Pardon me while I present yet another noodle-free ‘pasta’ dish that’s like the original but somehow better and entirely plant-based.
Not to brag or anything, but this is totally happening (again), and it totally rules.
Origins of lasagna
Perhaps like many of you, we were under the impression that lasagna originated in Italy. Turns out, its origin history is more complicated!
Some say the concept originated in ancient Greece where layered dough sheets (called laganon) were cut into strips and baked. Others claim it resembles a Roman dish recorded in a cookbook in the 1st century AD. And still others place its origin in England or Italy in the 14th century, where cookbooks describe the concept of layering cheese and pasta in a dish and baking it. (source)
But it wasn’t until the 16th century that tomato-based versions were recorded that more closely resembles today’s lasagna. Those versions came from Italy. So to everyone who ever contributed to the invention of lasagna, we’re forever grateful!
How to make sweet potato lasagna
This lasagna is inspired by three things:
1) My love for lasagna (forever and ever, amen)
2) My successful recreations of it using both eggplant + spaghetti squash
3) My never-ending love affair with sweet potatoes
The filling is my go-to tofu ricotta. It’s creamy, lemony, herby, delicious, and a convincing dupe for the real thing. Trust me on this one – you need this in your life.
And the ‘pasta noodles’ are thinly-sliced sweet potatoes, which add the perfect tender texture and sweet flavor contrast to the savory ‘ricotta.’ In other words, swoon.
How is this recipe simple? I’m so glad you asked. It requires just 9 basic ingredients, simple methods, and about 1 hour from start to finish.
While this recipe lacks a marinara sauce as in a traditional lasagna, I argue it doesn’t need it! However, if you’re a sauce-lover like me, I do include an optional (but highly recommended) basil pesto sauce that’s positively amazing (and still keeps the recipe within my 10-ingredient standard).
It not only adds a burst of vibrant green color, but also a punch of herby-garlic flavor that finishes the dish perfectly (in my humble opinion).
I think you guys are going to LOVE this lasagna! It’s:
Savory-sweet
Comforting
Satisfying
Vibrant
Protein-packed
Simple
Flavorful
& Delicious
I created this recipe with comfort food-loving folks in mind. Everyone loves a good hearty baked dish this time of year. Plus, it’ll satisfy hearty cravings with nearly 10 grams of protein per serving.
If you give this recipe a try, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it (once you’ve tried it), and don’t forget to take a picture and tag it @minimalistbaker on Instagram! We’d love to see what you come up with. Cheers, friends!
Sweet Potato Lasagna
Ingredients
- 3 large (~ 450 g each) sweet potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced (organic when possible)
RICOTTA FILLING
- 3-4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil (plus more for sweet potato)
- ~1/2 tsp sea salt + black pepper (to taste)
- 2 medium lemons, juiced (2 lemons yield ~1/3 cup or 80 ml)
- 12 ounces extra-firm tofu (drained and pressed dry for 10 minutes)
- 3 Tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1/2 cup loosely packed fresh basil
- 1 Tbsp dried oregano
- 1/4 cup vegan parmesan cheese (plus more for serving)
PESTO SAUCE optional
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1 cup loosely packed basil, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, finely minced (2 cloves yield ~1 Tbsp or 6 g)
- 1/4 cup vegan parmesan cheese
- 1 healthy pinch each salt + pepper
- Water (to thin)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 C).
- Add all tofu filling ingredients to a food processor or blender and pulse to combine, scraping down sides as needed. You are looking for a semi-pureed mixture with bits of basil still intact. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
- Peel sweet potatoes and slice thinly with a very sharp knife or mandolin. They shouldn’t be paper thin, but semi-thick and bendable – about 1/8th inch.
- In a 9×13-inch (or similar size) dish, begin laying down the sweet potatoes in a single layer, overlapping slightly.
- Top with one-third of the tofu ricotta mixture and spread using a spoon or spatula. Top with another layer of sweet potatoes, slightly overlapping. Repeat until you have three total layers of tofu ricotta, and four layers of sweet potatoes. The top layer should be sweet potatoes.
- Cover with foil and bake for 50 minutes.
- Then remove foil, increase oven heat to 400 degrees F (204 C), and bake uncovered for another 5-10 minutes to slightly brown up the top layer.
