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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!
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!
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.
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.
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!
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″ /]
PrintVegan Eggplant Lasagna
This Vegan Eggplant Lasagna is free from Gluten, Dairy, and Grains, but not on flavor! A hearty, healthy, and cozy dinner option.
- 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
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 ⅓” rounds
- 1 ½ cup Marinara Sauce of Choice
Instructions
- 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.
- 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.
- 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!
- Layer 1: spread 1/2 of the cooked Lentil filling evenly across the Eggplant, followed by 1/3 of the Vegan Ricotta
- Layer 2: add another layer of Eggplant, then follow with the remainder of the Lentils and another 1/3 of the Ricotta
- 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.
- 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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I made this recipe as written last night for dinner. It was very good. I did not have a mandolin and sliced my eggplant by hand. They were not as thick as called for or evenly cut for that matter. Next time I will make sure they are at least a third of an inch thick, you don’t want the eggplant to get lost in this recipe.
★★★★★
Eggplant is tough to cut by hand! But glad that you tried the recipe. Thanks!
This was delicious, thank you so much! I just subscribed to your you tube channel as well. God has blessed you with a great talent! I will bringing this to Thanksgiving dinner this year! I added some meat crumbles to the mixture as well. Jesus Christ Loves everyone! Thanks again!
★★★★★
Thank you, Jessica!
Hi! By any chance do you have the nutrition facts for this recipe?
We do not calculate the nutrition facts for each recipe, but there are plenty of free online calculators that could help you with this 🙂
My daughter and I practiced a vegan diet during the Lenten season in the Catholic faith. I must admit I was a little intimated at first, but thanks to my daughter she borrowed vegan cook books from the library and did a lot of research on vegan lifestyle. I made this on a Sunday afternoon and was pleasantly surprised at how delicious and satisfying this lasagna was. We followed the recipe and did not substitute any ingredients. Even my husband enjoyed it and he’s a meat lover! Truly delightful!
★★★★★
Awesome! I’m glad the whole family enjoyed it 🙂
Just made this for dinner and it was so delicious. I was too lazy/ short on time for the lentil filling so I used Yves crumbles and added in the tomato sauce to make a “meat” sauce. I also added Follow Your Heart Parmesan shreds to sprinkle on top and a few pieces of Miyokos Mozz. I only used 2 eggplants because I didn’t have enough baking sheets to bake all 3 in one shot and it was definitely enough.
★★★★★
That sounds delicious!
Love love love! I added garlic to my lentil mixture as well and in spite of not having nutritional yeast, the vegan cheese still had a cheesy taste and the texture was spot on. Thank you for sharing this! <3
★★★★★
This looks wonderful! Do you think I would need to increase the cooking time if I added sliced bell pepper and mushrooms to it?
I think it should be fine – you can also cook them down with the lentils if you are concerned!
I made all the ingredients today except for the eggplant. I’ll assemble it all tomorrow. ( Mother’s Day and the mother is cooking!@ 🤣) My only thought is it was pretty labor intensive and I cook a lot. I’ll let you know tomorrow if it was worth the labor of love. My son and family here from Utah and vegan. I also made regular lasagna.
Thanks Linda! I hope it was worth it 🙂
Hi Caitlin! I made this and did like it, but my lentils turned out a little too hard, even after being cooked into the lasanga. I have to admit, I’m pretty unfamiliar with lentils. In the future, would cooking the lasanga longer help this issue? Or can it only be helped by letting the lentil filling simmer longer?
Hi, Nora! Sorry to hear that – simmering the lentils longer would help with this issue!
My family recently went vegan. Made this for Christmas dinner! Delicious!
★★★★★
So glad you all enjoyed it!
Hi Caitlin, I really want to make this lasagna for Christmas, but there is no Nutritional Yeast available where I live. Can I just leave the ricotta out and how will that affect the taste of the lasagna?
You can just leave the Nutritional Yeast out of the Ricotta!
How big was your dish? I’m thinking about making this for our christmas lunch!:)
it’s a 9×13 dish!
I made this tonight with my daughters (7 and 4 years old). I had forgotten to soak cashews for the ricotta, but I was able to use almond milk ricotta that was in my refrigerator already. The dish was a big hit. I love how the lentils give it so much texture, creating such a hearty meal. We are excited to make more of your recipes!
★★★★★
I’m so glad everyone enjoyed it, Rachael!
I’m certain that this will be the best vegan eggplant lasagna recipe I’ll encounter yet! Just have to try it first, LOL 😉 Anyways, not going to lie, I’ll play the devil’s advocate in the case of complaints and say that I don’t mind mushy eggplant! I actually love how soft it can become despite it being super rubbery and bouncy when dry–ideally, I’d rather eat overcooked eggplant than undercooked! I definitely will try this recipe out without the ricotta because I am not a huge fan of cheese. However, I would like to try it both ways to see how they turn out!
Thanks, Cassie!
So good! I made only enough for two rows of eggplant and still wonderful! Thank you!! Also very good if you’re having vegetarian and not vegan by using regular cheese products!
Glad you hear you liked it, andrea!
This looks amazing! How would you prepare ahead of time? Would you assemble and leave in fridge 1-2 days until ready to bake or pre-bake the eggplant and make the ricotta cheese filling ahead of time but wait to assemble until ready to bake?
I would keep all of the components separate until the day you would like to bake!
Just made this! Funny story, the parchment paper caught on fire in my oven (bc I’m an IDIOT) and I almost burned my apartment down… but I saved the eggplant and it turned out BOMB. So worth it.
Thanks Caitlin!
★★★★★
Oh no! I’m glad everything worked out okay in the end!
Made this lasagna today and it turned out amazing and delicious!!! Thanks for the great recipe.
★★★★★
Thanks, Liron!
Hi Caitlin!
I just tried this recipe out today, it turned out amazing! My mom (not vegan) and my sister loved it, it was so filling and comforting on a rainy day like today. Thank you for creating and sharing recipes like these, we appreciate all that you do!
★★★★★
So happy to hear that, Jen!
Absolutely amazing recipe! My favorite part of it was the ricotta. So delicious! Highly recommend making this recipe.
★★★★★
Thank you so much, Alexa! 😊
Omg this looks AMAZING. I can’t wait to make this. Would this make a good meal prep recipe? Does this keep well? Xoxo
Yes, it keeps well in the fridge! I haven’t tried freezing it, but think it would freeze well too
Hi ! It looks delicious !! Have you tried freezing it ? I’m on my own so I just want to make sure I can leave some portions in the freezer (it looks freezable but I’m not sure about how the eggplant would turn out ?).
I haven’t, but I believe it would freeze well! If you try it please let me know 🙂