to be coooked first before layering it into the pan. Or can i use this uncooked when putting in pan? Will that work the same as the no cook lasagna noodle i’ve been reading about?
1:00 AM, May 02, 2006
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SusanV said…
Carrie, I’m so glad you and the non-vegetarians liked it! Thanks for posting.
~~my~~, it sounds like you’ve got everything you need to make this. The water-packed tofu is perfect; you don’t have to press it–just dry it off a little. And the regular noodles are exactly what I use. This recipe uses enough sauce to re-hydrate them during during cooking. No need for special lasagna noodles!
7:57 AM, May 02, 2006
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~~my~~ said…
thank susanv!
1:06 AM, May 03, 2006
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Anonymous jenny said…
i just made this tonight and it was really delicious! i’ve made a vegan lasagna before but wasn’t too impressed. i made some modifications with onions instead of garlic (because i didn’t have any on hand)and it was very tasty! thank you for this awesome recipe!
10:21 PM, May 07, 2006
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flyoverveggie said…
Tried this recipe this the other night and we loved it! I am a long time vegetarian and new vegan and this goes to the top of my potluck and dinner lists. I used brocolli and onion instead of mushrooms and it worked great. I also used whole wheat lasagna noodles which sometimes come out tough in dishes like this, but they were amazing! Thank you for this quick and tasty recipe! I really am enjoying your blog.
Michelle
12:34 PM, August 03, 2006
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Anonymous said…
I had an eggplant, some zucchini and some Vegan Gourmet mozzarella that were all getting long in the tooth.
I roasted the eggplant and zuch and sauteed some portabello mushrooms and used them as part of the layers.
I also used only 1 jar of sauce and thinned it with 1 cup of water (I have kidney disease so I have to limit sodium and potassium) and it tasted fantastic. I think this is a great basic recipe with lots of room for improvisation.
I’ve enjoyed all of your recipes that I’ve tried and my meat eating husband likes them too. Keep up the great work.
5:11 PM, October 12, 2006
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Anonymous Milford said…
Hey i just used your lasagne recipe tonight and just to let you know we all really enjoyed it! im turning more and more vegan by the day and am always on the lookout for classic recipes, so nice one!
Milford x
2:53 PM, November 30, 2006
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SusanV said…
Hi Milford–That’s terrific! Thanks for letting me know.
2:58 PM, November 30, 2006
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Dori said…
I saw this post when it originally published, when I was unhappy with my lasagna attempt, and now I see someone on another blog bring it up again. I am now ready to take a try at lasagna again, this time Susan’s uncooked noodles will be my recipe. The noodles is the part I didn’t like about lasagna before.
3:40 AM, February 03, 2007
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Anonymous vid said…
I made it last night for my picky parents and the three of us polished off the whole tray. I left out the mushrooms and it was still awesome, but i’m curious to try it out next time. Great blog!
11:58 AM, February 12, 2007
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Veg-a-Nut said…
Hi Susan, I just want to stop by and tell you I made your lasagna. I added some zucchini and used fresh spinach because that is what I had on hand and it is wonderful. Thanks for sharing your wonderful recipe. I linked your page in my post. Keep on cooking!!!
2:22 AM, April 30, 2007
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Anonymous WilliamV said…
Hi,
I was considering making the following for a potluck cookout with 50 to 200 people going to the event …
Easy Spinach and Mushroom Lasagna
http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2006/03/my-favorite-lasagna.html
Questions I have are …
1.) How many servings would you recommend cutting the lasagna into?
2.) It will be an hour’s drive to the event, and the eating may not take place for hours after arrival. So would it be best to make it the night before and bring it from the refrigerator in a cooler, as opposed to trying to bring it warm and ready to eat?
3.) I am not sure what arrangements might exist or not for heating up dishes. Does it taste good at cool temperatures, or at room temperature? Or would it be highly advisable to heat it?
I like your website! And nice pictures!
Thanks!
2:57 PM, June 23, 2007
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SusanV said…
William, I usually cut the lasagna into about 12 pieces. But they are not huge pieces.
Can you find out whether or not there is a way to heat it? I would be afraid to let it sit around at room temperature for hours, but if that is the only option, it would be safer to use a cooler. I like lasagna hot or at least at room temperature rather than cold, but I would put safety over taste in this case.
3:00 PM, June 24, 2007
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Anonymous said…
A question regarding the noodles: if using whole wheat noodles, should they be cooked a bit before layering in the pan? It seems like they may not soak up the liquid as easily as regular white noodles.
Thanks!
8:52 PM, July 02, 2007
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SusanV said…
I’ve never made it with whole wheat noodles, but if you’re worried then yes, try cooking them a little first.
Just a note: I have made it with Dreamfields low-carb lasagna and it came out fine without cooking it first.
9:29 PM, July 02, 2007
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Anonymous davidg said…
I use whole wheat lasagna noodles and never precook them. They fully cook by absorbing (mostly tomato) liquid during the baking. Just layer them into the mix right out of the box. By absorbing loose liquid, they keep your lasagna from getting slushy.
1:03 AM, July 20, 2007
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Anonymous veggiesushi said…
This was superb! I used fresh spinach and a cabarnet marinara sauce with baby portabella mushrooms. Also used soy-deli nigri style firm tofu which worked real well for pho-ricotta in consistency. 5 stars here, thanks Susan!
4:06 PM, July 21, 2007
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Anonymous Sharon said…
This was terrific. My Husband didn’t even know it was tofu instead of cheese!
Cut it up and froze some for later.
8:54 PM, September 21, 2007
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Anonymous said…
I came across your blog yesterday, and found this lasagna recipe. I have been promising my fiance a lasagna for ages, and conveniently never got round to it seeing how bad i am in the kitchen! But reading this recipe, and having some tofu that needed using up, I decided to give it a go.
And…considering my lack of cooking skills…what a success! I even got adventurous in making up for ingredients I lacked. I omitted the mushrooms, and made my own tomato sauce with canned tomato, puree, a splash of red wine vinegar etc. Yummy!
We both thoroughly enjoyed our dinner, so thank you!!
One question: I found it incredibly hard to blend the tofu – I ended up removing it from the blender, mashing it with some soy milk, and then trying again. It took a fair bit of extra liquid. Is this right? My blender may be the problem (it is old), but I wondered whether there is anything else you could suggest?
ruthemily
3:01 PM, October 20, 2007
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SusanV said…
Hi ruthemily, I’m so glad to hear the lasagne was a success! About the tofu, I strongly suggest using a food processor instead of a blender, if you have one. If you don’t, then mashing it with a potato masher is really good enough.
4:56 PM, October 20, 2007
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Katy said…
Would rice pasta work in this recipe? I love the idea of not having to cook the noodles beforehand, but I can’t have wheat…
11:22 PM, October 29, 2007
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mustardseed said…
Thanks alot! I miss lasagne!
9:33 AM, November 01, 2007
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HeidiTFM said…
I am allergic to dairy and my husband is a new Vegan, so this recipe really appealed to me. When I made it, I didn’t have the right size pan, so the filling just seemed too intense. Not sure why it’s so hard to find a 9×12 pan, but I picked up a 9×13 and will try it again. I used whole wheat noodles and did NOT pre-cook them. They were perfect.
Do you suggest more layers of noodles to mellow out the filling? Or is it really just a matter of proper distribution?
What I really liked is the leftovers; the noodles got that fantastic, crusty texture and were even better the next day.
