Veggie-packed vegan rainbow lasagne! Vegan comfort food which happens to be wholesome and healthy. The colours makes it the perfect dinner centrepiece too!
Traditional lasagne is often brown and aesthetically unappealing. But this rainbow lasagne is packed with vibrant colors and flavors which are mood-boosting!
This recipe was inspired by Gather and Feast's ridiculously beautiful Rainbow Lasagne. However, my recipe is vegan and a little more simple.
This lasagne still requires a bit of work through chopping and mixing. However, I think the effort is worth it!
Table of contents
What's in this lasagne?
This rainbow vegan lasagne has 6 main elements including:
- Wholemeal lasagne sheets (most dried pasta is vegan, just check the ingredients)
- Pumpkin layer
- Vegan tofu 'ricotta' and kale layer
- Beetroot layer
- Tomato sauce
- Dairy free bechamel sauce
For possible ingredient substitutions, check out the section 'Ingredient Substitutions' towards the end of this post.
A complete list of ingredients, quantities and instructions are in the gray recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Is the lasagne worth the time?!
I won't lie, like all lasagne recipes, this one takes some TIME to prepare so it's best for a weekend dinner. In my opinion, the effort is worth it - I find it SO satisfying to enjoy a colorful lasagne at the end of the day!
Most of the preparation is just chopping and blending vegetables. I've designed the recipe to be as streamline as possible and to minimise washing extra dishes!
The recipe provides around 8-9 serves. It feeds a family well (if you have sides) and there'll be leftovers.
If you're a young professional like me, this lasagne is PERFECT meal prep food! It freezes very well too!
Shortcuts for making this rainbow lasgana
There are a few shortcuts to cut your time in the kitchen:
- Make the ricotta layer while the pumpkin and beetroot are baking. Since this is one of the lighter coloured layers, I'd recommend blending this first. When it comes to blending the pumpkin and beetroot, you don't have to clean your food processor!
- Saute the onions and garlic for the vegan tofu ricotta and tomato layers in one saucepan. Divide it into two when you need to add the kale for the ricotta layer and tomatoes for the tomato layer. Or use onion and garlic powder instead!
- Use store-bought tomato marinara pasta sauce instead
- Make the bechamel layer on the stovetop while the pumpkin and beetroot are baking or cooling.
How to layer this lasagne
There's no single way to layer your vegan lasagne. However, I will show you exactly what I did:
- Spread ⅓ of the tomato sauce on the base of the casserole dish.
- Arrange 2 lasagne sheets on top.
- Spread all the pumpkin filling on the lasagne sheets.
- Arrange 2 lasagne sheets on top.
- Spread ⅓ of the tomato sauce on the lasagne sheets.
- Arrange 2 lasagne sheets on top.
- Spread the vegan tofu 'ricotta' kale filling on the lasagne sheets.
- Spread a little of the bechamel sauce on top.
- Arrange 2 lasagne sheets on top.
- Spread the beetroot filling on the lasagne sheets.
- Arrange 2 lasagne sheets on top
- Spread the remaining tomato sauce on top.
- Spread the remaining bechamel sauce on top
- Bake the lasagne until it's bubbly. Then ENJOY your vegan rainbow lasagna!
Ingredient substitutions
If you're allergic or don't like any of the ingredients, you may simply omit that particular layer! I'd recommend increasing the other layers to compensate.
If you can't have pumpkin, tofu or beetroot, simply substitute it with any of the following ingredients:
- Lentils
- White beans or chickpeas, pureed
- Carrots, finely chopped
- Cauliflower
- Potato
- Zucchini
As always, my savory recipes should be used more like a GUIDE rather than a rule book that you can't steer from :).
