
Are you feeling as well rested as I am today? I could seriously bounce off the walls right now and there isn’t a lick of caffeine in my body. Man, the extra hour is the best…aside from that whole getting dark earlier thing. That really put a wrinkle in my lasagna dinner photography plans last night!
Want to know a secret?
I’ve never made lasagna before! Not even before I became a vegan. Back then, the best thing I cooked was popcorn in my popcorn maker and frozen dinners.
Anyways, I always loved eating lasagna, but assumed it was super difficult to make. Well, it turns out that it’s not as bad as I imagined…like everything in life. (Thank you anxiety.) This lasagna was quite easy even for an experienced popcorn maker like myself. And if you’re a multi-tasker in the kitchen like I am things move along even quicker.

How do you make a vegan lasagna taste as good as its non-vegan counterpart?
Above all, it must have a creamy and cheese-like flavour. Most vegan lasagna recipes use a tofu-based “ricotta” cheese, but I wanted to try something different for my recipe. As a cheese replacer, I made a Lemon Basil Cashew Cheeze which I adapted from my Stuffed Portabella Pizza recipe. I absolutely loved it in this lasagna and it gave it a really luxurious creamy and cheesy flavour.
The first thing you do is make this cheeze spread in your food processor. I did this ahead of time and just kept it in a sealed container in the fridge until I was ready to make my lasagna.

I also saved time by using bottled pasta sauce (1.5 bottles), but you can make homemade marinara sauce if you prefer!

The next thing I did was sauté the vegetables. I chopped 1 sweet onion, 1 large red pepper, 2 small zucchini, 1 cup of cremini mushrooms, and minced 3 garlic cloves.

(I love the sunset light beaming into my kitchen at this time!)
While the vegetables are sautéing, you can boil your noodles. The best lasagna making tip that I can give you is to slightly undercook your lasagna noodles. I cooked mine for about 8 minutes and then quickly rinsed them with cold water. No one wants mushy noodles in a lasagna! I used Kamut noodles and they were very tasty.

Once that is done, it’s time to start layering your lasagna. I took step-by-step pictures to help guide you along the process. So yea…if you’re not taking a bazillion photos it should move along even quicker!
Tips:
- I used about 1 cup of pasta sauce on the bottom of the casserole dish.
- Use half of your basil cheeze for the 1st layer and the rest for the second layer. Ditto for the vegetables!
- You can add as much or as little cheese on top as you prefer. I think I used about 1 cup?

At this point you can wrap it up and put it in the fridge until you are ready to cook it, or you can bake it right away like I did.
After layering, bake in the oven, covered with tin foil, for 40-45 minutes at 400F and then remove the tinfoil and broil it over medium heat for about 4-5 minutes, watching closely.

That wasn’t so bad, right?
We also have a ton of leftovers to enjoy for lunches all week long!
Would I change anything next time?
The only thing I would add next time is to crumble a couple of my favourite Amy’s California burgers (pre-cooked?) onto a layer of the lasagna. I think that would give it a great “ground-beef” like texture. Otherwise, I wouldn’t change a thing!
We both gobbled up two big pieces and Eric packed some for his lunch today. I’d say it was a success!