Thank you for this recipe. I thought I’d never eat lasagna again!
4:28 PM, November 11, 2007
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Sarah said…
Thanks so much for this recipe! I’m always on the lookout for “normal-sounding” vegan dishes and invariably wind up here! I have problems with fat tolerance and absorbtion so your recipes are wonderful! I will be trying this ASAP!
8:37 PM, November 15, 2007
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Anonymous AshB said…
I came to your site originally, looking for a veggie red beans and rice recipe – and loved what I found. I’ve also tried the tofu jamabalaya – and thought it was delish. So, when I wanted to make a veggie lasagna, I thought this would be a perfect place to come – and I was not disappointed. Since I’m not actually a vegan (just vegetarian) I was a little apprehensive to try this recipe. (I struggle removing cheese from my diet.) But, it sounded so good, and I loved everything I tried in the past, that I was willing to give it a shot. Now, I’ll be using this recipe instead of the vegetarian one I was using before. Thank you, for all the time and energy you put into this blog!
I wanted to mention, (though I don’t want to add fuel to the fire) that I have lived in California my entire life – and never had a problem with social functions not having a vegan friendly meal. In fact, most of the time, I can actually get an entirely raw meal. So, I think you might be right about it being your location.
2:56 PM, December 31, 2007
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Anonymous wvtrailseeker said…
It is so good to finally find a Vegan recipe for Lasagna. I have looked and looked on all the “recipe” sites and they all have Cheese, and eggs.
I don’t eat either, so I just kept on Googling and found this recipe for Vegan Lasagna and I am really looking forward to trying it out on my family in Feb. for my 57th birthday party. I am the only Vegan in the family, but it is ‘MY’ birthday, they will have to eat what I cook this time,the way I want to cook it too.
Thanks for all the good looking recipes and I can’t wait to try them out.
I look forward to finding more and more here, and will be back often to see if there are new ones too.
Thanks again.
8:22 PM, January 21, 2008
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Anonymous Stephanie said…
Oh man, I know you’ve had this recipe up for a while, but I finally got around to making it this weekend for a party of all non-vegans. They loved it! Thank you, thank you, thank you! Deeeelicious stuff.
4:34 PM, January 22, 2008
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Anonymous said…
This is probably the dumbest question ever but would you explain how you thaw the frozen spinach? Should it be drained? And if I use raw spinach, do I need to cook and/or drain it first?
8:49 AM, January 23, 2008
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SusanV said…
If you’re not opposed to microwaves, just set the whole spinach “block” in a bowl and microwave it for a minute or two. Then unwrap it and squeeze the package to get out as much liquid as you can. (It’s not necessary to get it all out or to even have it completely thawed.)
Without a microwave, I would just set it out on the counter for an hour or two before using. Then proceed with the squeezing.
9:11 AM, January 23, 2008
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Anonymous said…
I am making this tomorrow for dinner.
Should I cook the raw spinach first?
I am supposed to drain the firm tofu, yes?
Can this be a make-ahead dish? I would like to assemble the lasagna tonight and then put in the fridge and bake it for tomorrow’s night dinner? What changes would I need to make? Cook it longer covered?
Thank-you!
1:19 PM, January 27, 2008
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SusanV said…
Spinach–no need to cook first.
Tofu–yes, drain off the liquid but no need to press it.
Make-ahead–Definitely! Take it out of the fridge about an hour before you want to cook it. Bake it the same length of time.
Enjoy!
1:22 PM, January 27, 2008
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Anonymous Flavor.sg said…
Enjoyed it!
5:00 AM, February 03, 2008
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~M said…
Hi Susan!
This recipe is fantastic! Super easy thanks to the Cuisinart, and a great way to sneak in vegetables. I might even add a few more mushrooms next time since I doubt my mushroom-hater fiancé will notice. Per my usual, I added a bit of balsamic vinegar to the jars of Muir Glen tomato sauce. The Tinkyada GF whole-grain brown rice noodles cooked up fabulously and there were no undercooked/crunchy parts. I’ll have to buy a case of these noodles after I move.
My only idea for next time is to add roasted vegetables to the top tomato sauce layer, similar to Karina’s Lasagna or the way you added sliced olives.
All my friends were jealous when I brought this for lunch – and shocked when I told them it was vegan and gluten-free. I’ve passed on the link to several friends. Most of all, I like how this lasagna does not cause me to feel like I swallowed a lead ball, like ricotta-containing lasagna.
By the way, Mary Frances recently made a soy-free vegan spinach and mushroom lasagna where the “cheese” is made of beans. I thought you might be interested if you had not seen it already.
Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe that I am sure I will make time and time again!
By the way, do you know whether a cooked version of this recipe freezes well? It’d be great to be able to make to and have “fast food” later on.
6:57 PM, February 03, 2008
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Ashley Katich said…
Wow, this recipe was amazing! I’ve always been a super picky eater and never ate any of the lasagna my mom used to make before I turned veg. I tried this out tonight for dinner and it was DELICIOUS! the whole family loved it and couldn’t believe that it was vegan (they’re all omnivores). Everyone went back for seconds.
Thanks for the great recipe!
7:42 PM, February 03, 2008
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Ula said…
Thanks for the wonderful recipe!
I found your website earlier this week looking for vegan lasagna and decided to try this tonight. I haven’t had lasagna for ages (since my vegetarian days) and this is such a great and easy recipe.
It’s in the oven right now, and I just can’t wait for it to come out to try it.
Great blog by the way. I will be stopping by and trying other recipes for sure.
10:23 AM, February 09, 2008
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Jared said…
This does slightly frustrate me living in Atlanta and going to a very socially active University with a lot of progressive action groups – and to answer a lot of the same question regarding these groups providing vegetarian and vegan fare -
YES yes yes.
I have been part of six (6) groups that have had some sort of event that revolved around meeting and food, even in large groups, and there was always a strong consideration for veggies and vegans.
Southern progressives aren’t these thoughtless hicks.
I’m vegan, and I rarely, if ever, feel ostracized.
Maybe I’m just hanging out with the right people?
Georgia State and Agnes Scott associations have strong, progressive considerations for veggies and vegans.
This was an anomaly to not have veggie considerations.
1:56 PM, February 10, 2008
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~M said…
Do you have any recommendations for veganizing this recipe for butternut squash lasagna? Thanks, Susan!
9:15 AM, February 13, 2008
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SusanV said…
~M, assuming you don’t want to go the easy route and use vegan cheese, here’s what I would do:
I’d prepare the squash and the filling basically the same way, though you know I’d reduce the oil and margarine (not butter). You can prepare that white sauce with non-dairy milk and add a little nutritional yeast instead of the Parmesan (or you could take the sauce from my eggplant parmesan and double it). Then I would just omit the cheese on top and sprinkle it with green onions.
How does that sound?
5:57 PM, February 13, 2008
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~M said…
Hi Susan,
Thanks for your help. Sorry, but I messed up and left you the wrong link (you can remove it). What I wanted was a lasagna that replaced the noodles with slices of butternut squash. Do you think that I should pre-cook the squash or that it will cook in the sauce? And otherwise, should I just follow the recipe for your eggplant lasagna version?
Thanks so much!
9:18 PM, February 13, 2008
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Neta & Almog said…
I made this lasagna for valentine and it was perfect. I’ve tried making vegan lasagna a few times since I became vegan and they were all good, but this one was the best, really.
3:54 PM, February 16, 2008
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Anonymous said…
Hi Susan-
What type of vegan Parmesan do you like to use?