- While the lasagna is cooking, prepare pesto (optional), by adding olive oil, basil, and garlic to a blender or food processor. Mix on on medium-low speed to combine. Then add vegan parmesan cheese, a pinch each salt and pepper and pulse to combine again.
- Add water to thin until a pourable pesto sauce is achieved, mixing on high until only small bits of basil and garlic remain. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. I added a bit more vegan parmesan cheese and basil.
- Let lasagna cool slightly before serving. Top entire lasagna with desired amount of pesto, or reserve for individual servings.
- Best when fresh, though leftovers keep covered in the refrigerator up to 3 days. Freeze for longer-term storage.
- Taste and adjust seasonings as needed, adding more salt and pepper for flavor, nutritional yeast for cheesiness, and lemon juice for brightness.
Naomi K says
I have made this several times and just finally leaving a review. It’s so simple but so good. I could eat it for dinner or breakfast! Thanks for a wonderful recipe!
Whoop! We’re so glad you enjoy the recipe, Naomi. Thank you for the lovely review! xo
Ruta says
The ricotta filling does not list ricotta as an ingredient. Should it?
Hi Ruta, sorry for the confusion! It’s not a traditional ricotta. We made a plant-based/dairy-free version using tofu. If you want it to have dairy, you could replace some of the tofu with ricotta and reduce the amount of some of the other ingredients (lemon, salt, nutritional yeast) in the “ricotta filling”. Hope that helps!
Amanda Tarlton says
What would be the best way to reheat this entire dish the next day?
Baking in the oven at 350 F until warmed through would be best. Hope that helps!
Lauren says
I always try to make recipes as written the first time. Making this last night I had to make a few modifications to assemble this, but the flavor was on point! When making the ricotta in my food processor, I found there wasn’t enough liquid to make it spreadable. I added splashes of heavy cream (I’m not vegan), kefir (for some tang) and finally water to make this even remotely spreadable. I decided to add the pesto INTO the ricotta as well (I had some frozen, so not this MB recipe). Finally when trying to assemble, I couldn’t get the sweet potatoes to stay in a layer while simultaneously spreading a layer of ricotta. So, I mixed everything together and did a “pasta bake” style instead. Cooked for 50 minutes. I would make again, and just dice potatoes instead!
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Lauren! Thanks so much for sharing! xo
mare brixie says
Really 3-1/2 stars because it takes awhile to make, bake and clean up this recipe. I think the name lasagna is setting up the wrong flavor expectation as the sweet potato have a very firm texture. It took an extra 10 minutes(I made 2/3 of the recipe in a 2-1/2 qt Corelle baking dish). Added a Serrano pepper to the Ricotta Mix, and subbed parsley and cilantro for the basil, will make again for other recipes. Think it could have used more nutritional yeast for cheesiness (no problems blending in my Vitamix). I loved the flavor boost of pesto sauce but had to buy a premade jar (Used Safeway Organic Plant based pesto since no basil at my market-added extra lemon juice along with the vegan parm.) Reheated and ate leftovers next two days, ricotta flavor improved.
Thank you for your feedback. We’re glad you enjoyed it overall!
SDEPAS says
This was delicious! I didn’t have enough sweet potatoes so I cubed a bunch of veggies and then did the ricotta dotted on top. So, not really lasagna but delicious none the less. Was skeptical of the ricotta but it is so good! Love that this is high in fiber & protein and moderate in calories. We each had two servings to make more of a meal.
Amazing! Thanks so much for the lovely review and for sharing your modifications!
Pam says
I’m having difficulty finding fresh basil this time of year, but would love to try this. Could I substitute dried basil and if so, how much would you recommend?
Thank you for all of your recipes! I have made several and they’re all 5 stars!
Hi Pam, we’d suggest using ~1 Tbsp of dried basil, then tasting and adjusting. Thanks for your support!
Marie says
Followed the recipe with two modifications: (non-vegan) Parmesan cheese in the ricotta, and for the sauce, I simply heated a jar of Trader Joe’s pesto diluted with some water.
The dish is delicious and reheats well; in fact, we liked it even better the second day.
The only problem is that neither my Cuisinart food processor nor my blender could handle the ricotta mixture; I ended up using my potato masher and that worked just fine.
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Marie! Thanks so much for sharing how you made it work! xo
Laurie says
Very delicious and so easy!!
