Vegan Lasagna for Two (Loaf Pan Recipe)
An easy vegan lasagna for two packed with lentils and creamy cashew cheese. Perfect for an at-home dinner date without needing to store leftovers.
Earlier this year I made vegan lasagna for the first time which was super delicious. It was filled with vegan sausage, lentils and vegan cheese and yielded 12 servings.
But I wanted to make a smaller version with even simpler ingredients that you might already have available or they are easier to find.
Plus it would be enough portions for a stay-at-home dinner date or for someone who doesn’t want to have to store leftovers.
This loaf pan lasagna for two uses no-boil oven-ready lasagna noodles so it’s much easier to put together.
The hearty, vegan filling can be made in minutes with cooked lentils, olives, onion, garlic and a jar of pasta sauce.
Then it’s layered with creamy, homemade cashew ricotta which ties all the flavors together.
How to Make Cashew Ricotta
1. Bring 1 cup/236ml of water to boil in a pot, kettle or microwave. Add ½ cup (75g) of cashews to a bowl and cover with boiling water.
Set aside to soak for at least 15 minutes. You can also soak the cashews in lukewarm water overnight.
2. Get a small single-serving blender or use a food processor. The batch may be too small for a large blender.
But if it’s all you have, you could double the ricotta recipe, use half and freeze the rest in a container for later.
3. Add the soaked and drained cashews with 1 garlic clove, ½ a shallot-sized onion, 1 tbsp nutritional yeast, 1 tbsp vinegar, lemon or lime juice and 4 to 5 tbsp water. Blend until creamy.
4. Season with ¼ tsp salt and pepper to taste.
How to Make Lasagna for Two in a Loaf Pan
1. Add ½ cup/100g of dried green or brown lentils to a pot with 1½ cups/354ml of water. Bring to a boil.
Lower heat and cook for 15 minutes. Drain the lentils once cooked, reserving any liquid.
2. Heat a skillet to medium heat and add 1 tbsp/15ml olive oil, minced onion and garlic.
Cook until the onion is browned then add the cooked lentils, 10 chopped olives (optional), ¾ of a 24oz/680g jar of pasta sauce and ½ tsp dried basil or mixed herbs.
Cover and simmer on low heat for 10 minutes.
3. If the sauce gets too thick you can thin it out with some of the reserved lentil cooking liquid. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
You can also add some cayenne or red pepper flakes for spiciness but this is optional.
4. Preheat your oven to 400°F/204°C.
5. Lightly oil a 9 by 5-inch loaf pan (mine holds 1 ½ quart) and pour in the remaining pasta sauce.
Spread the sauce evenly then add one lasagna sheet. I used 4 no-boil oven-ready lasagna sheets by Barilla Collezione (eggless version) which cooks to perfection in the oven.
6. Spread 1/4 of the lentil filling, covering the noodle. Next, add 1/4 of the cashew ricotta in small dollops.
7. Repeat the layering process with the remaining 3 sheets, lentil filling and finishing with cashew cheese.
Cover the loaf pan with aluminum foil and add a few slits to allow steam to escape. Bake for 20 minutes.
Remove the foil and bake for an additional 15 minutes.
8. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 15 to 20 minutes to make the lasagna set for slicing.
9. Serve warm.
How to make this lasagna gluten-free
All the ingredients in this recipe except the no-boil lasagna noodles are naturally gluten-free. But no worries!
Barilla and Le Veneziane make gluten-free oven-ready lasagna noodles. I used them in my Vegan Lentil Lasagna which came out perfectly!
What to do when you’re out of lasagna noodles?
No lasagna noodles? No problem!
If you have all the ingredients but no noodles, make an easy pasta bake instead.
Use the same ingredients and any type of pasta you have on hand. Use 8oz/226g of pasta.
I highly recommend slightly undercooking the pasta before layering as it will continue to cook in the oven.
Boil the pasta for 5 minutes less than the recommended al dente cooking time.
Drain completely then use in place of lasagna sheets in one even layer. This means avoiding stacking or overlapping each pasta for more even cooking.
If you have any leftover no-boi lasagne sheets, try using them in this Vegan Cannelloni recipe.
How to modify this loaf pan lasagna recipe to fit different pan sizes
Let’s say you’ve enjoyed this recipe so much that you’d love it make it again but for a larger crowd.
Or you don’t have a 9 x 5 x 3 inch (1.5 quarts) loaf pan and would still like to make this recipe work for you.
Here are some guidelines for modifying this lasagna recipe to fit other standard casserole dish sizes:
8 x 8 x 2 inch square: This recipe should work as-is (2 lasagna sheets per layer).
10 x 10 x 2 inch square: Use 12 lasagna sheets (4 per layer, slightly overlapping) and double the remaining recipe ingredients.
13 x 9 x 2 inch rectangular: Use 12 lasagna sheets (4 per layer, slightly overlapping) and double the remaining ingredients.
13 x 9 x 3 inch rectangular: Use 16 lasagna sheets (4 per layer, slightly overlapping) and double the remaining ingredients.
