Vegan Lasagna with a Cashew Béchamel (Vegan & Gluten Free)
Lasagna is the ultimate comfort food and has always been one of my favourite dinners. Creating a vegan version was therefore an absolute must for me! This Vegan Lasagna is so rich and delicious; layers of tasty lentil bolognese and creamy béchamel between perfectly cooked sheets of pasta - you have to make this!
Ingredients
For The Lentil Bolognese
- 3 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 5 Cloves Garlic crushed
- 2 Red Onions chopped
- 8 Mushrooms slioced
- 1 Cup Split Red Lentils
- 1 Cup Vegetable Stock
- 2 Tins Chopped Tomatoes
- 4 tbsp Tomato Puree
- 1 tsp Chilli Flakes
- 3 tsp Dried Oregano
- Salt to taste
- Black Pepper to taste
For The Cashew Béchamel
- 1.5 Cups Raw Cashews (soaked for 1 hour in boiling water)
- 4 tbsp Nutritional Yeast
- 1 Lemon (Juice only)
- 1.5 Cups Water
- 2 tsp Maple Syrup
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1/2 tsp Salt (adjust to taste)
- Black Pepper (adjust to taste)
- 9 Pasta Sheets gluten free if needed
Instructions
- Heat up the olive oil in a large pan over a medium heat
- Add the onions and garlic and let sweat for 5 minutes
- Add in the sliced mushrooms, chilli flakes, oregano, salt and pepper and mix well
- Cook this for a further 2 minutes
- Mix in the lentils, tins of tomatoes, vegetable stock and tomato purée and bring to the boil. Then cover and simmer for 30 minutes - keep stirring regularly
- In the meantime, preheat your oven to 180c and make the cashew béchamel
- Drain and rinse the soaked cashews, then simply add all the ingredients to your blender and blitz until smooth
- Test the mixture and add any more of the ingredients to taste! (It may need more liquid to become the right consistency)
- Soften your lasagna sheets by soaking them in hot water for 2 minutes
- When the lentil bolognese is finished and your pasta sheets have softened, it's time to layer up the lasagna!
- Spoon about a third of the lentil mixture into the bottom of a deep ovenproof baking dish and spread out evenly. Layer three of the softened pasta sheets on top. Then, pour a third of your cashew béchamel on top of the pasta sheets and spread out evenly. Repeat this process two more times, until you end up with a layer of the cashew béchamel on top
- Cover the lasagna evenly with grated vegan cheese and black pepper, then place in the preheated oven and cook for 35-40 minutes