11:02 AM, February 29, 2008
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kristen said…
Hi, Susan– I haven’t been able to find a vegan Parmesan. The ones I’ve found all have casein… which one do you use?
4:11 PM, March 04, 2008
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SusanV said…
Kristen, lately I haven’t been buying vegan parmesan–it’s too much money for too little flavor. The only kind around here is made by Soymage; it’s in a purple can with Vegan in big letters across the front. You should be able to buy it online.
4:19 PM, March 04, 2008
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kristen said…
Susan– I went to my local co-op and they had some cheap parmesan called Parma!. You are right about it not making that much of a difference.
I have to say I’m amazed at how easy & quick your recipe was. An omni friend and I whipped it up and let it bake while we went out for coffee.
It’s also perfect to set up ahead of time so it makes a great gift.
Thank you so much!!
5:08 PM, March 05, 2008
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OpenID xenona said…
Hi!
I stumbled into this recipe from the group Food Photography on Vox. I just was curious as to what kind of noodle sheets you use for this lasagna. Can you recommend any good brands that are egg free?
Many thanks!
2:35 PM, March 10, 2008
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SusanV said…
Welcome, Xenona. I use the plain, dried lasagna noodles that you find with the other dried pasta in the supermarket. In this recipe, they don’t have to be boiled first. I’ve never found any store-bought fresh noodle sheets that don’t have egg in them.
Hope you’ll stick around and explore!
3:26 PM, March 10, 2008
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Anonymous said…
You know what’s crazy good? Well, just leave the lasagna pasta in the cupboard. Then make your lasagna dish as usual, but substitute a thin layer of uncooked pancake batter for the layer of lasagna. This can also be done with cornbread batter (leave out the sugar, please! LOL). It’s super yummy and it gives the dish a very soft and moust feel because the pancake batter soaks up those yummy cheeses and the sauce. Numma numma numma!
11:16 PM, March 10, 2008
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Anonymous said…
Do you have nutrition info for this? I am planning on trying it soon. I’ve started weight watchers and I think this receipe looks delicious (along with a lot of other ones on your site)
Also, could I substitute Whole Grain noodles in for the regular ones?
11:38 PM, March 10, 2008
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SusanV said…
The nutritional breakdown really depends on the exact ingredients that you use. I’ve figured it out using the spaghetti sauce that I use most often (which is lighter than most, but not the lightest you can buy) and with regular (not reduced-fat) tofu. I’ve just added the analysis to the recipe, along with a link to a printer-friendly version.
I haven’t used whole grain noodles, but I see no reason why they wouldn’t work. I would try to check them to make sure they’re fully cooked and give them more baking time, if necessary.
For Core dieters, I think you could make this core if you make your own sauce and use whole wheat noodles. Or, instead of noodles, try it with slices of eggplant or zucchini; it’s a very light meal that way.
8:30 AM, March 11, 2008
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Anonymous said…
Hi Susan,
I love your site! I’m a vegan newbie, so I need to know… what is nutritional yeast? I went to Whole Foods & bought the Marmite, but I don’t think it’s the right thing. Can you help me out?
Looking forward to making the Lasagna
Thanks, Dali
11:27 AM, March 17, 2008
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Just Deb said…
Yum! I’m a newbie as well. This sounds wonderful! I had to order nutritional yeast. I couldn’t find it anywhere. I even tried our Harry’s Market.
Soon, I’ll be trying this and will share a link to this yummy idea.
Thanks,
Just Deb
10:48 AM, March 18, 2008
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Just Deb said…
What can I say but YUMMY! I made this over the weekend and it was wonderful! I’ll be posting about it sometime this week.
Fabulous recipe and easy!
Just Deb
9:44 AM, March 31, 2008
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Anonymous said…
Hi susan!
I’ll start off by saying I am a new found vegan and I am really loving it. I have made some of your recipes and have really enjoyed them! the only problem is I have a severe allergy to soy, chic peas, and all nuts. I am having some problems finding substitutes since so many things contain soy (especially for meat substitute) I’ve heard about seitan but the ones in the stores have some soy in them.. they also have chic peas which i cant eat either. I use rice milk, and rice cheese, but I’m not sure if they will have the same effects
HELP!!!!!!
-Synthia
12:09 AM, April 01, 2008
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Just Deb said…
What can I say except ‘YUMMY’
This is wonderful. I did press the tofu and it was fine.
I love this and I will be making it again.
Deb
7:59 AM, April 03, 2008
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Anonymous said…
i have to start off by saying WOW!!
this was certainly delicious!! I decided to make it with thin sliced zuchinni instead of the lasagna noodles. The zuch. absorbed the flavors beautifully! i absolutely recommend this for anyone who needs to cut back on calories.
Also, Since there is a soy allergy in my house, I put the spinach in the food processor with crushed sunflower seeds!! It gave it a nice crunch and is a great filling!
thanks susan!
2:13 PM, April 04, 2008
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Michelle said…
Thanks so much for this recipe! I made it for my omni bf and myself and we both loved it so much! He kept saying that it was the best lasagna that he had ever tasted and I am happy to have such an easy recipe that makes such a great impression!
10:17 PM, April 06, 2008
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Anonymous said…
I make a similar lasanga, but I like that yours has the spinach in the tofu mixture. When I make it, I also add some italian seasonings to the tofu mixture, and top it off with Macadamia nuts. I know they aren’t as low fat, but I crush them up pretty well (with a knife, not in the food processor, I think that would be too fine) and they brown up beautifully. I’m excited to try it next with the spinach, and maybe some zucchini… now I’m getting hungry!
Thanks so much for this site – great recipes. I started looking at the site for the lowfat goddess dressing, and I just couldn’t stop checking it out!
9:09 PM, April 10, 2008
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Anonymous said…
oh how I wouldn’t have started this if I’d have known we not had foil in the house. I’ve been trying to uncurl the top lasagna with my fingers and ended up burning myself. SOBS!!! Oh well, I’m sure it’ll be tasty tomorrow anyway when I reheat it.
3:12 AM, April 12, 2008
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Georgann said…
Made this lasagna last night and I must say it was the best home-made lasagna…vegan or not vegan…that I have ever had. I have a very reluctant 8 year old eater in the house, who is “allergic” to vegetables, and she had two servings…could hardly believe it. Again, thank you for such wonderful recipes and the generosity in sharing them!!
8:49 AM, April 28, 2008
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Niki said…
Susan,
this recipe is divine. You are so creative with your cooking. I just wanted to say thank you; you’re enthusiasm in the kitchen gave me that final push from vegetarianism into veganism. Many thanks!
Niki
10:17 AM, May 11, 2008
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Anonymous said…
This was my first time making the recipe. When I got to the part of combining the tofu and the spinach, the recipe said to blend until smooth. I didn’t have a food processor, so I used my Vita Mix…and the mixture was definitely creamy – AND VERY GREEN. It looks quite odd. It definitely has a ricotta texture, but the neon green makes me very apprehensive. It’s in the oven now, so I’m not sure how it will all turn out. I haven’t read all of the comments on this recipe so someone may have already suggested this: it may be better to blend all the filling ingredients together first and then hand mix in the spinach. Just a thought. Feel free to comment.
Tracie
4:37 PM, June 01, 2008
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Anonymous said…
Well, the lasagna came out of the oven and even though I used my Vita Mix instead of a food processor it tasted great. However, next time I might try mand mixing the spinach by hand so the tofu filling has a little more texure.