More vegan dinner ideas
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Vegan Rainbow Lasagne
Ingredients
Pumpkin layer
- 700 g pumpkin (butternut or kent variety), peeled and cut into 1 inch (3 cm) cubes
- 1 small brown onion, chopped roughly, or use 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 3 cloves garlic, skin removed but kept whole, or use 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon sage
- 1 tablespoon rosemary
- Drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, as needed
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Beetroot layer
- 2 medium beetroots, peeled and cut into 1 inch (3 cm) cubes
- 1 medium red onion, chopped roughly, or use 1 tablespoon onion powder
- Drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, as needed
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- ½ cup vegetable broth (stock), or water
Tofu 'ricotta' kale layer
- 1 small brown onion, diced, or use 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 3 cloves garlic, skin removed but kept whole, or use 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 cups (100 g) kale leaves, packed
- 600 g firm tofu
- ¼ cup (12 g) nutritional yeast
- ¼ cup (65mL) dairy-free milk, as needed
- Drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, as needed
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Tomato sauce (or use 850g of store-bought marinara pasta sauce)
- 1 small brown onion, diced, or use 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 800 g canned diced tomatoes
- Generous dash of oregano
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Vegan bechamel sauce
- 1 cup (250 mL) dairy-free milk, plus more if needed
- ¼ cup (30 g) all-purpose plain flour, or flour of choice
- ¼-1/2 cup (30-60 g) vegan cheese, grated or chopped roughly, optional
- ¼ cup (12 g) nutritional yeast
- Salt and pepper, to taste
To assemble
- 10 pieces (250 g) lasagne sheets, dried and uncooked (gluten-free if needed)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F).
Pumpkin and beetroot layers:
- Add all ingredients under 'pumpkin layer' to one baking tray and toss until combined. Add all ingredients under 'beetroot layer' (except the water/vegetable stock) to a second baking tray and toss until combined.
- Bake for 20-30 minutes or until the pumpkin and beetroot are tender.
- When slightly cooled, add the roasted 'pumpkin layer' ingredients to a food processor. Process until smooth and add water if the mixture is too thick. Season with salt and pepper to taste and remove the mixture.
- Add the roasted 'beetroot layer' ingredients and water (or vegetable stock) to your food processor. Process until broken down. Season with salt and pepper to taste and remove the mixture.
Meanwhile, make the 'ricotta' kale layer (note 1):
- Saute the onion and oil in a large saucepan over high heat. Cook for 3 minutes or until fragrant. Add the garlic and kale and cook for 5 minutes or until the garlic is aromatic and kale is wilted. Add a dash of water or vegetable stock if the ingredients are burning.
- Add all the kale mixture and remaining ingredients under 'tofu ricotta kale layer' to a food processor. Process until smooth scraping down the sides if necessary. Add more milk if the food processor is struggling. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
Tomato sauce:
- Saute the onion and oil in a large saucepan over high heat. Cook for 3 minutes or until fragrant.
- Add the tomatoes, oregano and salt. Simmer for 10 minutes or until the mixture is thick and jam-like. Set aside.
Bechamel sauce:
- Add all ingredients to a small saucepan over high heat. Whisk the sauce for 5-10 minutes while it thickens. There should not be any lumps of flour or cheese and the mixture should be a custard-like consistency. Add more milk if needed. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
To assemble:
- In a deep casserole dish, layer all the all the fillings and lasagne sheets as desired (note 2). My dish was about 28x15cm.
- Bake in the oven for 30 minutes or until the top is golden brown. If the top is browning too quickly and your pasta sheets are not tender, cover with foil and bake.
- Serve immediately or store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Notes
- Make the ricotta layer while the pumpkin and beetroot are baking. Since the tofu is light-coloured, you don't need to clean out your food processor after you removed the mixture and before making the other layers.
- See my blog post above for a step-by-step list and pictures of how I layered the lasagne!
Nutrition
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Love this! The first time I made it, I followed recipe and it was great! A tad time
consuming but fun if you aren’t pressed. This time around I was in a hurry so I skipped the beet layer and made enough pumpkin for two layers using a large can of puréed pumpkin. Easy and much faster, turned out great! I also like to double the white sauce and skip the vegan cheese, I think it’s great without!
As author states, use the recipe as a guide and be creative! Great base to build on!
