Easy Vegan Spinach Alfredo Lasagna
This easy vegan spinach alfredo lasagna is simple to make and a total crowd-pleaser. Marinara sauce and creamy spinach cauliflower-cashew alfredo sauce are layered with ribbons of lasagna noodles and baked to perfection. This dish can be made several days ahead of time and reheated as needed for a quick + satisfying meal!
Servings: 8
Ingredients
- 2 cups Earthbound Farms Organic Cauliflower florets (about ½ a medium head)
- ¾ cup filtered water
- ½ cup raw cashews, soaked for at least 2 hours (unless you have a high-speed blender)
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast flakes
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- ¾ to 1 ½ teaspoons sea salt, to taste (see note*)
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for greasing the pan
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 (5-ounce) container Earthbound Farms Organic Baby Spinach or more to taste**
- 10 ounces gluten-free lasagna noodles, prepared according to package instructions***
- 5 cups (40 ounces) store-bought marinara sauce (or homemade if you prefer)
- Vegan Parmesan Cheese (optional but recommended)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Lightly grease an 8" x 11" baking dish with olive oil.
- Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Add the cauliflower florets to the pot and boil for 7 minutes, or until very fork-tender. Strain off the water.
- Add the boiled cauliflower florets, filtered water, cashews, nutritional yeast, vinegar, sea salt, and black pepper to a blender (do not use a food processor).
- Blend on high for 2 minutes, or until completely smooth and creamy. Set within reach of the stove.
- Heat the olive oil and garlic in a large sauté pan over low heat. Cook for 1 minute, or until the garlic becomes soft and fragrant. Add the spinach and cook for 3 minutes, or until it begins to wilt.
- Stir in the cauliflower sauce. Continue to cook for another minute or two, or until the sauce thickens ever so slightly. Turn off the heat.
- Spread about one-quarter of the marinara into the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Add a layer of lasagna noodles. Cover the noodles with about half of the spinach alfredo sauce. Top with another one-quarter of the marinara sauce. Add another layer of lasagna noodles and cover them with the remaining spinach alfredo sauce. Top with another one-quarter of the marinara sauce. Finally, top with the last layer of lasagna noodles and cover with the remaining marinara sauce.
- Cover the lasagna with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Then, remove the foil and sprinkle with as much of the vegan parmesan (if using) as desired and continue to bake for another 20 minutes.
- Remove the lasagna from the oven and let it rest for at least 5 minutes before serving.
- Leftovers can be refrigerated for up to 5 days or frozen for up to 1 month.
Notes
*The amount of salt you use in the Alfredo should depend on 1) your own taste preferences, and 2) the salt content in the marinara you purchase. The marinara I typically use is fairly well-seasoned, so I find that 1 teaspoon of sea salt is plenty. However, for a less seasoned marinara, I'd recommend using 1 ½ teaspoons and for a thoroughly seasoned marinara, I'd recommend starting with ¾ teaspoon and working up from there.
**Feel free to double the amount of spinach (i.e., 10 ounces). Five ounces is simply the bare minimum I recommend using.
***To keep things simple, I recommend using a brand of lasagna noodles that doesn't require pre-boiling (e.g., Tinkyada).
****Feel free to get creative with this recipe. As written, the recipe serves as a wonderful base for more creative veggie combinations. Sautéed zucchini, mushrooms, red peppers, and yellow squash make wonderful additions—simply add them on top of the Alfredo sauce layers.