How to make ahead, store and cook lasagna
If you’d like to get a head start on dinner here are some meal-prep and storage tips for this vegan lentil lasagna:
1. Prepare the cashew ricotta and lentil filling and allow it to cool completely.
2. Assemble the lasagna as per the recipe then cover with foil. If you’re storing for longer than one night, cover the foil with a couple layers of plastic wrap to prevent the lasagna from drying out.
3. Store in the refrigerator overnight or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
To cook the lasagna from the refrigerator, preheat the oven and remove the plastic wrap. Bake covered with foil for 30 minutes then bake uncovered for an additional 15 minutes.
To cook the lasagna from the freezer, place in the refrigerator to thaw overnight. Bake according to the refrigerator instructions.
Want more easy pasta recipes? Check these out:
Vegan Lasagna for Two (Loaf Pan Recipe)
Baking Recipes: For more accuracy, use Metric measurements and measuring spoons.
Ingredients
- 4 eggless oven-ready lasagna sheets
- ½ cup (100 g) dried brown or green lentils
- 1 jar (680 g) pasta sauce, (24oz)
- 1 small (70 g) shallot-sized onion, minced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 10 kalamata olives, chopped, optional
- ½ teaspoon (2 g) dried basil or mixed herbs
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Cayenne or red pepper flakes to taste, optional
Cashew Ricotta
- ½ cup (75 g) cashews
- 1 garlic clove
- ½ (55 g) shallot-sized onion
- 1 tbsp (4 g) nutritional yeast
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) vinegar/lemon juice/lime juice
- 4 tbsp (60 ml) water
- ¼ teaspoon (1 g) salt
- Black pepper to taste
Instructions
How to Make the Cashew Ricotta
- Bring 1 cup/236ml of water to boil in a pot, kettle or microwave. Add cashews to a bowl and cover with boiling water. Set aside to soak for at least 15 minutes. You can also soak the cashews in lukewarm water overnight.½ cup (75 g) cashews
- Get a small single-serving blender or use a food processor. The batch may be too small for a large blender. But if it’s all you have, you could double the ricotta recipe, use half and freeze the rest in a container for later.
- Add the soaked and drained cashews with the garlic clove, onion, nutritional yeast, lemon juice and 4 to 5 tbsp water. Blend until creamy.1 garlic clove ,½ (55 g) shallot-sized onion ,1 tbsp (4 g) nutritional yeast ,1 tbsp (15 ml) vinegar/lemon juice/lime juice ,4 tbsp (60 ml) water
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.Black pepper to taste ,¼ teaspoon (1 g) salt
How to Make Lasagna for Two
- Add lentils to a pot with 1½ cups/354ml of water. Bring to a boil. Lower heat and cook for 15 minutes. Drain the lentils once cooked, reserving any liquid.½ cup (100 g) dried brown or green lentils
- Heat a skillet to medium heat and add olive oil, minced onion and garlic. Cook until the onion is browned then add the cooked lentils, chopped olives, ¾ of the jar of pasta sauce and dried basil or mixed herbs. Cover and simmer on low heat for 10 minutes.1 jar (680 g) pasta sauce ,1 small (70 g) shallot-sized onion ,3 cloves garlic ,10 kalamata olives ,1 tbsp (15 ml) olive oil ,½ teaspoon (2 g) dried basil or mixed herbs
- If the sauce gets too thick you can thin it out with some of the reserved lentil cooking liquid. Season to taste with salt, pepper and cayenne.Cayenne or red pepper flakes to taste ,Salt and pepper to taste
- Preheat your oven to 400°F/200°C.
- Lightly oil a 9 by 5-inch loaf pan (mine holds 1 ½ quart) and pour in the remaining pasta sauce. Spread the sauce evenly then add one lasagna sheet.4 eggless oven-ready lasagna sheets
- Spread 1/4 of the lentil filling covering the lasagna noodle. Next, add 1/4 of the cashew ricotta in small dollops.
- Repeat the layering process with the remaining 3 lasagna sheets, lentil filling and finishing with cashew cheese. Cover the loaf pan with aluminum foil and add a few slits to allow steam to escape. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 15 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 15 to 20 minutes to make the lasagna set for slicing.
- Serve warm.
Notes
- You can try using white miso as a substitute for nutritional yeast. Adjust to your tastes. Or use vegan cheese in place of the cashew ricotta.
- See make-ahead and storage tips in the post.
- How to modify this lasagna recipe to fit different pan sizes.
- More vegan pasta recipes: Vegan One Pot Pasta , Coconut Cream Pasta with Chickpeas , Vegan & Gluten free Spaghetti alla Puttanesca
I made a slightly modified version of this recipe for my vegan husband. I used a loaf pan so we wouldn’t have a weeks worth of lasagna for the two of us. It was really delicious. Vegan ricotta cheese, vegan meat crumbles, and a nice marinara sauce were sandwiched between the layers of noodles. I will definitely make it again.