Vegan Eggplant Lasagna (Gluten + Grain-Free!)

GFGluten Free

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This Vegan Eggplant Lasagna is free from Gluten, Dairy, and Grains, but not on flavor! A hearty, healthy, and cozy dinner option.

Looking for a cozy, filling, and all-around satisfying plant-based Dinner option? Look no further – this Eggplant Lasagna checks all of those boxes, and then some! 

overhead shot of vegan eggplant lasagna topped with fresh basil leaf on small white plate

This Vegan Eggplant Lasagna has layers of Eggplant “noodles”, a mind-blowing Vegan Ricotta Cheese, and hearty Lentil and Vegetable mixture, to make the dish more filling and provide extra plant-protein.  Simply layer everything in a casserole dish and bake it a little in the oven! 

inngredients for vegan eggplant lasagna organized in large white casserole dish

One of the biggest problems I’ve encountered with Eggplant Lasagna is it can get a little….mushy. Eggplant has a high water content, which releases during the baking process. Never fear though, friends! We’re going to pre-bake our Eggplant slices (before layering) to remove some of that unnecessary moisture.

You also want the Lentil & Vegetable filling to be as “dry” as possible when you add it to the Lasagna. Everything is still going to release a little liquid in the oven to keep things juicy, but we do want to minimize all wet-ness in order to get those thick Lasagna layers we all know and love.

cross photo of layers of eggplant lasagna on small white plate topped with fresh basil leaf

I’ve also seen several online recipes that require for you to salt your Eggplant, let it sit, and then rinse + use. I find that baking is a much more effective way to remove extra moisture, and I’ve personally never encountered a “bitter” Eggplant, even without salting. I also think that salting the Egglant adds too much Salt to the recipe itself, and it’s harder for me to tell you the correct amount to add to the rest of the recipe in order to balance it out.

large white casserole dish of baked eggplant lasagna with one slice taken out

This recipe does require some work and quality time in your kitchen, but I promise it is so so worth it. All of the individual steps are straightforward, and you can even prepare the Vegan Ricotta, Lentil filling, and Eggplant “noodles” in advance!

slice of vegan eggplant lasagna on small white plate with larger casserole dish in the background

A Few Final Thoughts:

  • If you’re serving this to some picky eaters, you may want to peel the skin of the Eggplant (prior to slicing) to create a smoother, more noodle-like consistency. I personally did not mind it with the skin on – a little extra fiber never hurt anybody 😉 
  • If you’re looking for more cozy Vegan Dinner recipes, you’ll also love this Cheesy Broccoli Rice Casserole and this One Pot Pumpkin Curry!
  • I opted to use a store-bought Marinara sauce, but if you want to get extra fancy you can also make your own.

Finally, if you make this recipe and decide to share it on Facebook or Instagram, don’t forget to tag me @FromMyBowl + #FromMyBowl! I love seeing your delicious recreations 🙂

[penci_video url=”https://youtu.be/kiRMFTr6nTg” align=”center” width=”560″ /]

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Vegan Eggplant Lasagna

This Vegan Eggplant Lasagna is free from Gluten, Dairy, and Grains, but not on flavor! A hearty, healthy, and cozy dinner option.

  • Author: Caitlin Shoemaker
  • Prep Time: 15 Minutes
  • Cook Time: 65 Minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
  • Yield: 8-12 Servings 1x
  • Category: Main
  • Method: Oven
  • Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Scale

For the Lentil Filling:

  • 1/2 Yellow Onion, diced
  • 1 cup Carrot, finely diced
  • 14 oz Crushed tomatoes
  • ¼ cup Tomato Paste
  • 1 cup Dry Green Lentils
  • 2 cups Vegetable Broth
  • ½ cup Parsley, chopped
  • ¼ cup Basil, chopped
  • Salt, to taste

For the Lasagna:

  • Lentil Filling, above
  • 1 batch of Vegan Ricotta
  • 3 large Eggplant, cut into ” rounds
  • 1 ½ cup Marinara Sauce of Choice

