Description
This Vegan “Christmas” Lasagna is a festive and flavorful holiday centerpiece featuring layers of pesto ricotta, savory vegan Italian sausage, and a creamy sun-dried tomato sauce. Perfect for mixed-diet gatherings, it’s as beautiful as it is delicious.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 package vegan Italian sausage
- 1/2 onion, chopped
- 2 Tbsp Italian herbs seasoning blend
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 12 oz vegan ricotta
- 2 cups store-bought or homemade vegan pesto, divided
- 28 oz marinara sauce
- 3 oz sun-dried tomatoes, soaked in water for 10 minutes
- 2 cups grated vegan mozzarella
- 1 package no-boil regular or gluten-free lasagna noodles
For the sun-dried tomato cream sauce:
- 2 cups cashews
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- juice of 1 lemon
Instructions
- Prepare the oven: Preheat to 375°F.
- Make the meat filling: In a large skillet, heat the oil in a saute pan. Add the onion. Cook until translucent. Crumble in the vegan sausage and seasonings. Cook for about 10 minutes until brown and caramelized.
- Make the ricotta filling: In a small bowl, combine the ricotta and 1 cup of the pesto, stirring well to combine.
- Make the cream sauce: In a high-speed blender, add all of the ingredients for the sun-dried tomato cream sauce and mix until smooth.
- Assemble the lasagna: Pour 1/4 cup of sauce across the bottom of a lasagna pan or casserole dish. Spread it to cover the bottom surface of the pan thoroughly. Next, place 3-4 lasagna noodles on top of the sauce to cover as much surface of the pan as possible. Spread ⅓ of the ricotta across the noodles. Sprinkle ⅓ of the sun-dried tomatoes and vegan mozzarella. Top with ⅓ of the meat filling on top and drizzle ⅓ of the cream sauce on top.
- Repeat: Continue for two more times so that there are three layers of noodles. Pour the remaining marinara sauce on top and spread to cover evenly. Swirl the remaining pesto, and sprinkle with the remaining ¼ cup of the mozzarella cheese.
- Bake: Cover with foil and bake for 50 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 10 minutes. Allow to rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Gluten Allergy: Use gluten-free lasagna noodles such as Jovial Foods.
- Spoiler Alert: Vegan “Christmas Lasagna” will stay fresh in an airtight container in the refrigerator for a week.
- For non-vegans: Serve with meat sausage on the side.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 60 minutes
- Category: Main Meals
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian