Vegan White Sauce Lasagna

Vegan white sauce lasagna is layered with onions, mushrooms, and spinach in a creamy white sauce and topped with vegan parmesan cheese. This vegan white lasagna recipe is comfort food taken to the next level. Dig in and taste the splendor.

When I think of comfort food, I immediately think of layers of pasta and vegetables in a creamy, delicious sauce. So even though I love traditional lasagna made with red sauce, I recently fell in love with vegan white sauce lasagna. This vegan white lasagna recipe is so delicious you'll fall in love.

Jump to:

• White Lasagna Ingredients
• Vegan Bechamel Sauce Ingredients  
• Vegan Bechamel Sauce Ingredient Substitutions
• Recipe FAQs
• Tips
• Great Vegan Italian Recipes
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Reviews

Traditionally béchamel sauce used for white sauce lasagna is what sets it apart! Béchamel is a fancy name for a white sauce made with butter, flour, and milk to create a creamy white sauce. 

Even though I loved the vegan white sauce lasagna I recently ate at one of my favorite vegan restaurants, I created a healthier version without the butter or the gluten.

Instead, I created an incredible white sauce lasagna my family inhaled at dinner, begging me to make it again. 

It's a joke at my house that we only eat my recipes once because I make so many different recipes daily. But they liked this one so much; I need to make it again sooner than later. 

White Lasagna Ingredients

• Garlic: Fresh garlic cloves combined with the onions is a beautiful mixture of savory goodness.
• Mushrooms: I used crimini mushrooms, but any mushrooms work well.
• White Onions: White onions although very strong in flavor raw, caramelize and sweeten when cooked.
• Spinach: I always choose organic spinach because spinach is on the dirty dozen list.
• Fresh Basil: Fresh basil is loaded with flavor and tastes fabulous in the white lasagna recipe.

Let's start with the filling! The vegetable layer is simplistic yet delicious.

The raw, fresh spinach is added after the garlic, mushrooms, and onions are browned. Lastly, the spinach is added and wilted within minutes when added to the hot mushrooms and onion. 

Then, set the vegetables aside to cool while the sauce is made. 

Vegan Bechamel Sauce Ingredients  

• White Onions: White onions have white papery skin and a white interior, while yellow onions have more of a golden hue to their flesh with dark yellow or brown skin.
• Shallot: Compared with common onions, shallots are a more concentrated source of protein, fiber, and micronutrients, including calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, copper, folate, B vitamins, and vitamins A and C
• Garlic: I prefer fresh garlic cloves whenever possible for the best flavor.
• White Wine: Adding a small amount of white wine to a white lasagna sauce gives it a robust richness.
• Raw Cashews: Raw Cashews provide the creaminess of the vegan white sauce. However, check out the nut-free and gluten-free options below in the substitutions.
• Vegetable Broth: I always buy organic vegetable broth at Costco in bulk, because I use it so often.
• Dijon Mustard: Dijon mustard is often used as a base for the sauce to provide additional flavor.
• Nutritional Yeast: Nutritional yeast is a thickener and a nutritious way to add a cheese flavoring to the sauce.
• Garlic Powder: Garlic Powder is always made from fresh, whole garlic cloves that have been dried and ground. It brings smooth, balanced warmth and complexity to the sauce.
• Onion Powder: Powdered onion disperses entirely and evenly into your dishes, making it perfect for soups, sauces, dips, and dressings. 

First, the white lasagna sauce begins with shallot and onions sauteed to create an incredible flavor. 

Next, white wine is added to the onions and cooked down. In the meantime, the rest of the sauce is blended in a high-speed blender to pour into the onion and wine mixture. 

Vegan Bechamel Sauce Ingredient Substitutions

• Choose yellow onions or leeks instead of white onions.
• Red onion substitutes shallots.
• One clove of fresh garlic equals ¼ teaspoon of granulated garlic powder. The exact conversion applies to dehydrated or freeze-dried garlic or even minced refrigerated garlic.
• Instead of white wine, use lemon juice instead.
• For a gluten-free or nut-free option, substitute silken tofu or white beans. Or you can also use flour or gluten-free flour instead of cashews.
• Stone ground mustard is often substituted for dijon mustard in recipes.
• If you don't like nutritional yeast, use Brewer's yeast, soy sauce, Tamari or miso paste.
• Use 1 medium garlic clove to substitute for ¼ teaspoon garlic powder.
• Use about ½ cup fresh onion for every tablespoon of onion powder.

Once the cashew mixture mixes with the onions and white wine, the sauce thickens. Next, the lasagna layering begins. 

Like red sauce lasagna, cover the bottom of the pan with a layer of liquid to prevent the noodles from sticking. Since the cream mixture is not acid-based, like tomato sauce, add ½ cup of vegetable broth before placing the first layer of noodles on the bottom. 

As a result, the first layer of noodles crosses over the other before adding the first white sauce layer.

Next, add a layer of the vegetable mixture, followed by more noodles, then sauce, and continue until it covers the top layer with sauce.  

Additionally, I added vegan parmesan cheese across the top of the vegan white sauce lasagna for added crunch. 

Prepare Immediately or Make Ahead

• Cook the vegan white sauce lasagna immediately in a 350-degree oven covered for 25 minutes and then uncovered for the last 10 minutes.
• Or, cover and place in the refrigerator until ready to cook.
• Bake ahead, cool completely, refrigerate until the next day, and reheat, so the flavors develop.

Since I made this vegan white sauce lasagna for dinner, I served it with a large dinner salad with Italian dressing. 

Recipe FAQs

Tips

• Vegan white sauce lasagna stays fresh and covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
• To reheat lasagna from the refrigerator, bake it in a 350-degree oven for 30 minutes.
• To freeze cooked lasagna, let it cool, and cut it into pieces to freeze individually. 
• Remember, if you freeze lasagna pieces, it's best to thaw them completely before reheating in the oven or microwave. 

So, the next time you're craving comforting Italian food, try vegan white sauce lasagna for a change of pace. It's the perfect entree for this holiday season.  

Great Vegan Italian Recipes

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