Instructions

  1. Prepare the Eggplant: Preheat the oven to 375F while you prepare all of the ingredients. Line 2-3 Baking Trays with parchment paper and fill each tray with the Eggplant “coins”, so none are overlapping. Bake for 25 minutes, then remove from the oven.
  2. Make the Lentil Filling: In the meantime, add the diced Onion to a large pot with a splash of Water or Oil; sauté over Medium heat for 3-4 minutes, until translucent. Then, add the Carrot, Crushed Tomatoes, and Tomato Paste to the pot, stirring well. Once everything is well incorporated, add the Lentils, Vegetable Broth, Parsley, and Basil. Bring everything to a boil, then cover and simmer over low for 30 minutes.
  3. Layer the Lasagna: Spread 1/2 cup of Marinara Sauce over the base of a large casserole dish, then cover it well with 1/3 of the Eggplant – try to overlap it as tightly as possible!
    1. Layer 1: spread 1/2 of the cooked Lentil filling evenly across the Eggplant, followed by 1/3 of the Vegan Ricotta
    2. Layer 2: add another layer of Eggplant, then follow with the remainder of the Lentils and another 1/3 of the Ricotta
    3. Top it Off: add the remainder of the Eggplant to the Casserole, followed by the rest of the Vegan Ricotta. Pour 1 cup of Marinara Sauce over the dish, and swirl it together with the Ricotta to complete the Lasagna.
  4. Bake and Serve: bake the Lasagna at 375F for 35 minutes. Let the Lasagna sit for 10 minutes, then cut and serve as desired.

Keywords: eggplant lasagna, dairy free lasagna, grain free lasagna, low carb lasagna, lentil lasagna, vegetarian eggplant lasagna

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This Vegan Eggplant Lasagna is free from Gluten, Dairy, and Grains, but not on flavor! A hearty, healthy, and cozy dinner option. #vegan #glutenfree #eggplantlasagna #plantbased #grainfree #veganlasagna #dairyfree | frommybowl.com

About the Author

Hey there, I’m Caitlin! I make easy-to-follow, wholesome, and budget-friendly vegan recipes that are mostly gluten-free and refined sugar-free. I’m also an avid yogi, love the great outdoors, am chocolate-obsessed, and enjoy eating almond butter straight off of the spoon.

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Comments

  1. I’ve made this before for your eggplant lasagna and it was delicious 💞 I’m making it again now and I blended in my food processor for 60 secs before realizing I forgot to add the soaked cashews 🙈 will the texture be too weird if I add them now?

  2. I made this recipe this past weekend, and it was easy to follow. However, I found that the lentils did not cook thoroughly. I left them cooking on the stove with the lentil filling for an extra 10 minutes, then I finished making the lasagna expecting the lentils to finish cooking in the oven, but this did not happen. Do you have any idea what I may have done wrong? The dish came out very good and flavorful as I would like to make it again. Can I precook the lentils then add them to the filling? – Thank you

    1. You can cook up some lentils before tossing them in with the rest of the filling ingredients. You can also soak the lentils beforehand because it makes them easier to digest… but mostly because it makes them cook faster.

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  5. This recipe was so tasty! I didn’t have enough eggplant so I used zucchini strips in addition and it was a great combination. I would definitely make this again!

  6. I made this last night and iot was great! super filling and tasty!!! I am off nuts right now and sub 1 extra package of tofu. Can’t wait to make this for non vegan friends!! thank you!!

  7. New to veganism and was looking for a few starter recipes. This one will definitely be added to the rotation. I added fresh garlic and oregano to the sauce. Delicious! Incredible flavor – my family devoured it.

  8. This was amazing. The flavours were incredible and the texture was perfect. And the cheese?! Drool…

  9. Loved this recipe! My Mum (not vegan) really enjoyed it as well. I followed the recipe exactly and it turned out wonderful. Can’t wait to make it again 🙂

    1. Happy that you’re mom enjoyed it – I hope you’re able to make her some more vegan recipes!

  10. I made this last night for dinner. It was super delicious! Thank you for the great recipe. I will definitely be making it again.

  11. Te the vegan ricotta; any light on weight of “block of tofu”? Where I am it a block is 1kg… isthat what you use in this recipe?
    TIA

    1. Hey! The standard block of tofu size in the US is 14 ounces or about 396 grams. Hope that helps!

  12. This recipe was perfect. The Lentil mixture is the best and I’m looking forward to incorporating in other dishes. I’m on the only vegan in the house and I will have to freeze most of it. Some one asked for nutritional value and I plugged the recipe into my fitness pal and came up with the following
    serving of 10 calories 223, total fat 11.1g, saturated 1.6g, polyunsaturated 1.1g, monounsaturated 2.8g, total carbs 23.8g, dietary fiber 6.8g, protein 13.7g, calcium 21.6%, iron 18.9%, Potassium 5930mg, vitamin A 115.4%, vitamin C 16.7%.

  13. I’ve made the lentil sauce and ricotta. I want to make the lasagna for friends coming over for lunch tomorrow, but won’t have time to prep tomorrow morning. Can I pre bake the eggplant slices today, store them in the fridge and start the layering process tomorrow before baking? Also, how would I store the pre baked eggplant slices? Thanks.

    1. You could refrigerate them and store them in whatever you have available container wise. There may be some built up moisture when you bring them out, I would just pat them dry with a paper towel before continuing cooking!

  14. Made this for Christmas Eve and I loved it!! Would add less lemon juice into the ricotta cheese ’cause I like it less citrusy. Thanks for the recipe!