Lentil & Eggplant Lasagna

I made this tonight for my husband and I, and it was so delicious! The lentils give it a hearty taste but the overall meal is light. The tofu ricotta was creamy and flavorful with the basil and oregano. Bravo – I have been so enjoying your recipies.

This was sooooo tasty!

Just made this dish this evening and me and my mum (newly vegan) both absolutely loved it!! I added a layer of chopped beef tomatoes and spinach like Cheap Lazy Vegan did – I found your recipe via a youtube video of hers :) I’m already looking forward to eating some of the leftovers tomorrow!

Made this for dinner last night and it was a big hit! I had a giant organic eggplant that made just about 12 slices so I only used the one, making 3 layers (with the last layer as just sauce and eggplant). I also added a bit of frozen spinach in each layer to give it some more nutritional punch. SO hearty and filling but not in that icky way. If you’re debating between this one and the zucchini lasagne (https://minimalistbaker.com/8-ingredient-zucchini-lasagna-gf/) I found that this was a little more foolproof and held together much better (read: it wasn’t watery at all, probably because you sweat the eggplant before baking).

This is very delicious! If you are not a fan of eggplant, or want to try it for the first time, this is the recipe to make! Seriously easy to assemble and basic ingredients, and is now officially my favourite lasagna recipe of all time ??? Dana, you are a master!!

Oh em geeeee made this and absolutely amazing! I could eat that tofu ricotta right out of the blender with a spoon! You. Are. Awesome!

Wow. Just wow!

I used this recipe as inspiration for a zucchini lentil lasagna. I’m not a vegan so I used a ricotta/egg/parsley mixture in place of the tofu ricotta, and zucchini slices instead of eggplant. To be honest, I was just too lazy to go through the sweating and pre-baking of the eggplant :D Definitely use a mandolin or other slicing gadget, as zucchini get very slippery and dangerous! The result was great and I’m still eating the leftovers! Thanks for the recipe!

This is by far the best vegan lasagna I’ve ever tasted!
It surely demands more time to make (than the 30 min recipes we’re used to) but it’s worth it I assure you. I do half eggplants half pastas, sometimes I add some zucchinis, mushrooms and spinach. For the sauce I prefer to use my own lentil sauce (brown or green lentils) I always have some on hand in the freezer so I dont need to cook the red lentils (takes less time). Also, I put less tofu mixture and more sauce, because the first time I made it I have to admit it was a bit dry..But definitely a 5 stars there. Thank you again :-)

It wasn’t a total disaster but it was definitely not worth the time and effort it took to make. It was well over an hour before I got it in the oven and when it was done I still couldn’t stand to eat the eggplant. The tofu ricotta and sauce were good (and easiest to prepare) so I think next time I will just use regular noodles and add in some veggies.

This came out so well! Thanks for providing very clear instructions. Recipe was very easy to follow and clearly optimized on time. :) I love your website!

This is SO good!!!!
This dish feels so hearty and decadent. It was perfect for curbing my pasta craving!
I will definitely be remaking this the next time I need some marinara in my life!

Omg Dana, thank you for this delicious recipe! I made it exactly as the recipe specified and it turned out great!! It took me 2 hours to get it in the oven lol (I’m a very slow cooker) but it was so worth it and I’m sure it will take less time the next time I make it because I’m totally making it again. Absolutely delicious!

I love your blog and plan to buy your book too (only purchased 31 meals so far). Thanks again!

I made this for a dinner party for my decidedly not-vegan friends, and they loved it! I did too. ^_^ I used brown lentils, had to grab another eggplant because after roasting I realised the two I had were too small, and I didn’t have any vegan parm, but otherwise I followed things as written. This is labour intensive though – esp if you make your own marinara, like I did – so next time I’ll prob break things up over a couple days. Thanks so much!

Delicious! Was very skeptical about the tofu ricotta however it was excellent, no one would have guessed it was made of tofu. My Dad, who usually isn’t a vegan food enthusiast, asked me to make it again and repeatedly told me it was “excellent.” Next time I make it I might make a skerrick more marinara lentil sauce as when assembling the dish I though the top and middle layer could have benefited from a bit more sauce. Thank you so much for the ingenious recipe!

Hi Dana ! I just want to say that recipes inspired me to cook more often thank you for all the time and effort you put into these delicious recipes! I made a couple of your dishes already including this one, I really want to support you so I am definitely going to purchase your cookbook! Again thank you for sharing :)

This lasagna. I made a double batch of this for relatives who visited, and everyone gushed! I used real ricotta and pulsed in the seasonings. As suggested, I made the Kale Salad with Tandoori Roasted Chickpeas to accompany, and it was a hit! Fresh bread, good wine, and wonderful company made for a memorable evening. :)

Thank u for your Lentil & Eggplant Lasagna article. I also love Eggplant. SO GOOD!

