Vegan Gluten-Free Zucchini Lasagna
Zucchini Lasagna, which happens to be vegan and gluten-free! This lasagna is SO good! Zucchini noodles with eggplant, mushrooms, and cashew-cauliflower ricotta.
Oh man, this zucchini lasagna is so good. Like, so, so good. If you’re looking for a healthy, vegetable-filled recipe, then this zucchini lasagna is for you.
We are making the ultimate vegan and gluten-free lasagna. A lasagna made almost completely out of vegetables, which is crazy cool. For those who don’t think vegetables are versatile and delicious, make this recipe.
Tomato sauce, zucchini lasagna sheets, cauliflower-cashew ricotta, roasted mushroom, and eggplant. Combine all of that together, then bake until hot and bubbly and enjoy!
See below for more tips and details, or scroll down to the full recipe card.
Ingredient Notes for Zucchini Lasagna
- Zucchini: Instead of using regular lasagna noodles, you are making noodles out of zucchini. You will need either a vegetable sheet slicer or a sharp knife or mandolin to thinly slice the zucchini.
- Mushrooms & Eggplant: This is the base of your veggie lasagna. You will roast the mushrooms and eggplant and then add to your zucchini lasagna!
- Cauliflower: The cauliflower combines with cashews to make a creamy ricotta! That’s one of my favorite things about this lasagna- it’s made almost entirely out of vegetables. While you could substitute regular ricotta, the cashew-cauliflower ricotta is a nice twist.
- Marinara sauce: You can use any jarred or homemade marinara sauce you want for this recipe, or use my fresh tomato sauce
How to Thinly Slice the Zucchini
To thinly slice the zucchini, you will need a vegetable sheet slicer! It’s what get’s the zucchini paper thin and perfect for this zucchini lasagna recipe. I bought this on a whim one night, and I’m completely hooked. It’s the perfect accessory to make vegetable lasagna, zucchini roll-ups, vegetable spring rolls, and so much more.
Of course, if you don’t own this or want to buy one, then a sharp knife or a mandolin works in the same way. If you think that you’ll make a lot of vegetable-based pasta, then I recommend this one.
How to Make this Zucchini Lasagna Vegan Recipe
This recipe is a few steps, but once they all come together, it’s easy to assemble. You can make the separate items ahead of time, like the roasted vegetables and cauliflower ricotta.
Roast the vegetables
Start by tossing together the eggplant, mushrooms, olive oil, garlic, red pepper flakes and salt until well coated, then bake until tender.
Make the cauliflower ricotta
Make the cauliflower ricotta cheese by placing the cauliflower, cashews and salt in a saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil over medium heat and cook until cauliflower is very soft, then drain and cool. Place in a blender along with olive oil and water and puree until very smooth, scraping down the sides as needed. Stir in the chopped basil and season with salt and pepper.
Make the zucchini lasagna noodles
Very thinly slice the zucchini into strips. You can do this using a mandolin, a vegetable sheet slicer or a sharp knife. Lay zucchini strips on a paper towels or kitchen towel and sprinkle with salt. Let sit for at least 10-15 minutes until the zucchini starts to “sweat,” where water will be drawn to the surface. Pat the zucchini dry and set aside. This step makes the lasagna not watery after it’s cooked.
Assemble the lasagna
Spread a little tomato sauce in a thin layer in the base of a baking dish, then place zucchini noodles on top along with the cauliflower ricotta mixture and cooked vegetables. Repeat with another layer (sauce, zucchini, ricotta, veggies), then another layer and finish with a final layer of zucchini noodles and remaining tomato sauce. Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes.
Time to eat
Remove lasagna from oven and remove foil. Dollop remaining cashew ricotta on top, let cool for 20 minutes, then drizzle olive oil and fresh basil leaves on top right before slicing.
I hope this recipe proves how delicious plants really can be. More and more, that feels like my mission. As a predominantly plant-based dietitian, I prefer to focus less on labels and more on enjoying delicious food.
