Vegan Lasagna Recipe for the Holidays - SunnysideHanne (2024)

FAQs

How do you keep veggie lasagna from getting soggy? ›

For this recipe, we help reduce excess moisture by using no-boil noodles, cooking the mushrooms, onion and bell peppers before adding them to the lasagna, and squeezing the liquid out of the cooked spinach with a kitchen towel. You want your veggies as dry as possible so you are not adding more moisture than necessary.

My vegan lentil lasagna layers red lentil marinara sauce, vegan ricotta cheese, and spinach in between tender lasagna noodles. Pour my homemade Vegan Mozzarella Cheese on top for extra cheesy bites, then bake until bubbly.

Leftover vegetarian lasagna keeps well in an airtight container or covered dish in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat it in the microwave or a 350°F oven. To freeze vegetable lasagna: Assemble the lasagna in the baking dish. Cover tightly with foil and store in the freezer for up to 3 months.

A thin sauce runs right off of cooked lasagna noodles, causing all the layers to slide off of each other, as well. A thick sauce, meanwhile, almost acts like a glue that holds the layers together, resulting in a dish that slices into neat squares.

How do I prevent the top lasagna noodles from crisping? Put a thin layer of sauce atop the noodles, then top with cheese (there's no law saying you have to end the lasagna with a bare top). Be sure to cover the raised edges of the lasagna noodles, which is always what seems to get crunchy.

And finally, to avoid your lasagne drying out, cover the top with foil while it's baking, then remove it halfway through so that the top can brown nicely.

What can I use in place of ricotta cheese in lasagna? Instead of ricotta cheese, use cottage cheese, cream cheese, shredded cheese, or mascarpone.

A: For the meaty ragu, vegan lasagnas can be made with a vegan meat alternative or simply with finely minced mushrooms and lentils. Crumbled tempeh works great too! For the creamy white sauce, the milk and butter can be replaced for non-dairy alternatives. Try soy milk and vegan butter instead.

It's not recommended to eat lasagna that has been left out overnight, as bacteria can grow rapidly in food that has been left at room temperature for too long. To be safe, it's best to discard any lasagna that has been left out for more than 2 hours.

There are a few plant-based ricotta cheese brands and alternatives out there. I've used Tofutti ricotta and made my own tofu ricotta to make baked ziti, and both were good. But for this review, I finally tried Kite Hill vegan ricotta cheese, and I was really impressed with the results.

How many layers should a lasagna have? ›

Top the last layer of your lasagna with sauce and cheese. You can also alternate layers of sauce and ricotta cheese. Most lasagna recipes have two to three layers.

Let me break it to you: If you want to make a lasagna, three layers just won't cut it! For the perfect lasagna, you need at least 4-5 layers to really enjoy all those mouth-watering flavors. And, here's a pro-tip: make sure to season each layer generously, but not too much. The average lasagna has 8 layers!

Poke 9-12 toothpicks over the surface of your lasagna (to keep the foil from sticking to the cheese). Cover with foil and bake at 375˚F for 45 minutes.

Slice your zucchini into thinner slices: Thinner slices mean fewer zucchini, thus less water. Salt your zucchini slices: Salt helps to draw water out of the zucchini! Once salted, let them sit for 15 minutes before blotting dry (and removing some of that salt) with a paper towel.

To keep it from tasting dry, add some extra liquid as you reheat it! A splash of water usually does the trick, and you'll want to cover the lasagna with foil, plastic wrap or a paper towel to trap all that liquid inside as it reheats.

You can take one of two approaches when it comes to freezing lasagna: assemble and freeze it unbaked, or bake the lasagna and then freeze it. Either way, plan on baking frozen lasagna within three months (any longer, and the quality starts to deteriorate).

Why can eggplant lasagna be watery? Eggplant won't absorb as much liquid as traditional lasagna noodles do (especially the no-boil noodles that I love), so sometimes eggplant lasagna will turn out a little more watery than a regular version.