Vegan Lasagna with Basil Cashew Cheeze

Yield
6
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
I like my lasagna with lots of sauce and lots of vegetables, but you can tailor your version to your own preference. The best part about lasagna is that it can be adapted so many ways.
Ingredients
For the Cheeze:
- 1 cup raw cashews, soaked in water for 30 mins or overnight
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1/4 cup vegetable broth or water (or more as needed)
- 1.5 cups fresh basil leaves (lightly packed)
- 1/2 cup nutritional yeast (gives the cheese flavour)
- 3/4-1 tsp kosher salt (or to taste) + freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 tsp onion powder (optional)
For the Lasagna:
- 454 g Box of lasagna noodles*
- 1.5 bottles of pasta sauce or use homemade marinara sauce
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 sweet onion, chopped (2.5 cups)
- 2 small zucchini, chopped
- 1 cup cremini mushrooms, sliced
- 1 large red pepper, chopped
- 1 large handful spinach
- 2 pre-cooked veggie burgers, crumbled (optional)
- Lemon Basil Cheeze Sauce (from above)
- Daiya cheese (as much as desired)
Directions
- Drain and rinse soaked cashews. With the food processor turned on, drop in your garlic cloves and process until chopped. Add in the rest of the ingredients and process until smooth, scraping down the bowl as needed.
- Preheat oven to 400°F. In a large skillet, sautee onion and garlic over low-medium heat for 5 minutes. Now add in the rest of the veggies and sautee for another 10-15 minutes. *Season well with Herbamare or kosher salt and black pepper.* This is key or you will have bland tasting vegetables in your lasagna.
- Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to boil. Boil lasagna noodles for 8 minutes, drain, and rinse immediately with cold water.
- Add 1 cup of pasta sauce on the bottom of your casserole dish. Add a layer of noodles, half the basil cheeze sauce, half the vegetables, more pasta sauce, another layer of noodles, veggie burger crumbles (optional), the rest of the cheeze sauce, the rest of the vegetables, more pasta sauce, and finally a sprinkle of cheese.
- Cover with tinfoil and prick with fork a few times. Bake at 400°F for 40-45 minutes and then remove tinfoil and broil for 5 minutes on medium. Watch closely so you don’t burn the edges. Remove and serve. Will keep in the fridge for at least 3-4 days.
Tip:
- * I cooked an entire box of noodles (16 oz) and had 6 noodles leftover. This will depend on how large your casserole dish is. My dish is a bit small, although I’m not sure of the actual size.