Yumm! I’ve made this dish twice already. The second time I made this dish I added vegan mozzarella cheese. It came out really cheesy and delicious. My boyfriend loved it, definitely making this dish again.

I don’t know how I forgot to drop a comment here after I made this but it is necessary for me to extend a THANK YOU for the best vegan lasagna EVER! Vegan store-bought cheese kind of sucks so I wouldn’t call that a great replacement for cheese in a lasagna. Your recipe has the classic lasagna flavors but still takes a delicious, unique spin on the dish.
When I was making the tofu ricotta I literally thought: I could just eat this straight with a spoon. I have made the ricotta recipe to use with baked spaghetti squash and marinara and that tasted really good, too! I imagine the ricotta would also be good on pizza….
Anyway, I followed the recipe exactly and it turned out perfectly divine! I need to make this again next time I get some eggplant.

This meal is incredible! The tofu ricotta, the lentil tomato sauce and the eggplant, it all comes together so nice. A little bit of work but it was worth it. Yummy!

My husband and I made this together on Valentine’s Day and wow, this recipe is a real winner! We made our own marinara with sautéed garlic, diced tomatoes, fresh basil, red chili flakes, salt, and pepper — it was super easy. I also added in some kale at the same time as the red lentils for some extra veggies.

The only advice I would have is to spray your trays with some kind of oil before baking the eggplants. I saw that one other commenter suggested doing this and I’m so glad I did. Thanks for such an amazing recipe!

This is excellent. I had the audacity to make this for a dinner party for non vegans without a test run and it was delicious. Everyone raved about how they could not tell the cheese was non dairy. Instead of “cheese” I topped it with bread crumbs prcessed with some nutritional yeast and oregano. If you really wanted pasta I bet you could also add lasagna noodle. Great recipe!

Just made this for dinner tonight–wow! The tofu ricotta is just amazing. Mind blown. I used one eggplant (which gave me two layers, as I cut them a bit thinner than instructed), and two layers of pasta noodles. To keep my eggplant pieces from sticking to the baking sheets, I put down parchment paper first. I also added a small, finely diced zuchini into my garlicky marinara sauce.

This dairy/egg free gal greatly enjoyed this dish! My cheese-loving husband and 6 year old loved it too–no sighing about how “this would be great with cheese on it”. Win-win!

I made this recently and it was outstanding!! Seriously this recipe led to probably the most delicious dish I have ever made! It seemed more like an eggplant Parmesan than a lasagne, but it didn’t matter at all! This was the first time I made vegan cheese from scratch and this tofu ricotta was awesome, as was the Parmesan, – and both were super simple to make. Thanks so much for sharing such a great recipe!

I made this for xmas family dinner for the three of us that are vegan/gluten free and we were fighting off the meat eaters! Just made it again yesterday for my housemates. So delicious! My only comment is that I think next time I will bake eggplant for a little longer as it is still fairly hard to cut through at then end. I think most people like that, but I prefer a little more tender so I don’t have to use a knife.

This recipie was so good! Such a classic, I can see myself making it again and again. My meat and cheese loving boyfriend also loved it. The leftovers were so good as well. Thank you for sharing this recipie!

O BOY this knocked me and my husband’s socks off. We have made a few vegan lasagnas but we couldn’t believe how easy this was and used way less ingredients than we are accustomed to. Subbing eggplant for lasagna noodles put this over the top, this is just a big ol’ veggie casserole of amazingness. Thank you for sharing this recipe! Also, and this is coming from someone who typically hates vegan cheese things, the vegan parmesan was next level.

Best lasagna ever! I’m making it for the I can time in four days, only this time in a much larger pan. Thank you, thank you!!

Made this with green lentils that I didn’t cook as long as I should have but still delicious! Keep the unique recipes coming – I love them!

Wow! I made this lasagna tonight and I have to say, it even better than I expected. Very creamy and full of flavour, can’t wait to have it for lunch tomorrow :)

This turned out so great! I ended up putting it in an 8×8 square pan and it worked. Added the cashew Parmesan and it tastes just like the cheese. One of the best lasagnas I’ve had, and by far the best vegan version. would definitely make again!

I made this (along with your vegan chocolate ice cream) for Christmas and my family and our guests all absolutely loved it! This was my first Christmas as a vegan and I think I have successfully shown that vegans don’t miss out on delicious food ;D Thanks for all your lovely recipes.