Aw thanks so much for your feedback Em! I love the sound of your substitutions and that you were able to customize everything to your tastes :).
Love love love this recipe. The Kale ricotta layer is so good. I used the extra of this to make little pastries. The bechamel sauce is brilliant too. Thank you for creating this very beautiful recipe. So many uses for each layer as well
That's wonderful and I'm so glad that you loved it as much as I did! I agree, the kale ricotta is amazing for pastries. Thanks so much Susan!
I made this lasagna last weekend and it was absolutely stunning! I’m making another one to give to friends 🙂
Aw I'm so glad you enjoyed this! And that's such a thoughtful gift for your friends!
Hi! Do you think leftover tofu ricotta would freeze well?
Thanks 🙂
Yes, it can be frozen! Depending on your tofu, there might be a slight change in texture but it's not too dramatic, especially if you eat it with something else :).
I’d like to serve this at a family celebration for the vegans. Was wondering if anyone has made this and frozen it? It would be great if I could make it in advance.
Hey, I have frozen servings of this and enjoyed it weeks later! If you freeze it in the casserole dish, it'll look more presentable. Alternatively, you can prepare the lasagne 1-2 days in advance, leave it in the fridge (unbaked) and simply bake it right before you need it. I hope that helps!
Hello. At what point would you freeze this lasagna? Before or after you’ve cooked it?
Hi Tina, this lasagna can be frozen at either stages!
I cheated and made the béchamel non vegan, but OMG this was sooo good! Really happy I found this today and decided to try it right away.
So glad you loved this! Thanks Rachel!
Made this at the weekend and love, love, loved it😀 It takes a bit of time to make it but it's well worth it. Tasted even better the next day. Will definitely make it again😀
So glad you enjoyed this and even more so the next day! Thanks so much for your comment xx
Hi there, I've never made lasagna before so I'm wondering if I'm supposed to pre-cook the sheets of lasagna? I bought just regular (but gluten-free) ones! Thanks!
Hey! No, uncooked lasagna sheets are fine! The liquid in the layers and the heat from the oven help cook the lasagna sheets :).
I just made this recipe and have to say that I am very pleased. I was a bit sceptic about whether it will all be too much but the layers get together perfectly! Its a very delicious recipe with a beautiful presentation also. Definitely putting it on my dinner party recipes list 🙂
Aw, I'm so happy that you enjoyed this! Glad it's going on your dinner repertoire too! Thanks so much for your comment x
Wow, what a gorgeous lasagna! I'm lazy and plan on using canned pumpkin. Any idea of about how much I should use? Thank you.
Thank you, canned pumpkin would be perfect :). I'd say around 600g would be ideal for this recipe!
Thank you so much! I can't wait to make this for my family. I'll definitely report back after I do. XO
Lovely flavors. Change out the pasta to sweet potato.
Love all the colors . My husband even tried it and said,
Was better then in was thinking it was going to be.
Thanks for sharing.
Jenny
Aw, thank you so much for your kind feedback! Love the swap of pasta to sweet potato, I need to do that next time. And so glad your husband enjoyed it too! Thanks again 🙂
What a beautiful creation! I love all those flavours, especially beetroot and that it's vegan. Will have to make this soon!
I'm so happy that you enjoyed this lasagne Andrea! Thanks for your feedback 🙂
A lot of work to build this. I used canned pumpkin. I also used 3 beets as one would not be enough. I had to add extra milk to the bechsmel as it was too stiff. Probably because I used shredded vegan cheese. (FYH) And it was all worth it! Delicious!!
Thanks so much for your feedback Sue! Yes, the lasagne definitely takes some time to make but glad you enjoyed it nevertheless. Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment!
Thank you Anthea for sharing this vibrant recipe with the world! I love this recipe and really enjoy making it for loved ones because it's a fun, unexpected surprise to see so much color! I've tried it with spinach and butternut squash + turmeric for extra color (I've also tried sweet potatoes which I would not recommend).
I'm so happy you enjoyed this and love your substitutions too :). Thank you so much!