Drool.
Now, my mind is swirling with a seasonal lasagna recipe like pumpkin or squash lasagna. I think that would be really good!
Just made this recipe. It was delish! You know it a recipe is good when your reluctant (semi)vegan boyfriend gets up to get seconds. :) This will be my go to vegan lasagna recipe. The cashew cheese is a great alternative to a soy filling, which is what I was looking for.
I altered the recipe a wee bit. I used brown rice pasta lasagna noodles, I used eggplant instead of zucchini (b/c that is what i had), I added a crumbled soy Italian sausage, and added some lentils to the mix. I also sauteed my veggies in white wine (again b/c I had some and to reduce the fat a bit). I finished off the casserole with a combo of Daiya cheddar and mozzarella. The end result was YUMMY!
In the future, I plan on adding more soy Italian sausage and possibly lentils. Other than that, this recipe is gold. Thank you for developing and sharing it.
I make this recipe again and again but have never commented. I’m a huge basil lover so the lemon basil cashew cheeze is my favorite part! I don’t have much time to cook during the week so making this on the weekend and eating it for lunch all week is perfect, I never get tired of it.
Currently 91 degrees outside and I’m soaking my cashews, getting ready to make this tonight…
:-)
This was FANTASTIC! I’ve been wanting to make a “cheese” sauce using cashews and I’m glad I picked this recipe to try! The fresh lemon and basil really make the sauce special. My meat eating boyfriend loved this lasagna…he had three helpings worth! Thank you so much for this recipe, it’s my new go-to-lasagna.
P.S I’ve also printed lots of other recipes from your blog. Can’t wait to try them all! :)
I came across your website while I was looking for a vegan lasagna and your site came up. I made the lasagna over the weekend and received rave reviews. Your recipe is amazing my family, friends and I really enjoyed it.
Hey Danielle, Im so glad to hear you all enjoyed it! It’s a fav of ours too. :)
Hi Angela – I just have to say thank you. I make this lasagna all the time and it always gets rave reviews. Especially with non-vegan friends and family!!! I also make the cheeze on its own and use it when I make pizza! I’m making the lasagna again tonight for our neighbors to show them just how deliciously amazing vegan food is! :-) Thanks again for being so awesome! <3
Hey Allison, That’s so great to hear!! We love it too, but I don’t make it enough. I’m glad the recipe is being put to such great use! Have fun with your neighbours tonight :)
Just wanted to say thank you SO much for this recipe! It came together in an amazing way and brought back memories of non-vegan stuff I haven’t eaten in over a decade. Something about that cashew cheese and sauce combination!
I wanted to mention that you can blend the cashew cheese with a box of tofu (firm, not siken), which I think actually improves it. It adds more bulk, texture, and lightens it up a bit.
Doing that, roasting the veggies rather than sauteing, and using Italian sausage (Field Roast brand or homemade) instead of burger crumbles are my suggestions to making this even more authentic-tasting and amazing.
You are a genius!
Unable to get Daiya in Australia what would be a nice sub? I only came a across your website today and am so excited! Thank you x
I just made this amazing recipe….it is so delicious– my whole family loved it and it’s half done ;)!!!
The only question I have is that- im on a bit of a budget – and with the cheese, Kamut lasagna noodles, cashews and pasta sauce it was already $20…plus the veggies (which were organic) — it was about $30 – since it’s summer I have fresh basil in my garden, so I saved a little there…is there a cheaper way of doing this without making it less healthy..? :)
Any suggestions would be great – thanks do much for the recipe, truly delicious :)
Hey Karolina, Good question! To save money, I would suggest skipping the Daiya cheeze – I think it would still be great without it. Or you could also try making a tofu based cheeze spread and not using cashews since they tend to cost more. Also, skip the veg burger crumbles, not needed. Hope this helps!
So, I made this. And it was so darn good that my husband wouldn’t stop eating it leaving me no leftovers for lunch the next day. I am always beyond excited when I find vegan recipies which I can serve to all my meat eating family and friends. My only addition, since it was laying around, was I added kale. The Cashew cheese is ridiculous, so yummy. Thank you for continuosly providing delicious recipies..if you made it..I am usually at ease knowing it will be good.
Oh…I didn’t add the veggie burger crumbles either..really, perfect without them.
Delicious! Great recipe! I made this last night for dinner and it was great, I love the cheese sauce. My daughter loved it so much he had a second serving before bed and asked me to make it everyday lol thanks again!
I just made a squash, kale-spinach and bechamel (soy in my case) lasagna and it was a killer ! Can’t wait to see your recipe soon on your blog !
I made this last night for a big group of mostly non-vegetarians (never mind vegans) and they LOVED it. I’ve been scared to make cashew cheese for a while but this was so easy and yummy I’m glad to have it in my repertoire now. Thanks for the great recipe. I love your blog.
Thank you Sara, Im so happy to hear it was enjoyed! Thanks for reading :)
Oh my, how amazing! I made this for dinner to my family today, and they absolutely loved it! Will make again. (I posted a post about it, actually)
Thank you for this recipe!
Has anyone prepared this lasagna and then frozen it for later baking?
I made this recipe last night and it was perfect! Your instructions are thoughtfully presented, which make it easy to follow. The flavor was off the charts…well received by everyone last night. I’ve made three of your recipes, to date, and they have all turned out perfectly. I can’t wait for your book!
This turned out great. While I kind of loathe making lasagna because of all the prep work and dishes, there’s something super gratifying and satisfying about it. It’s comfort food at it’s finest. Cashew basil cheese-amazing! I’m going to keep this handy. It would be a great appetizer idea on it’s own. My husband ate two pieces of this lasagna. First vegan dinner he’s ever eaten. Ever. Plenty of leftovers too! Thanks Angela!
Everytime my wife and I cook one of your recipes we ask ourselves, “Can it get any better?”. And it DOES!!! This was awesome!
I just made this, and it was really delicious! I sadly realized though that I forgot to buy fresh basil. All I had was dried italian herbs. The end result was very tasty anyway, and I will definitely make it again!
Hi there – I just made your version of the Lemon Basil Cashew Cheese and it tastes a little too bitter/sour, I’m thinking it’s due to the amount of nutritional yeast. Your version says to add 1/2 cup of nutritional yeast but the recipe which inspired yours calls for only 1/2 tsp. It’s my first time making this or tasting it so I am not sure what it’s supposed to taste like. Perhaps the flavor will change once baked? Just want to make sure it’s not a typo before I add it to my lasagne tomorrow. Can you please be so kind to reply confirming? Thanks in advance!
Hi Mimi, Nope not a typo, my guess is that it’s maybe too much lemon for your liking? I like things quite lemony. :) If not, then yes it could also be the nutritional yeast as it has a strong flavour. The recipe has been reviewed very well so I hope you enjoy it once it’s made! Let me know how it goes.
Hi Angela :) I am so sorry for ever doubting you! I followed your recipe, made the lasagna for three super carnivores and they ALL had seconds! only about two pieces left .. Thanks for the great recipe. I am only two weeks into the vegan lifestyle and your webpage has been so helpful. Thank You :-)
You have a great blog. Thanks for sharing so much of your experiences.
I wanted to say I tried this recipe, and it was great!
Stay strong in the struggle, and keep writing.
Best in 2013 to you and yours.