Delicious!! Made this dish for my parents tonight and we were all simply drooling! Also, the components are surprisingly easy to make and assemble for the payoff of an impressive vegan dish. You’ve done it again, Dana! :)

Very good. Next time I will cut the eggplant into bite size pieces.

Made this tonight for dinner for myself and my parents. It was absolutely delicious!

I added in some sauteed shallots and baby bella mushrooms to my marinara sauce to give it a little extra flavor.

Even my dad who is a BIG meat lover thought this was delicious.

Fantastic recipe! Would definitely make it again. Thank you so much!!!

Tried this and it is soooo good. I’ll definitely make it again. And again. And again. And again… :-)

Thanks for a fab recipie!

I absolutely love this! Never thought I’d be able to enjoy lasagna again. Only tweak was to add a lot more pepper…I love my spicy food!
Another great recipe, I never run out of dinner options on this website. Thanks again!!

This was so fun to make and absolutely delicious. I will make it again. So healthy and creative. Thank you!!

I just made this tonight – it definitely exceeded my expectations! I hit some hiccups along the way – my eggplants were a little old and I wasn’t able to rinse much of the salt off of them before roasting them so they were too salty and a tad bitter/astringent when I pulled them out of the oven. The tofu ricotta also seemed a little iffy, something about it smelled a little stale (?) or not so appetizing after blending it together (I had no fresh basil so skipped that altogether). The marinara sauce was a diy – 28 oz can of Trader Joe’s whole tomatoes with basil simmered with a diced sautéed onion and some garlic m, I didn’t add any salt hoping it would balance out the salty eggplant planks. Every component in its own was a bit iffy but after baking together as a lasagna it was amazing!!!! The eggplant tuned soft and silky and the tofu ricotta lost its weird flavors. The marinara added the right acidity and balanced the dish out. My roommate also thought it was great :) thanks Dana for another great recipe! This one was a lot of work, but none of the effort wasted.

I made this for dinner tonight and it is delicious. I’ll be making it again. Like many others here (I imagine), I love going through vegan food blogs and I’ve made many vegan lasagnas before with mixed results. This is officially one of my favorites. The cheesiness of the tofu ricotta makes the dish feel a bit like eggplant parmesan to me, and I love that. (And I’ve missed it!) The flavors are great and the lentils really make this a fulfilling recipe. I haven’t made a lasagna recipe with lentils before.

Heads up: I used two 24oz jars of Marinara (I used Rao’s, like another commenter). I opened two simply to get to the 28oz and then add some extra, if needed. Like others, my experience is that it’s always a good idea to have extra marinara as lasagnas tend to get dry or run out on that last layer! That was my experience here as I needed all of the extra for the last layer and a half. Make sure you have some extra handy, just in case!

This is a delicious recipe, Dana. It’s on my “favorites” list and I intend to make it regularly in the colder months. Thank you for this!!

Delicious! I had this open in my browser for weeks & finally got around to making it – only upset it took me so long. I went the quick & non-vegan route & used a 15 oz container of ricotta mixed with basil & lemon juice. I also used 1 can of lentils stirred into the marinara sauce. It made the dish come together really quickly & tasted wonderful! I’m already looking forward to leftovers. Thanks!

I loved the idea of putting lentils in the sauce for a lasagna. This recipe was very good, but when I make it again I will use the cashew ricotta recipe from Veganomicon, which is my favorite (this tofu ricotta was fine, just not my favorite). I just used lasagna noodles rather than eggplant, and I also threw some spinach in for extra green. I loved the lentils. I did have to serve with extra sauce, but I’ve found that all my vegan lasagnas turn out a bit dry so that’s not surprising. I may put in both spinach and mushrooms next time — the mushrooms will add some moisture. Anyway, thanks for the excellent idea of the lentils in the sauce!

I’ve made this recipe twice now….it’s so good. To make it a little more hearty I add tempeh into the sauce and lentil mixture, as well as top and crisp up the top with a mixture of daiya mozzarella cheese and pecan “parmesan”. So good warm but even better as cold leftovers!

I’m sure this would have been delicious if I could have made it, but my eggplant lasagna noodles stuck so badly to the foil on my baking sheet, that I’m now left having to figure out how to make dinner in 20 minutes with the tomato sauce and tofu ricotta. I’d highly recommend non-stick foil (impossible here in France) or greasing both sides of eggplant before baking. Really disappointed (and hungry). :(

Well this was just amazing! We had this for dinner tonight and even though SO many of your recipes have been great, this has to be the best vegan thing I have ever eaten. Lasagna was one of those foods that I often missed and now I don’t have to miss it anymore. No meat, no cheese, yet so much flavor! I followed the recipe exactly other than skipping the vegan parmesan. I can’t wait to tuck into some of the leftovers tomorrow at lunch. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe with us!