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Laurie! Thanks so much for sharing! xo
Shelley says
Texture was terrible. It fell apart upon serving. We did not enjoy this one. Calling this lasagna raises expectations that were not met.
We’re so sorry you didn’t enjoy it, Shelley! This recipe is a fan favorite, so we wonder if something could have gone wrong? Did you make any modifications?
Britt says
I’ve made this multiple times and my non-veg family loves it. I loved it before going vegan, so I’m very happy I can still make this. Excited to make some for the holidays.
Woohoo! Thanks so much for the great review, Britt!
Nicole says
As I was assembling this, I was concerned that it may not be a winner. It may have been the brand of tofu I bought, but the ricotta still had a strong tofu taste and I couldn’t get the flavor adjusted. However, the flavors came together quite nicely. I can’t imagine it without the pesto sauce, so that would be a must have if I were to make it again. Agree with others that this was more of a side dish rather than an entree.
Thank you for sharing your experience, Nicole! Sorry to hear it wasn’t quite what you were hoping for!
Sally says
Quite lemony and would have been better if the potato crust was crunchy. A very vegetarian dish.
We’re sorry to hear you didn’t enjoy it, Sally! Did you measure out the amount of juice or use two lemons? It sounds like too much lemon could be the issue. Hope the next one goes better for you!
Laura Graves says
This was delicious and so easy to make (with a mandolin- I felt like this was necessary). I did not do the vegan parm and just put a little extra nooch in the filling- turned out fantastic. Just finished the leftovers cold for breakfast – still delish :)
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Laura! Thank you for sharing! xo
Lisa B says
Would silken tofu work in the ricotta?
Yeah, should work it will just be a little softer.
Emily Leishman says
This is one of my favorite dinners! I love the tofu ricotta mixture and I while I love pesto, I don’t always have the time or the ingredients, so I love to throw a little pizza sauce on top! It’s so tasty! This is a great recipe!
Amazing! Thanks for sharing, Emily!
Nancy Benner says
I am thinking of making a pesto bechamel for the top. Also, I may par-cook the potatoes. I love the idea of the tofu ricotta. Thank you for your inspiration.
Amy K says
This was delishious! It was a great excuse to get a mandolin. My boyfriend loved this as well. Was shocked it was made with tofu. I didn’t need three whole potatoes or I needed more filling, but it was amazing as a vagan dish. I will make again! The pesto really made it too. Perfect to use stuff in my garden. Thank you!
We’re so glad you both enjoyed it, Amy! Thanks so much for the lovely review!
Kim says
I love your recipes. Thanks so much for sharing. I substituted eggplant and tomatoes for the sweet potato, and it is a delicious variation. So yummy!
We’re so glad it turned out well! Thanks for sharing, Kim!
Iralyn says
Made this for our non-vegetarian/vegan family a few days ago and everyone loved it! Made recipe exactly as written, except used regular parmesan and 14 oz of tofu instead of 12. The top layer never browned, but the taste was great so we didn’t care. Next time, I may add some cheese on top towards the end and let that brown. We served this as the main with side veg, salad and Italian bread. Great meal! I would also say that the pesto is required…totally made the dish! Another great recipe!
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Iralyn! Thanks so much for the lovely review!
Julia Hess says
This took way longer than an hour to bake. I probably ended up baking it for close to two hours at 375. It took that long for the sweet potatoes to get completely soft. This could have been because I did not have mandolin so I cut them by hand, making them thicker.
I used store bought pesto, dairy cheese and ricotta which made it quicker to make and not too out there for my omnivore family.
I would consider this more of a side dish vs an entree. It’s delicious though!
Hi Julia, sorry to hear it took so long to cook! It does sound like the sweet potato slices may have been thicker.
Naomi says
I made this but with marinara. I really loved the tofu ricotta. My only suggestion would be to make 3x as much ricotta as the recipe suggests or move to a much smaller pan. I did not have enough ricotta for even 3 layers, much less 4. I made another batch and added some zucchini to bulk it up as I didn’t have enough tofu. It worked great and was indistinguishable in taste and texture from the first batch.
Hi Naomi, thanks for sharing your experience! We used a thin layer of ricotta, but if you prefer thicker, making more is definitely an option.
Helen says
Hello! If I’m not plant based, does a ricotta filling work in this??
Sure!
Heike says
I’m looking for oil free and nut free lasagna. Any suggestions?
