Daniela Exley
- Jun 23, 2023
- 3 min read

Plant-Based Grain-Free Lasagne Recipe

Updated: Jun 25, 2023

Comfort food at its finest!

This lasagne is delicious and nutritious.

There is nothing like it, served with celeriac mash, garlic kale, and red cabbage slaw with tahini dressing.

It's a delicious mix of brown lentils stewed in a savoury wine and tamari sauce, a tangy aubergine layer with thinly sliced roasted butternut squash in between. It is topped with a creamy cashew sauce.

While I love sharing quick, easy recipes with you most of the time, this one will take a bit longer to prep but so worth it!

Nutritionally this dish rocks, too, with lots of fibre, fats and plant proteins, and an array of vitamins and minerals.

Plant-Based Grain-Free Lasagne Recipe

Serves 6

For squash layer

2 large butternut squash - use the part without the seeds only
6-10 tbsp Olive Oil

For the aubergine base

3 aubergines
2 handfuls cherry tomatoes
1 large red onion
1/2 glass of red wine
1tbsp tamari sauce
1tsp dry oregano or leaves from 2 sprigs fresh oregano

For the lentil base

2 tins of brown lentils
1 big red onion
3 cloves garlic
1/2 glass of wine (optional)
1tsp dry oregano or leaves from 2 sprigs fresh oregano
3tbsp passata
1 tbsp tamari sauce

For the cashew sauce

1 cup cashew
1 tin coconut milk
juice from 1/2 lemon
1tbsp tamari sauce
2 small cloves of garlic
a thumb of fresh ginger

First, put the cashews in a bowl and cover them with water, allowing them to soak overnight. If you forget to do this, you can soak them for about 1 hour in hot water.

Thinly slice the butternut squash, leaving the seeded part for use again. I like using a mandolin for this or using a very sharp knife. Slices should be about 3mm thick. Add to a bowl and pour over 1-2 tbsp of olive oil. Rub well so that both sides of the slices are well covered. Place the butternut squash rounds onto parchment-lined baking trays and cook in oven on medium heat for 15-20 minutes, checking with a fork to see that they are cooked through.

Prepare all your veg. Finely chop the onions, dice the aubergines into small cubes, crush the garlic and quarter the cherry tomatoes, setting each aside in separate bowls.

The aubergine base

Add 3 tbsp of Olive Oil to a large pan and heat gently. (I use a wok, as the aubergines are very voluminous when raw, but they cook down a lot) Add the aubergines and cook until they become soft. Now add the onions and cook further until the onions are cooked. Add the remaining ingredients and continue to cook for one hour, adding more liquid if necessary, until the aubergines are really creamy and have a nice thick, rich sauce.

The lentil base

While the aubergines are softening, add a tbsp of Olive Oil to another pan and heat gently. Add the onions and cook on low heat until they become translucent. Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer gently for around one hour, adding a little more liquid (water or wine) if it becomes too dry.

The cashew sauce

While the two bases are cooking, add all the ingredients to a blender and mix well until it forms a smooth sauce—taste, adding more tamari for saltiness or lemon for more tanginess.