Another excellent recipe. I cook with what I have so here are my substitutes: sauteed mushrooms for eggplant (sauteed in vegan butter and olive oil), added homemade cashew based pesto to tofu ricotta plus more than a few roasted garlic cloves (we like garlic), and I used leftover tomato/lentil soup as the sauce. Thanks for sharing your great ideas!!

I made this for my mom when I came home from University the other weekend. First off she hates the texture of tofu and is not a fan of eggplant. Honestly, she couldn’t believe how amazing this was! We both couldn’t get enough of it! This is one of my absolute favorite recipes I have ever made! I love experimenting with all of your amazing recipes! Can’t wait to try more :)

I made this last night and it was AWESOME! Even my meataholic husband loved it! I chopped up the eggplant and my 8 month old got in on the fun too! Thanks for your great ideas!

Oh my goodness! I made this recipe last night and it was AMAZING. All of my non vegan friends were blown away by it and immediately wanted the recipe. Perfection! Thank you soooo much!

I made twice already and it’s so good. I ommited the oil because a health issue and it is very good without it. Thanks a lot

I attempted making this last night. After almost two hours of working on it (moving a bit slow), I was counting down the final minutes of letting it rest, when my glass pan EXPLODED! I was so bummed and there was not even a safe way for me to taste test it. Not being able to get the delicious smell out of my apartment, I decided to go out and get the ingredients to make it again. Let me say, I am SO glad I did! This tastes so much better than traditional lasagna – I even found myself licking the plate clean. Thank you so much for sharing such simple yet flavorful recipes. I am never disappointed. I just got your cookbook in the mail yesterday too! I am beyond excited to start cooking, the only trouble is deciding where to start :) Thank you again!!

I made this and it was phenomenal! My husband LOVED it! We liked it so much that we are bringing it to our Thanksgiving potluck. Also, the tofu ricotta and the vegan parmesan are ABSOLUTELY delicious! Thank you!

I made this just after eating lunch.. and then had two pieces for second lunch. So simple, yet mind-blowingly delicious. This is a new staple in my household for sure!

Hi Dana! We’ve been cooking from your blog since April of this year and admittedly haven’t been leaving enough reviews. Here is my first attempt to rectify that!

My partner and I made this lasagna over the weekend and it was absolutely delicious! The eggplant was meaty from both a flavor and texture perspective – no bitterness. 1.5 lemons was the right amount of juice for the ricotta – not too acidic but just right. Our only modification was to add an extra jar of sauce since we like our lasagna a little more saucy than most. Simply put, the best vegan lasagna we’ve made!

Thanks for all of your hard work – we don’t even attempt to plan our meals from anywhere else and even have both of our families following you now too.

I made this on the weekend and it was SO GOOD. I make a lot of vegan meals (particularly from your blog!) and my omnivorous partner commented that this was in his top five “I can’t believe this is vegan” meals (and also in his top five favourites!). Seriously, the tofu ricotta is so convincing. This dish is rich and delicious. I had it with a kale Caesar salad made with your vegan Caesar dressing (which is also THE BOMB), and of course a glass of red wine. Awesome meal.

I made this tonight with a few changes. For the sauce, I sautéed onion, garlic, and red bell pepper, and then also poured Cabernet into it- plus added some red pepper flakes). I also burnt half of the eggplant (d’oh!), so I used 1 layer of (not burned) eggplant on the bottom layer…and then the second layer I used some leftover cooked fettuccine noodles I had in the fridge (phew!), put a layer of spinach on top of them just for more veggies (since we were short eggplant). I also added a tiny bit of store bought shredded vegan mozzarella + homemade “Parmesan” (hemp heart & sesame) on top. My husband and I both really enjoyed it, and I think we were glad there was some actual pasta in it. We loved the lentil “meat” sauce!! My husband said he thought it was a “happy mistake” and preferred the fettuccine over even lasagne noodles! Will do it the same again!

I just madre this and my cheese loving husband allucinated with the delicious ricotta. Great dish! Will remake again! Greetings from México.

I made this last night for some friends, so delicious! Thank you for sharing!

So, this looked so yummy that I went to the store, got the ingredients and made it! Super easy with prepared red sauce – I used Rao’s. Just now took the pan out of the oven. It looks and smells fantastic! Thank you for the recipe!

I’ve read recently that tofu is an unhealthy form of soy. Therefore, I have been avoiding tofu. This looks really good. I’ll probably use dairy ricotta with all the spices added in. Not sure which is less healthy though.