7:54 PM, June 01, 2008
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CJ said…
I would only make this recipe if I had fresh tofu, which is so different from the jiggly, watery stuff in that plastic pack at the grocery store.
10:18 PM, July 02, 2008
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Anonymous said…
Mmmmmmm… Savoring now! Thanks for the recipe. I prepared mine exactly as written above except no basil (simply because I can’t stand it!) and it tastes wonderful. Can’t wait to try more recipes!
2:01 AM, July 04, 2008
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Anonymous said…
Is Parmesan Cheese vegan? At traders joe it states it has animal rennet/ enzymes in it.???
6:25 PM, July 09, 2008
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SusanV said…
Parmesan cheese is definitely not vegan; with the rennet, I wouldn’t even call it vegetarian (though I can’t speak for what vegetarians think).
This recipe calls for soy parmesan, which is available in a vegan version by Galaxy Foods.
7:05 PM, July 09, 2008
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Christie said…
Hi Susan,
I made this for dinner last night. It was my first time making lasagna ever. I’m so glad I found your recipe first. I bought a lasagna pan yesterday just so I can make this. Instead of mushrooms, I used broccoli and made my own pasta sauce. I was surprised how light it was. Usually lasagna is like eating a brick.
Anyway, thanks so much. I will be trying many more of your recipes.
7:41 AM, July 12, 2008
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christine said…
You are my new best friend! This recipe is awesome…we couldn’t wait for it to cool much before my husband and I started devouring it!
I used whole wheat noodles and portabella mushrooms and all fresh herbs. Didn’t see the note about not using silken before I made it but it turned out amazing anyway.
Our tummies thank you!
E has good taste!
4:37 AM, July 27, 2008
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Anonymous said…
I really want to make this for my son’s birthday, but I don’t know anything about mushrooms. I’ve never cooked with them. What kind do I need to get, and do they need any special treatment (washing/cleaning)?
8:46 AM, August 02, 2008
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SusanV said…
The regular white (button) mushrooms that you find in the produce section of grocery stores (in a plastic-covered box here in the US) are all you need. Just wash them gently under running water, place them on their sides, and cut off and discard the stem (or save it to make veg broth). Then slice the mushroom caps and you’re ready to go.
You can often buy pre-sliced mushrooms which don’t have to be washed; they’re a great time-saver, but they’re more expensive.
8:52 AM, August 02, 2008
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Anonymous said…
I made this for dinner tonight and it was great! I made a smaller lasagna because I only had 6 sheets left so I will use the leftover spread in something else this week, possibly in some filo pockets with some tomato.Yumm! My daughter ate it up and didn’t believe me when I told her that it was tofu not cheese! I will definitely be making this again, great recipes, great site
4:06 PM, August 11, 2008
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Joe said…
Excuse the inserting your foot in your mouth syndrome…..
And by BTW this is the best vegan dish have tried as of yet.
But am very perplexed as to why anyone would make a “healthy” dish with pasta made from white flower.
I made it from whole wheat pasta and I assure you it was not any extra work nor was the taste compromised.
Has not anyone read the China Study? Not that it’s knowledge is really anything new.
5:48 PM, August 12, 2008
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Anonymous Konul said…
Dear Susan,
. I still haven’t tried it with my husband, who also is a very picky eater, but I think he is going to like it, and won’t mind there is no meat in it 
Just wanted to let you know that I made your lasagna today, and it was awesome! I had to twick it a little bit, and not because I thought something was wrong with the original recipe: my son has disability and therefore on a very strange combination of diets (GFCFSF, SCD, BED), and I love to get more veggies in his diet. He is only four, so it’s not easy. Plus I have so many food allergies, that I lost count. Anyway, here is what I changed in case there is other people in my shoes who cannot have certain ingredients: I used soaked skinless almonds instead of tofu. I used only two layers of Tinkyada’s rice noodles (cannot have gluten). As a third layer I used eggplants, peeled them, sliced them, then broiled them for 5 min each side with salt and ghee (cannot have dairy). I also added onions, summer squash and carrot to your sauce recipe and used Amy’s marinara sauce (it’s “legal” version for our diet). It came out so yum! My son didn’t mind eating it at all, and that’s extremely unusual
Thank you so much for helping me feed my family healthy
I admire cooks like you who take time to create such a wonderful recipes and share it with rest of us. Keep up your good work 
Best,
Konul
PS: Does anybody have a good ideas of tomato substitutes? I love tomato sauces, but I am allergic to them. I heard of some versions with red beets, carrots, dills, etc. Any suggestion?
Thanks in advance.
5:48 PM, August 13, 2008
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Anonymous Ali said…
Thanks for this recipe. I am new to your site and this is the first recipe I tried. My family really enjoyed it, even my sometimes-picky two year old! I am not a fan of nutritional yeast but it worked really well in this dish. I used whole wheat noodles and fresh spinach though because that is what I had on hand and as far as I could tell it didn’t affect the outcome. Yum! It will definitely be a regular dish in our house. Very easy and very tasty.
8:07 AM, August 19, 2008
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auroranatrix said…
Hi Susan,
I’m thinking of making this for dinner tonight but we are a family of 2. Have you tried freezing it? We usually keep Amy’s Frozen lasagna’s in the house but I’m trying to cook more these days,
6:22 AM, August 20, 2008
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SusanV said…
I haven’t frozen it, but I see no reason why it wouldn’t freeze well. Hope you enjoy it!
7:14 AM, August 20, 2008
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Carbovore said…
I served this to my nonveg in-laws last night as the main course, including my 15 year old brother in-law. They enjoyed it so much, they spent most of the night trying to convince me to open my own restaurant. The only bad thing was that there were no leftovers. Thank you so much, Susan, for this recipe. Its a 10!
Mark
5:42 PM, September 08, 2008
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Aloha_Doll said…
Thank you so much for posting this great recipe! I made it tonight for hubby’s 33rd birthday. It was FABULOUS! We didn’t miss the vegan cheese and it was truly SO EASY! I was amazed that the “standard” lasagne noodles I bought cooked perfectly without pre-boiling!
This is definitely going into my folder of “must-make-agains” as it was so good, and so amazingly easy and quick!
Mahalo & Aloha!
2:43 AM, September 18, 2008
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Anonymous Wade Sexton said…
Susan,
I made your Spinach & Mushroom Lasagna tonight. It was the best spinach lasagna I have tried so far.
Could I post this spinach lasagna recipe on my site mylasagnarecipe.com
Thanks
Wade
11:15 PM, September 21, 2008
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Wade said…
Sorry, here is my gmail address
11:16 PM, September 21, 2008
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Anonymous said…
Hi! Thank you so much for sharing your recipe! I made this lasagna on Sunday (without the mushrooms) and it was amazing! It was the first time I have had lasanga since going vegan and it was absolutely delicious(I ended up eating the whole pan by myself . . .). I had some problems with my top layer of noodles being uncooked, but it was so easy to make without having to deal with pre-boiling the noodles! I was wondering, do you think if would be possible to make pasta casseroles with other noodle shapes without pre-cooking too? Maybe if I stirred it halfway through or used a particulary liquidy sauce? I was thinking of trying to make a a mac ‘n cheese-esque soymilk/elbow macaroni casserole, and I would love to not have to deal with the extra dishes/boiling water. Thank you for your advice, and for the amazing recipe!
5:27 PM, September 30, 2008
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Kelly said…
I just made this for the first time tonight and will be making it many more times. I loved it. It’s so easy too! Thank you, Susan!
9:35 PM, October 07, 2008
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Anonymous said…
I know that I am late to the party, but I have to add further praise for this remarkable recipe! I have not eaten a nice Italian meal for some time, and this lasagna is wonderful. The filling is delicious. I think that it tastes like cheese, but my memory on such matters is not what it used to be. Anyway, after today’s test run, I am definitely bringing this to my family’s Thanksgiving dinner. My Italian family usually has manicotti, stuffed shells, or some pasta along with turkey. Hopefully more people than me and my vegetarian aunt will eat it! Susan, you really provide a great public service. You give a vegan hope! (And something to cook.)
10:04 PM, November 22, 2008
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Anonymous said…
I just wanted to chime in that this lasagna is fabulous! Thanks so much for all of the time and effort that you put into this blog. I recently made the jump to low fat veganism after having been vegetarian for 5 years, (and having high cholesterol during that time), and your blog has been invaluable!
2:33 AM, December 29, 2008
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Vegan Tropic said…
This is quite possibly the best lasagna ever!
3:55 PM, January 14, 2009
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eastercat said…
Your recipe is great. Even though I don’t follow it exactly, it still manages to work wonders. I recently adapted this recipe for stuffed shells. I didn’t pre-cook the shells and lengthened the cooking time. Even though the shells fell apart when I took them out of the pan, the pasta consistency was great.
Thanks for the great idea of using uncooked noodles.
3:19 AM, January 24, 2009
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Miss Slim said…
Susan, I’ve tried your Lasagna with a few alterations- Simply DELICIOUS
Tks
Kiss
7:51 AM, February 10, 2009
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Rina said…
Susan….
This is quite the miracle recipe. It’s fairly healthy, very nutritious, and kid friendly! My little sister’s diet consists primarily of dairy and, sadly, meat…toast and soymilk. She will not eat her veggies or even think about eating what we do. BUT…she loved this! Even after she was told (3 yrs. at the time) there were veggies in it, she still ate it (even as leftovers)! I LOVE your website and look forward to trying the shiritaki, pie, and every other recipe…yum.
2:05 PM, March 01, 2009
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Lety said…
This was delicious. I also added a cashew cream sauce.
I used wheat pasta and it came out fine.
This tastes even better the next day!
4:41 PM, March 09, 2009
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Anonymous Gwen said…
Susan, thank you. Just made this lasagna for the 3rd time, and… delicious each time! I LOVE Italian food, and it’s so nice not to go without lasagna. People always seem to think the filling has cheese in it!
Whole foods has a fat free organic pasta sauce I like to use (365 organics brand). If you have a Basha’s near you, they always seem to have the biggest variety of tofu (sometimes it’s hard to find reduced fat). I have a hard time finding whole wheat pasta noodles, but I did get some from Target, of all places (Archer Farms brand).
8:42 PM, March 12, 2009
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Anonymous said…
Thank you so much for this recipe. My boyfriend and I are not vegans, or even vegetarians for that matter, but we’re very conscious about the nutrition in the food we eat. We try to avoid cheese as much as possible and we don’t eat red meat, but we’d been missing lasagna a lot lately. I made this tonight, and it was delicious. We didn’t miss the cheese (or meat) at all!
7:07 PM, April 01, 2009
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Xiaolu said…
Hi Susan! I was planning on making this awesome-looking lasagna tonight, but realized that my frozen “spinach” actually turned out to be kale and mustard greens. Do you think I could substitute either of those successfully? Thanks for the recipe and lovely site!
10:45 AM, May 01, 2009
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SusanV said…
Xiaolu, I’m sorry I missed your question before! I’ve never tried it with kale or mustard greens, but of the two, I think I’d go with kale. But instead of blending it with the tofu, I think I’d steam it and layer it on top of each tofu layer. I think it’d be very pretty that way!
4:18 PM, May 12, 2009
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Anonymous Lynne said…
Made this for dinner last week and we ate it for several nights. SO GOOD! My husband says it’s as good as “regular lasagne”. LOL
I used your recipe and technique mainly as a guide and then used the veggies I had on hand, etc. It was a huge success. Thanks for all your ideas and hardwork!
1:54 PM, May 21, 2009
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Anonymous said…
This recipe was great! Now, I am getting demands for more.
7:34 AM, June 13, 2009
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Ginny said…
This was very good. Much better than we expected. Thank you so much!
9:44 PM, June 23, 2009
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okay so im assuming you can just blender the tofu and spinach?, if you don't have a food processer?
and for the tofu, your suppose to press the water out or something like that right? and how do you go about doing that?
im sorry if these sound like stupid questions, but im a teen vegan and not the greatest in the kitchen. and im also wary of tofu because anytime i've used it outside of stirfry its turned out not so great…
so any help is appreciated
If your blender is strong enough, you can process it in that, but it may get bogged down in some blenders. If that happens, I recommend just using a potato masher or fork to mash the tofu; then add the spinach and seasonings. You don't have to press the water out of the tofu, just drain off what it's packed in, but I do recommend squeezing some of the water out of the spinach after it's thawed.
alrighty, thanks a lot that help tons!
One day I was making lasagna and had extra eggplant that needed to be eaten so I substituted the pasta with the eggplant…and it was superb!!! I cut the eggplant length-wise and layered just like you would the pasta.
That sounds great, I’ll have to try it. and it would make it gluten free for those so inclined.
This looks fabulous. I'm allergic to soy, and I am trying to think of vegan replacement for the tofu. Any suggestions?
Chloe, I have used mashed white beans instead, and it's pretty good. I suggest coarsely mashing them by hand, though, and not using a food processor, which tends to turn them to glue.
I've been lurking your pages for a while now, Susan, and I've seen some really nice dishes, and a few I've tried. I've never been so excited to try something, though!
I've NEVER made a lasagna in my life. They're HUGE and I'm just one person, so it never made sense. However, you've made this look so easy and so yummy, I'll be making my first one next week. I picked up most of the ingredients today, that I don't already have. I'll be getting one other thing maybe tomorrow. Then I try to make it next Tuesday. I'll cut it into smaller pieces and freeze what's left over (please tell me if freezing is a bad idea!)
I'm mostly vegan (I have this thing for honey) and enjoy cooking, so I should really enjoy this! Anyway, thanks for sharing your recipes here!
Can someone please explain what nutritional yeast is, and where one can get it? I live in Montreal, do you think it would be available here? If not, can you think of any substitutes? (I'll use actual cheese if I have to, I just want to know what kind), Thank you.
Anonymous in Montreal…
I bought some nutritional yeast today to make this lasagna for tonight – I got it from this health food store on the corner of Parc and Sherbrooke. However, I'm 99% sure that Le Frigo Vert would have it cheaper and in bulk!
Susan,
My fiance just made this and it was INCREDIBLE! I ate waaay too much and I really didn't want to stop. Thank you!!
– your faithful vegan friends from the Netherlands
I've made two recipes of yours in 3 days and they were both incredibly good and will definitley become staples in our house. Thank you so much!
Hi Susan,
I just made this, and it was wonderful! My omni dad only stopped dishing out the praises to dish out another helping (and another..and another…and another!). I think it's a better idea *not* to tell him that the "really-good ricotta" was actually my beloved tofu
Thanks again,
Lexi
P.s. I'm so torn on which recipe (from your site) to make next –they all look so good! Any recommendations/personal favorites that I should take into mind?