That’s what this recipe is to me. A celebration of delicious plants that everyone can enjoy. A complete transformation of what you typically think of lasagna– no ground beef, mozzarella cheese, bechamel sauce, or traditional ricotta required! The layers of roasted vegetables and thin zucchini noodles with creamy ricotta make for ultimate texture and flavor.
If you’re looking to enjoy more gluten-free foods, here’s a gluten-free diet plan for beginners.
Frequently Asked Questions for Making Zucchini Lasagna
Why is my zucchini lasagna so watery?
Because zucchini naturally holds water, you’ll need to salt and let the zucchini rest before assembling the lasagna. Use paper towels or dish towels to absorb the excess moisture.
How do you cut thin sliced zucchini?
I use a vegetable slicer specific to making vegetable pasta sheets, but you can also use a mandolin to make thinly sliced zucchini sheets or a very sharp knife.
How long does zucchini lasagna keep?
Because of the zucchini noodles, this lasagna doesn’t last long. It’s best eaten the day that you make it, but you can roast the vegetables, make the sauce (if making tomato sauce and not using jarred), and the ricotta cheese ahead of time and then assemble the day of.
More Zucchini Recipes:
Vegan Chocolate Chip Muffins
Vegetarian Zucchini Enchiladas
Simple Weeknight Zucchini Pasta
Zucchini Noodle Pasta Primavera
Roasted Zucchini, Corn and Bulgur Salad
If you try this zucchini lasagna, come back and leave a comment and a rating. Your feedback helps other readers and seeing your feedback makes me day!
Vegan Gluten-Free Zucchini Lasagna
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 medium eggplant, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
- 1 pound mushrooms, any kind will work, I used white button mushrooms, trimmed and sliced thin
- 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 8 ounces cauliflower florets, roughly chopped
- 1 cup raw cashews
- 1/4 cup chopped basil leaves, plus more for garnish
- 3 medium zucchini
- 4 cups marinara sauce
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
- Toss together the eggplant, mushrooms, 2 tablespoons olive oil, garlic, red pepper flakes and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Spread onto a baking sheet and roast, about 30-35 minutes, stirring halfway through. The eggplant should be tender with most of the juices evaporated. Remove and set aside.
- While the mushrooms are cooking, place the cauliflower, cashews and 1 teaspoon salt in a saucepan and cover with water by 3 inches. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium, cooking mixture until cauliflower is very soft and falls apart when touched with a fork, about 20 minutes. Drain and let cool slightly.
- While the cauliflower is cooking, make the noodles. Very thinly slice the zucchini into strips. You can do this using a mandolin, a vegetable slicer or a sharp knife. The slices should be no longer than the length of your pan, about 12-13"; cut them if needed. If using the vegetable sheet slicer, use the thin blade.
- Lay zucchini strips on a paper or kitchen towel and sprinkle with salt. Let sit for at least 10-15 minutes until the zucchini starts to “sweat,” where water will be drawn to the surface. Pat the zucchini dry and set aside.
- When the cauliflower is just cool enough to place in a blender, add the cauliflower and cashew mixture to a food processor or blender along with 3 tablespoons oil and 2 tablespoons water. Puree until very smooth, scraping down the sides as needed. Season with more salt and pepper to taste, if needed. Stir in the chopped basil and set aside.
- Time to assemble! Reduce the oven heat to 375 degrees F with an oven rack in the middle position. Lightly grease a 9×13″ pan and spread tomato sauce in a thin layer to cover (about 1 cup). Place zucchini noodles in a single layer, you may have to cut them to get them to fit. Spread a little more than 1/3 of the cauliflower-ricotta mixture over the noodles, followed by 1/2 of the cooked eggplant and mushrooms.
- Repeat with another layer of sauce, zucchini, a little more than 1/3 of the cauliflower mixture, remaining eggplant mixture. Finish with a final layer of zucchini noodles and remaining tomato sauce. Place remaining cashew mixture in the fridge for now. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove lasagna from oven and remove foil. Dollop remaining cashew ricotta on top (or spread in an even layer). Let cool for ~20 minutes before slicing, so it doesn’t become a soupy mess.
- Right before serving, drizzle with remaining tablespoon olive oil and fresh basil leaves, if desired. YUM.