Hi Heike, you could potentially try omitting the oil in this recipe: https://minimalistbaker.com/eggplant-lasagna-roll-ups/. Let us know if you give it a try!
Bianca Thomka says
Folks, this ricotta is uhMAZing. I used my vitamixer and needed a bit more moisture to get the mix blending. Just used a little more lemon juice. I decided to use up a butternut squash and couple of zucchinis in lieu of sweet potatoes. So, so, so good. We’ll use the leftover ricotta on pizza :) Thank you!
Yay! We’re so glad you enjoyed it! xo
Max says
I cannot eat raw garlic. What would you recommend as an alternative to the pesto?
Hi Max, if you can have roasted garlic, feel free to sub that. Or omit.
Julie Erickson says
This was an absolute hit at a Christmas party. No one missed the meat and dairy. I was proud to share such a delicious vegan dish. The flavors were amazing. It was easy to make too. I will definitely add this to our regular menu. Thank you!
Whoop! Thanks, Julie!
Pam says
Can I prepare it the day before I bake it?
Hi Pam, we think that should work. Let us know if you give it a try!
Malika says
Hi Team!
I have a soy and nut allergy. Any recommendations on possible substitutions for the tofu and cashews within the parmesan cheese?
Thanks! :D
Hi Malika, hmm! That’s tricky! You could try subbing nutritional yeast for the vegan parmesan (use less though). But we aren’t sure of a nut-free sub for the tofu as we would typically recommend this recipe for a non-soy ricotta option: https://minimalistbaker.com/5-minute-macadamia-cheese-vegan-crudite/
Sonia says
What can be used instead of tofu in this recipe?
Hi Sonia, you could sub the tofu ricotta for our macadamia nut ricotta recipe: https://minimalistbaker.com/5-minute-macadamia-cheese-vegan-crudite/
Laura says
Excellent and easy. I did use store bought pesto, because I had it on hand. This is delicious and would be great for any Fall themed meal. I will definitely make it again.
Wonderful! Thanks for sharing, Laura!
Tamsyn Stock-Stafford says
I made this the other day and it was AMAZING!!
Thank you so much for such fantastic recipes that keep me coming back for more plant-based meals!
SO glad you enjoyed it, Tamsyn! Thanks so much for the lovely review! xo
Sheila says
I made this recipe for the first time for company — and it was a huge success! I made the lasagna in the morning, put it in the fridge and cooked it later that evening — made for an easy dinner prep!My only complaint is that there weren’t any leftovers! I made the recipe exactly, including the pesto sauce. I also served with cashew cheese sauce on the side. It was delicious, healthy comfort food with a green salad and garlic bread — will definitely make again. Thank you for your great vegan recipes Dana! Much appreciated!
Teresa says
Holy hell this was delicious. Made the recipe as published, with no changes other than my basil was frozen basil harvested from my garden earlier this year.
Jen says
Made this for dinner tonight, it was really flavourful and we both went back for seconds. Thanks for the recipe!
Eliana says
This recipe was amazing!
I literally just finished eating it and I couldn’t get over how creamy the dish was.
As someone who is extremely sensitive to dairy and gluten this made me feel like I could still partake in the joy of eating (without the food allergies)! Thanks ??
Divya says
I enjoyed the flavours of this dish! It was definitely a healthier alternative to traditional lasagna. I’ve made this ricotta before from other recipes on this site and it’s always a big hit in our home. It’s a little tricky to ‘spread’ the ricotta around without flipping over the sweet potato layer. But if you drag the spatula across the dish without lifting it off the sweet potatoes, I found that helped maintain the layers. And when I had to, I used my finger to anchor the sweet potato down before lifting the spatula up.
Next time I’m going to try bulking this up more with some sautĂ©ed mushrooms, spinach, and a dash of marinara sauce.
Thanks for another fantastic dish!
Thanks for sharing your experience!
Lauren C says
Hi, Dana!
I love the vegan ricotta in all of your recipes! Have made it many times, but I am wondering if I can make the “ricotta” a few days early, and keep it in the refrigerator for 2 days prior to assembling and baking? Will it mess with the texture, or is it a problem that it will be cold vs. room temperature? Alternatively, I could just make and assemble the entire thing ahead of time, but was hoping to only make the ricotta early if possible.
Hi Lauren! I think that should work. Let us know how it turns out!