I cooked this last night and it was a big hit. Well me and my omni boyfriend. We loved it. I never liked ricotta,so I never made or bought lasagna. I would definitely cook this for my relatives.
Thank you!
Just another comment in praise of this dish – I made it for my parents, husband, sister, and grandma, all total meat eaters who are used to our family's classic meat and cheese lasagna. They loved it. Thanks so much for creating and sharing these recpies!
More praise……I just love this recipe. I have made it 3 times and it came out perfect each time. I use the oven ready lasagna noodles and also put soy mozzarella in the layers. Delicious and really easy to make!!!! Thanks for sharing this recipe with us!
My family loved this lasagna. My 16 yo ate it and then I asked how she liked the cheese. She said she liked it and then I told her it was tofu. She was shocked!
It is delicious!
This looks awesome. I don't do as much vegan cooking as I probably should. I'm going to adapt by vegetarian spinach lasagna using some of the tricks in your recipe. Thanks!
My 9 year old daughter decided to become a vegetarian about a year and a half ago. I've been checking out your blog for a couple of months now, but haven't gotten a chance to make anything until today. Our "traditional" Easter dinner was not so traditional with this lasagna, but it was oh so good. I couldn't find the nutritional yeast, but omitted it and it was still great. Thanks for posting recipes that both the meat eaters and non meat eaters in my family can enjoy!
Thank you so much for this recipe! It came out A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. By far the best part of the dish was the tofu/spinach filling. It was so delicious and incredibly resembled ricotta. Ahhh I could go on and on about this, (I'll spare you the reading). But I must say, my meat-and-potatoes dad LOVED it, (he's getting more used to his daughter's vegan cooking lol). Thank you so much, great job!
This dish is currently in the oven! Hoping it turns out okay! The pretend ricotta was quite dry looking, so I added a splash of soy milk- hope it turns out okay >.<
As I am only cooking for one (my vegetarian fiance won't eat mushrooms, spinach, tofu or tomatoes, so this recipe is a no-go), I've quartered the recipe and I am having it with just garlic bread, but I was wondering if it would work if I froze some? Should I cook it and then freeze it, or make it up, and then freeze it, and cook it when I want? And I should I defrost over-night before cooking? And what about re-freezing the spinach? HELP SUSAN! Sorry for the million and one questions, I've just never made a lasagne before, and as I'm a student I haven't got a lot of experience with cooking (though I do have more than my omnivorous counter-parts it seems).
Vicky, you can cook it, cut it into servings, and freeze them individually. Then, when you’re ready to eat them, you can either let them thaw out in the fridge for about a day before warming up or just microwave or oven-heat them until they are heated through. If you mean should you re-freeze the thawed spinach, I would say no–it’s generally thought not to be dangerous to refreeze foods. I hope you enjoy it!
Thanks for your advice Susan, and this delicious recipe! It turned out great, and I’ll definately be making it again, in larger quantities so I can freeze it. As this was such a success, I think I’ll take a look at your other recipes and see if there’s anything my pizza and chips fiance might eat!
I recently made this for my husband (who is a HUGE meat and potatoes guy (I’m a new found vegan), but will always order the lasagna at a restaurant) and he absolutely LOVED it. He actually looked forward to the leftovers that he took to work! I had a simple variation, I added chopped broccoli (about 2 cups worth) in with the mushrooms – I try to add as many veggies to food as possible. I think next time I’ll try adding some carrots and maybe zucchini. Thank you so much for the awesome recipes, I am trying to find recipes both my husband and I can enjoy and this one was exactly that!! And, now I know I can freeze some for later!
Really good and great as frozen “TV dinners”. Have made it several times. I used Trader Joe’s Fat-Free Spaghetti Sauce (which does not seem to be available at all their stores).
Boy, oh boy, I just tried this recipe last night and it’s just fabulous. I have been searching for a great lasagna recipe sans the cheese, and happily my search is over! It’s just delish and so easy to make. You have saved my cheese-lovin’ life. I think this vegan thing may just work.
Someone mentioned not being able to find nutritional yeast and I wanted to share crushed walnuts as a really yummy alternative. I throw them on pizza or lasagna in the last five minutes and it adds a fatty nuttiness (esp. good on my pickled red onion, spinach, mushroom pizza) without all the calories of cheese – a little bit goes a long way b/c they have so much flavor.
so I don’t have to cook the lasagna noodles beforehand??
that would really make my life easier!!
No need to cook the lasagna noodles. Happy to make your life easier!
How do you recommend freezing this (if at all)?
Thanks!
I cut it into serving pieces and freeze them in individual freezer dishes.
LOVE LOVE LOVE this recipe! I have referred it to at least 15 people who want to do a meatless lasagna for various reasons. I’ve served this at about 6 dinner parties and will continue to do so. Try not to skip the nutritional yeast. It adds a nice cheesy flavor and is loaded with nutrients.
Thanks Susan!
This is the second recipe of yours I’ve made this week. This one was a hit as well! My 13 month old gobbled it up! My husband, who doesn’t care for lasagna because he dislikes ricotta, gave it two thumbs up! I enjoyed it as well and didn’t miss the cheese (I am a recovering cheese addict.) I’m planning on adding more mushrooms next time and perhaps reducing the amount of sauce. Thanks for another wonderful recipe to add to my collection. Looking forward to making many more recipes from your site!
I absolutely loved this.
The second time I made it, though, I made a teensy alteration: I only used one and a half jars of sauce rather than two (I found two was just slightly more saucy than I like). That combined with mixing the spinach in before it had completely thawed still served to cook the noodles.
Many thanks for adding to my “what to serve to relatives who are scared of vegan food” repertoire.
I just made this and it’s soooo delicious. I did make a few tweaks:
I left out the cayenne pepper, I don’t like spicy at all. I added one teaspoon of fennel, I love the flavor and it really enhances Italian dishes. I added one package of Daiya vegan mozzarella, half of it over the first tofu layer and half over the top with some chopped black olives. It is so flavorful. I suspect E might enjoy this version, it is very cheesy tasting.
We had a half pound of farmers market portabella mushrooms to use up, and my boyfriend requested mushroom lasagna. I said, “You realize if I’m cooking, it will be vegan? It will probably have something scary like tofu in.” He said he was cool with this, so I decided to give your recipe a try. It has officially passed my most challenging test for a good vegan recipe: the boyfriend gave me permission to make it again, AND went back for seconds. You get bonus points because he’s gobbling up the leftovers two or three slices at a time. Thank you for giving me one more recipe to add to my list of things I can cook for us!
I tried the recipe last friday and it was amazing. My Texan boyfriend loved it and ate most of the Lasagna, poor me. I made another batch today and added a bit of the sauce to the tofu layers and it’s nice, I like it saucier
I will try some other recipe of yours when the HUGE (you need to learn from your mistakes) Lasagna is finished.
Thanks so much for this recipe. It was delicious. I don’t usually use tofu and was skeptical but this tasted great. I don’t like mushrooms so I substituted asparagas and onions for the mushrooms. I held up and sliced beautifully. This will definetly be one of our new favorites.
I have made My Favorite Lasagna twice and I have to say family members that came to visit who are not Vegan absolutely loved it. I will continue to make this delish and delightful lasagna for my family. If anyone visiting this site is wondering if they should attempt this meal, please do so, you wont regret it.
