A mouthwatering, all veggie Vegan and Spinach Zucchini Lasagna recipe made with no cheese (dairy) or pasta noodles. It's gluten-free, healthy, whole food plant-based and easy.
If making your own almond ricotta and tomato sauce, do this first.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
Heat about a tablespoon of water in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and saute for 5 minutes or until soft. Add the garlic and saute for 2 minutes or until soft.
Add the spinach and saute until almost cooked, about 5-7 minutes. Add the basil and saute another 2-3 minutes. Divide roughly into thirds in the pan, and set aside.
To a 9 x 13 baking dish, add about ½ cup of tomato sauce and spread it around the bottom of the dish to coat.
Place your first layer of zucchini slices over the tomato sauce on the bottom of the dish, overlapping them just a little.
Dollop ⅓ of the ricotta over the zucchini, and spread evenly. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of Italian seasonings.
Using your hands or a clean towel, squeeze out any excess liquid from the spinach and basil. Then, gently place ⅓ of the spinach & basil mixture evenly over the ricotta.
Top the spinach & basil with another layer of zucchini and repeat 2 more times. Finish with a final (4th) layer of zucchini.
Pour the rest of the tomato sauce over the lasagna and spread it out evenly over the dish.
Cover and bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 45 minutes. Remvove the cover and bake another 10 minutes, or until the lasagna is hot and bubbly throughout and the zucchini is fork tender.
Allow the lasagna to rest for 10-15 minutes. Top with Vegan parmesan and more basil, if desired.
Notes
To store: cover tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months. WFPB compliant tomato sauce & ricotta cheese: For best results, I recommend making these yourself, and I've included 2 of my easy recipes for these ingredients. The tomato sauce is an Instant Pot version, but you could just as easily make in on the stove top. However, you could could buy these ingredients at the store to save time, if you can find them. Kite Hill makes a compliant almond ricotta cheese, and Engine 2 makes a compliant tomato sauce, for example. To slice your zucchini: I highly recommend using a mandoline for this recipe, but you can get the job done with patience and a very sharp knife. If you can't get your zucchini slices ⅛ thick with a knife, just cut them a bit thicker and cook the recipe a little longer, until the zucchini is fort tender. To speed things up: The fastest way to make this lasagna is to use store bought tomato sauce and almond ricotta. Or I like to use previously made frozen homemade ingredients for more involved recipes like this one. I definitely want to try this lasagna with my mushroom walnut bolognese for example, so the next time I make that sauce, I'll make a double batch and freeze half for this lasagna later.Frozen spinach is also faster than fresh. However, a tip to save chopping time for fresh spinach is to cook down whole leaves in the microwave or a pot on the stove, then just cut them up with a fork and butter knife. And of course the mandoline makes slicing the zucchini very fast. You can also generally buy diced onion and peeled garlic at the grocery store. I don't do this often, but when I have a recipe with a lot of steps, sometimes this can be a big help.