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Lasagne

This the best lasagne recipe that I have tried so far, and it continues to be slightly tweaked (and improved) over time. It was originally inspired by Minimalister Baker’s Easy Vegan Lasagna, and later incorporating elements & tips from Bon Appetit’s Best Lasagne and other recipes over time.

  • 6-8
  • N/A
  • 55-65 minutes

Ingredients

Pasta Sauce

  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 3 garlic cloves, finely sliced
  • 1 medium brown onion, finely diced
  • 1 medium carrot, finely chopped
  • 4 tinned diced tomatoes (400g tin)
  • 1 Tbsp tomato paste
  • Italian herbs, red chilli flakes (optional)
  • Splash of red wine (optional)

Cashew Cheese

  • 4 cups raw cashews, soaked overnight (or in hot water for 1h)
  • 1 cup tightly packed fresh basil (or, more if you want)
  • 1 cup plant-based milk
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
  • 1 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 3 Tbsp lemon juice

Béchamel

  • Knob of vegan butter (or, oil equivalent)
  • Plant-based milk, as needed
  • All-purpose flour, as needed
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg
  • Pinch of cayenne pepper
  • 1/4 cup nutritional yeast (powdered)

Directions

Pasta Sauce

  1. Heat up a large skillet with olive oil
  2. Sauté the onion and carrot in for a few minutes until fragrant
  3. Add the garlic and optional chilli flakes, and sauté for a few more seconds
  4. Add the tomato paste, and optionally spices and continue for a 1-2 minutes
  5. Add the the tinned tomatoes and continue to cook on low heat. You can add a splash of red wine at this point for extra depth

Note: You can also skip this step entirely, and use your favourite pasta sauce recipe! :) I usually mix it up with different recipes (e.g. plant-based bolognese)

Cashew Cheese

  1. Drain the soaked cashews, and add them to blender or food processor
  2. Add the rest of the ingredients, and blend until smooth.
  3. Taste, and adjust as needed. You can add more of any of the ingredients (e.g. more nutritional yeast for cheesiness, more milk for smoother texture, etc)

Tip: You can do this in batches if your blender/food processor is not large enough

Béchamel

  1. Heat a medium pot, and add the butter
  2. Once the butter is bubbling, gradually add the flour 1 Tbsp at a time, while continuing to stir the mixture. Continue adding flour until the mixture looks crumbly and dry
  3. Continue frying the mixture for a few minutes until it smells a bit nutty
  4. Gradually add the milk, and continue stirring/whisking the mixture until smooth
  5. Ensure that you stir/whisk throughout the process to avoid creating any lumps
  6. Once the mixture is smooth, add nutmeg, cayenne pepper and nutritional yeast
  7. Season with salt and pepper (preferably white) to taste

Note: If the mixture becomes a bit thicker after adding the nutritional yeast, just add a bit more milk until the mixture is smooth and spreadable

Assembly

  1. Preheat oven to 180C, and prepare a large baking dish and lightly grease it

  2. Add a layer of the pasta sauce

  3. Arrange the lasagne sheets, reducing the gaps as much as possible and avoid overlap

  4. Add a layer of the cashew cheese

  5. Repeat the above, leaving room for one final special layer with béchamel

  6. For the final layer, add a layer of pasta sauce, followed by lasagne sheets, followed by another layer of pasta sauce, and finally the béchamel

  7. Bake for 45-50 minutes on the middle rack, covered with tinfoil. After this, remove the foil and let bake for another 10-15 minutes, or until golden brown.

  8. Carefully remove from the oven, and let cool 5-10 minutes before serving.

Remember, Lasagne is always better prepared in advance. Recommended to serve with a simple green salad and maybe some garlic bread if you can be bothered.