Delicious! This is a solid recipe for lasagna that is highly customizable. I made it exactly as the recipe stated this time, and it was so good that I had it for breakfast the next day. This one is going straight to my recipe box. Next time, I may try adding some homemade vegan pesto and more veggies.
I made this for me and my vegetarian mum and we both loved it! Which is a difference as my mum often doesn’t like my vegan meals. It is surprisingly so quick to prepare and is very easy, making it a great meal to make after coming in from work. It was really tasty and tasted even better microwaved the next day! Next time I’m definitely adding more mushrooms (I didn’t have enough that the recipe stated) and using more sauce as I only used one jar
I love this recipe. It is so yummy. That said, I try not to eat too much processed soy because it can really upset my stomach. So I tried substituting the tofu with mashed chickpeas and it still turned out really yummy. I even used the filling to make lasagna roll-ups. I just cooked some lasagna noodles, spread the mixture over each noodle, rolled them up and then poured some organic pasta sauce over top. I find these a great way to freeze small portions to have for quick dinners and lunches. Thanks again for a great recipe!
Hi Susan!
I was curious as to what type/brand of lasagna noodles and spaghetti sauce you used?
I discovered your website by chance while searching for another recipe through Google. I must say this is a wonderful site. I made this lasagna dish last night and it was a huge hit! I have never cooked with tofu, so I was a bit apprehensive about using it for the first time in such a big dish. However my husband loved it, needless to say he has no idea what is actually in it. I also added follow your heart mozzarella cheese in between the layers as well as Parma! Parmesan flakes. Thanks for posting such a great recipe. I plan to use many many more!
I made this last night for a Christmas progressive dinner where there were also meat and vegetarian versions of lasagna. The vegan one was a hit and I came home with an empty pan. I loved watching faces after tasting and explaining to them that, no in fact, there is no cheese in it. I used no boil noodles and Delgrosso Sunday Marina (my favorite jarred sauce). I also used less sauce but other than that stuck to the recipe. Very easy and will become a standby recipe in my house.
Can this be prepared the night before baking?
Yes. Just bring to room temperature before baking or add extra time.
I made this recipe for lunch today and it was wonderful.
I am not sure why it was said to not use Silken. That was all I had and it worked fine. I also used my blender to mix up the filling, instead of a food processor (don’t have one).
After it cooked I sprinkled a little “YUM” on it before serving. YUM is what we call a mixture of equal parts nutritional yeast and cashews + garlic powder to taste. Blend these ingredients together and sprinkle it on spaghetti, lasagna or whatever. Great flavor!
Just wanted to let you know that I have made this recipe several times now and my family loves it. I have often added vegan cheese to it (to add some fat for my 3 year old), but it always turns out great! Oh, and I add lots of nutritional yeast too! Love that stuff. Thanks so much!
I took this to a potluck and no one knew it was vegan…It was gone! Wow- So delish!
Before to this, the only tofu I could get my omnivorous brother to eat was in brownies and chocolate peanut butter pie, but he loved your lasagna. It’s definitely going to be a regular in my kitchen. Thank you!
This recipe passes the ultimate test: my tofu-hating omni husband loves it. He went back for seconds and asked me to pack some leftovers in his lunch tomorrow. Thank you, Susan. Thank you so much.
This was so good! I am still relatively new to being vegan, so I haven’t tried too many things with tofu. The two recipes that I have tried from your website have been great and help to overcome my hesitation with tofu!
Susan, never have I made a lasagna that was this straightforward! I almost couldn’t tell it was vegan and the tofu looked and substituted ricotta remarkably well. This was dinner last night, lunch today, and it will probably be a late night snack this evening. Super tasty, super easy, and definitely a keeper. I don’t know how you do it!
-Bert
AWESOME recipe! Like several others, i have never made a lasagna before. But this was very easy and sooo tasty. I used my mom’s famous recipe for the sauce (also super easy and the best italian red sauce i’ve ever had- email me if you want the recipe). I LOVE authentic italian food and this definitely made the cut. My meat and dairy loving husband LOVED it as well. Thank you!
I made this last week and it was awesome! Since our girls are quite small, I made it in two square pans and froze one. I assembled it the night before and then put it in the oven when I got home from work. I spent my time making a beautiful salad while this cooked.
I had some no-cook noodles on hand, so that is what I used. Have you done this with whole wheat noodles? Would they need to be cooked ahead?
Thanks!
Kristi, I keep meaning to make it with whole wheat noodles but haven’t gotten around to it. I think they will work fine. Just be sure you completely cover all exposed noodle surfaces with sauce and keep the foil on until they soften. That part of the cooking may take a little longer with whole wheat noodles, so plan for the whole thing to take 10-15 minutes longer.
Susan–Could you use fresh spinach in this recipe w/o messing it up?
Thanks,
bmr
Sure! You can either blend it with the spinach or just layer it in the pan.
Thanks! I think you might mean blend it with the tofu….
Do you think it will change the cooking time? I’m going to use whole wheat pasta, can’t buy eggplant right now w/o taking out a small loan…
Oops, that’s exactly what I meant! I don’t think the spinach will change the cooking time, but the whole wheat pasta might. Also, you may need a little bit more liquid to make sure the noodles get done. Just add a couple of tablespoons of water to the tofu, and add more time if the noodles don’t seem tender. If it starts to get dried out, put the aluminum foil back over it for the last few minutes.
Delicious! I really didn’t miss the cheese at all. I added a big head of fresh broccoli (cooked it with the mushrooms) and it was a great addition.
I have made this many times and it is wonderful. My husband loves it and we can eat about three meals on this. I would love to make it to take on vacation and have read all the comments about freezing portions, but wondered how it would turn out if I bake it (in those glad baking pans) and freeze the entire pan. The tofu is my concern with freezing, but it will be cooked. Thank you for your recipes. My husband and I would starve, if we didn’t have them
Thanks for your kind words! I haven’t frozen a whole pan of it, but I can’t see any reason why it wouldn’t work. I think that once the tofu is blended and cooked, freezing it doesn’t change the texture a lot. Please let me know how it turns out if you try it.
Seems like one thing everyone loves, a good lasanga! It used to be my “staple” dish for meat eaters! When I used to have meat eater people to my house, before I was a vegan recluse & screened my friends more !!
Sounds great, going to try this tonight. Thanks x
Tofu filling? Genius. I made it today for non-veg friend and it went over SO well. My gosh, couldn’t STOP eating it. Now my tummy is painfully (but happily!) full
Can you use fresh spinach instead of frozen? If so, how much?
This recipe looks really good an I’m excited to try it!
You can use 10 ounces of fresh spinach or as much (or little) as you like.
Hi there – I am making this tonight, and just noticed that it calls for “26 oz” jars of spaghetti sauce. All the sauce I have in my cupboard are in 10 oz jars … 26 oz seems like it would be pretty huge to me?? do I really need 4 jars of sauce??
(ps Susan I love your recipes – thank you!!)
Hi Erin, yes you reall need that much sauce because it’s used to moisten the dry pasta. If you cooked the lasagna noodles first, you could probably get away with less, but I think 20 ounces would still be too little.
I ended up using 2 jars plus about 2/3 of a cup of water and left it covered for the whole hour, then cooked it about 15 minutes uncovered (I was using whole wheat noodles so I thought it would take longer anyway) and it was PERFECT. My omni husband liked it better than his mother’s (non-vegetarian) recipe
I love every recipe of yours that I try – thanks again!!
I used this recipe last night, FABULOUS!!! Thank you!
I just love this recipe! I have been a vegetarian going vegan for a year now and have been looking for great recipes to replace what I used to make.
I invited all of my friends over (none of who are vegetarian) and they were all a little hesitant about “lasagna” being made with tofu and no cheese. Needless to say they all loved it and have started cooking it regularly in their homes!
Thanks for all the recipes and ideas I love reading them!
Wow. On occasion I still have cheese on pizza or manicotti at the local Italian restaurant. The reason I admit to this is to tell you that I have the taste of cheese fresh on my mind. I’ve made many lasagnas but this was my first vegan one.
This was amazing! Seriously. Wow! I’m just — wow. It’s really, really good. Thank you so much for posting this
http://www.flickr.com/photos/digifoo/5728099625/in/photostream/
Brought this to a baby shower this weekend. Nobody there (except me) was vegetarian at the party much less vegan. I “warned” people that is was a vegan dish just so they wouldn’t expect cheese. The lasagna was gone in no time flat (before the chicken tetrazzini). Everyone was shocked at how good it was.
Susan, thank you so much for this recipe!! Thanks to you, I made my very first ever Lasagne and it was simple and delicious. I had everything on hand except the correct amount of spinach. So I used the tiny amt of a long forgotten bag of spinach combined with some frozen chopped broccoli. I will be making this on a regular basis. Thanks for a fantastic website and blog.
Hi Susan–I made this delicious lasagna last night for my inlaws. They loved it. It was so delicious. I used whole-grain noodles and just left the foil on about 10 minutes more. They were just right! I used two small cans of fire-roasted tomatoes in my sauce. I know from reading that you like these too. It was all so yummy!
I served it with crunchy baguette chunks and a big salad. I made your Easy Vegan Buttermilk Dressing and they loved that too. Then for dessert we had lime pie made following your recipe for Calamondin Pie. Oh so refreshing. I increased the sugar by 1/4 cup and we all thought the sweet-tart combo great. I have made that Fat Free Oatmeal Cookie Crust twice now and it is for sure one of the best pie crusts I have ever made. Even including traditional made with fat. Thank you so much for the inspiring recipes!
Hi, Susan, I just recently discovered your blog, and was anxious to try your favorite lasagna recipe. I also made it last night for my husband for Father’s Day. He loved it. To the sauteeing mushrooms, I added 3 small eggplants, in abouth half-inch dice, and that was a nice touch. Next time I might reduce the amount of the sauce just slightly. Very good–by far the best vegan lasagna I’ve made to date and will def. make again!
We got a ton of spinach in our first CSA box, so I was excited to try this! I’ve seen it many times in my recipe searches… It was my first attempt at lasagna ever, and man is it delicious! And easy!
I always love reading your recipes, and I appreciate that you use simple ingredients and are very explicit in your instructions.
Thank you!
Hi Susan,
Found your blog in a Google search for vegan lasagna. Except for the mushrooms, we had the fresh ingredients in our garden, so this was my first choice. Tried this and loved it. I did substitute a portobello mushroom for the button ones to give the dish a meat texture.
Quick question, can collard greens or kale be swapped out for the spinach, anyone know or has tried? Thank you..
I would cook collards first (and maybe even kale) but other than that, I think they’d be fine.
Can you use whole wheat noodles? Would you have to precook them first?
You can use whole wheat noodlesand I think they’ll be fine uncooked. I just happen to be trying it this afternoon, and I’ll let you know if I’m wrong!
Thank I appreciate that. I love your blog and even though I’m just a vegetarian and not a vegan I love your recipes. I especially liked your baked mac and cheese recipe.
how did the lasgna with the whole wheat noodles turn out? did you have to cook the lasagna longer?
I made this recipe over the weekend and it was amazing. I am transitioning to becoming Vegan and was happy to find a recipe I actually love. I only had extra firm tofu at home. The lasagna still turn out great!!
I made this again tonight (simultaneously along with the black bean pineapple chili–I was in the mood to cook!) and it’s one of my favorites too. The hard copy I printed some time ago has “I don’t miss the cheese ONE IOTA!!!” written on it.
My birthday is Sunday and this is what we’re eating. Made it before and it is wonderful.
Do you think I can assemble it the night before and the bake the next day?
Thx from Cathi
Yep, that will work just fine. Have a happy birthday!
Pasta noodles are usually made with egg, so the recipe isn’t completely vegan, unless you are using special noodles. But it sounds great otherwise!
Dried lasagna noodles sold in the U.S. are completely egg-free and vegan. No need for special noodles.
For the past couple of years, a friend has been making vegan lasagna for me at Thanksgiving but I have yet to get the recipe. I felt like trying something new today, so I tried my hand at making this recipe – my first ever attempt at lasagna. I have to say, it was much easier to make than I anticipated. I will certainly be making it again and expect that it will be a go-to recipe for dinner parties. Thanks for another home run, Susan!
I have been vegan for about 2 months. Lasagna is one of my families favorite dishes. I tried this recipe as first experiment. They loved it. I even took some to my co-workers that think i’m crazy. How can you not eat meat and how can you make lasagna without cheese or meat……..We I made believer’s out of them. They said if all Vegan food was this good, they might be able to do this. Thanks so much. You have created a wonderful dish. You have made this transition wonderful.
Thank you
Sandy
Wow, Sandy, that’s fantastic! I’m glad it was a hit and happy to help with your transition. Thanks for writing!
You did it again! I prepared this recipe multiplied by 4! for our Fellowship hour at church (fasting from meat and dairy during Advent). It was soooo easy, practical and DELICIOUS (Definitely a crowd pleaser) that many were asking for the recipe. Of course I referred them to your website. Now, i just got the ingredients for the lemon pie (for my hubby).THANK YOU Susan! I enjoy your recipies and blog.
Hi Susan,
This looks wonderful! I have non-vegan Guests coming for dinner tomorrow and this is what I’m going to serve. I have never seen low-fat tofu. All I have right now is silken. How big a deal is it if I use the silken? If it will ruin it, I will get out and look….but I just wondered if it mattered a lot.
Cyndie
I haven’t made it with silken, so I can only guess that it might be more creamy-liquidy and not as ricotta-like as regular tofu. Since you have guests coming, I recommend looking for the regular tofu–wouldn’t want to mess up your dinner!
Absolutely delicious! My husband went back for seconds and thirds! Two months ago after my husband had quadruple bypass surgery, his cardiologist referred us to Dr. Esselstyn’s diet. None of the recipes I prepared were tasty until I stumbled upon your website. Finally, recipes for the people who live in the South. Thank you so much for making my life so much easier and giving us good ole Southern food minus the fat.
Wow! This tastes amazing! Thank you. I made it for tomorrows dinner but I had to test it first
I cannot wait to serve this to my husband tomorrow. So yummy!!! followed the recipe but used ww noodles uncooked. worked like a charm. Also used the potato masher trick. My 4 year old did it. I’m thrilled.
I made this today for my non-vegan family members. It was fabulous!! My oldest daughter, who had been making doubting comments all day, loved it. She kept saying, ” I can’t believe this is vegan, it’s so good”. Thanks, Susan! A big hit.
BTW, I did use the silken tofu. I added a couple of extra TB of nutritional yeast to make up for the extra moisture. It worked great. This is the best lasagna I have ever had!
This is so good! Always have good success with your recipes, yours is the first site I search. This still has to be my all time favorite!
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