Dairy-free vegetable and lentil lasagne
Hearty, dairy-free lasagne with a rich lentil-vegetable ragu and creamy soya béchamel — perfect for weeknights or batch-cooking.
This dairy-free lasagne swaps traditional béchamel and cheese for a creamy soya-based sauce and vegan grated cheese while the lentil-vegetable ragu keeps things hearty and satisfying. It’s ideal for feeding a family or making ahead for busy evenings.
Make it on a Sunday and reheat slices through the week — it only gets better after a day in the fridge. The recipe is deliberately forgiving: use the veg you have to hand and choose a good melting-style vegan cheese for the best texture.
Ingredients
- 30 ml olive oil
- 1 brown onion — large, finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves — peeled and finely chopped
- 2 carrot — medium, diced
- 2 celery — sticks, finely chopped
- 200 g chestnut mushrooms — sliced
- 1 aubergine — medium, cut into 1–2 cm cubes
- 1 courgette — medium, diced
- 800 g tinned chopped tomatoes — 2 x 400 g tins
- 30 ml tomato purée
- 5 ml sugar — to balance acidity
- 250 ml vegetable stock — hot
- 400 g tinned green lentils — drained weight approx. 240 g
- 12 dried lasagne sheets — no-boil type works best; adjust if using fresh sheets
- 150 g vegan grated cheese — use a melting variety if possible
- 30 ml nutritional yeast
- 500 ml soya milk — unsweetened
- 40 g plain flour
- 30 g dairy-free margarine
- 5 ml Dijon mustard
- 10 g fresh basil — roughly chopped, for garnish
- 5 ml dried oregano
- 5 ml dried thyme
- salt — to taste
- black pepper — freshly ground, to taste
Equipment
- 20 x 30 cm baking dish
- large saucepan
- whisk
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 180°C fan / 200°C conventional. Lightly oil a 20 x 30 cm baking dish.
Prepare the vegetables: finely chop the brown onion; peel and finely chop the garlic cloves; dice the carrot and celery; slice the chestnut mushrooms; cube the aubergine and dice the courgette.
Warm the olive oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the brown onion, garlic cloves, carrot and celery and sweat gently until softened and beginning to colour, about 8–10 minutes.
Increase the heat slightly, add the chestnut mushrooms, aubergine and courgette and cook for 6–8 minutes until they have softened and released their juices.
Stir in the tomato purée, dried oregano, dried thyme, sugar, a pinch of salt and a generous grind of black pepper and cook for 1–2 minutes to wake the purée.
Pour in the tinned chopped tomatoes and the hot vegetable stock, then add the tinned green lentils. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook uncovered for 20 minutes until the ragu has reduced and thickened.
While the ragu simmers, make the dairy-free béchamel: melt the dairy-free margarine in a saucepan over medium heat, stir in the plain flour and cook for 1–2 minutes. Gradually whisk in the soya milk until smooth, add the Dijon mustard and nutritional yeast, then simmer gently, whisking, for 6–8 minutes until thick and glossy. Season with salt and black pepper.
Assemble the lasagne: spread a thin layer of ragu over the base of the prepared baking dish, top with lasagne sheets to cover, spoon over a third of the ragu, then a third of the béchamel. Repeat to make three layers, finishing with béchamel. Scatter the top with the vegan grated cheese and a tablespoon of nutritional yeast.
Bake in the preheated oven for 35–40 minutes until the top is golden and the edges are bubbling. If the top browns too quickly, cover loosely with foil for the final 10 minutes.
Remove from the oven and leave to rest for 10 minutes to set before slicing.
Garnish with the fresh basil leaves, slice and serve warm.
Tips
- Use a no-boil dried lasagne sheet or ensure your ragu and béchamel are reasonably loose; too-dry fillings mean undercooked sheets.
- Cook the ragu uncovered so it reduces properly — if it looks watery, give it longer before assembling.
- Whisk the béchamel constantly while adding soya milk to avoid lumps; strain if you get stubborn ones.
- Make ahead: assemble and refrigerate (covered) for up to 24 hours before baking; add 5–10 minutes to the bake time if straight from the fridge.
- Freeze portions once cooled: wrap slices airtight and freeze for up to 3 months; defrost overnight in the fridge and reheat at 170°C fan/190°C conventional until piping hot.
Substitutions
tinned green lentils → cooked puy lentils, same quantity by weight
Stays closesoya milk → unsweetened oat milk, same quantity
Stays closevegan grated cheese → extra nutritional yeast + a scant tablespoon of olive oil for richness
Noticeably differentdried lasagne sheets → fresh lasagne sheets, reduce béchamel slightly and shorten bake time by ~10 minutes
Stays close
Nutrition
Per serving · estimated
- 730
- Calories
- 25 g
- Protein
- 96 g
- Carbs
- 27 g
- Fat
- 12 g
- Fibre
- 12 g
- Sugar
- 700 mg
- Sodium
FAQ
Can I make this lasagne gluten-free?
Yes — use gluten-free lasagne sheets and check the vegan cheese and plain flour are gluten-free. The texture will be slightly different.
Do I need to pre-cook the dried lasagne sheets?
No — if you use no-boil dried sheets they’ll cook in the oven provided the ragu and béchamel aren’t too dry. If your sheets require pre-cooking, follow the packet instructions.
Can I swap the lentils for mince?
Yes — use 500 g plant-based mince for a vegan option or 500 g lean beef if not vegan; brown it first and reduce the simmer time slightly.
How should I reheat leftovers?
Reheat individual slices at 160°C fan/180°C conventional for 20–25 minutes from chilled, or microwave on medium power until hot then finish in the oven for a crisp top.
Community Photos
No photos yet
Be the first to share your creation!
