Healthy Vegan Lasagna Rolls with a tofu ricotta filing and gooey cheesy topping. These Vegan Ricotta Lasagna Rolls are the ultimate Italian meal that vegans and non-vegans will enjoy.
This recipe is specifically made to taste like an authentic Italian lasagna dish. The ricotta cheese really mimics the ricotta or cottage cheese filling of a non plant-based lasagna. You can make these Vegan Ricotta Lasagna Rolls for even the toughest critic of vegan food!
This meal is also formulated to be as healthy as possible without sacrificing taste. The recipe calls for just enough olive oil and cheese to get a flavourful dish that is low calorie, but does not taste like it is lacking in anything. Each roll comes in at approximately only 265 calories, which is great for Italian cuisine!
These Vegan Ricotta Lasagna Rolls are made up of:
• Homeade Vegan Ricotta:
A super quick and easy ricotta filling. It uses tofu as its base to get that crumbly and slightly wet texture of ricotta. Use firm or medium firm tofu, not silken tofu, as silken tofu has a very high water content.
To make this vegan ricotta you simply mix the tofu with a soft nuts-based cheese, or a vegan cream cheese. It won’t work with a hard block of vegan cheese or shredded cheese.
You want to get that soft yet crumbly texture, which requires the addition of a creamy soft cheese paired wit the tofu.
•Tomato-based Sauce
Quality canned rushed tomatoes along with olive oil and spices make up your sauce. I use Mutti Finely Chopped Tomatoes in the 797 ML can. Mutti brand tomato products from Italy have a lovely texture and such a fresh taste. You can of course use any brand of crushed tomatoes.
If you prefer, you can use your own tomato sauce of choice instead of the sauce in this recipe.
The tomato sauce in this recipe is super quick to make but flavourful. You really don’t have to simmer a tomato sauce on the stovetop for hours to get a quality tasting sauce. Not even the Italians do that!
• Lasagna noodles
I used store bought lasagna noodles. It is crucial to use the type of noodles that you have to pre-boil. You cannot use oven ready noodles, as they ate stiff as a board and will not allowed you to roll up your lasagna rolls!
If you want to get really fancy, use homeade lasagna noodles. Everything tastes elevated with homeade pasta, and it’s really not that difficult to make. Store-bought noodles, however work great and are used in this recipe as a time saver.
• Sautéed mushrooms and zucchini
To get the best flavour it’s advised to lightly sauté your vegetables before adding them to the lasagna rolls. They’ll be tastier, and it ensures the vegetables will be nice and tender and fully cooked when you take your lasagna rolls out of the oven. Plus, sautéing will reduce the water content of the vegetables a bit so it doesn’t leave your lasagna rolls being watery and soggy.
• Melty gooey cheese topping
There are some really great vegan cheese this day and age. So use a type of vegan cheese that will give you that gooey melty topping. I used Earth Island Finely Shredded Mozzarella. It is so close to a classic cheese that non-vegans will not even notice that it’s plant-based.
Making Your Vegan Ricotta
Making the Vegan Ricotta is super quick and easy! You can even use this vegan ricotta in a myriad of other recipes from stuffing raviolis to topping a vegan bruschetta and filling savoury pastries.
It’s crucial to use a firm or medium firm tofu, rather than a soft or silken tofu (which will give it too much water). Be sure to taste your ricotta mixture and salt to taste. It should be a bit of the saltier side, as cheese is a salty substance. You can of course control the salt though according to your preference.
Constructing your Lasagna Rolls
You want to divvy up your ingredients evenly into each roll so that you don’t run out of stuffing. I used a dollop of ricotta about an inch and a half round, with about 4 mushroom pieces and 3 zucchini pieces per roll. The amount you use will depend on how thickly you’ve chopped your vegetable pieces. You don’t have to be overly precise, however!
When adding your tomato sauce, be sure to add enough as to not have dry rolls, but do not drown them in sauce. You may have a bit of tomato sauce left over at the end, depending on how saucy you’d like your lasagna rolls!
Once you remove your lovely bubbling and cheesy pan of lasagna rolls from the oven, top them with a small bunch of fresh basil for an elevated presentation.
Vegan Ricotta Lasagna Rolls
Ingredients
Vegan Ricotta
- 3/4 package tofu (about 1 cup) firm
- 2/3 cup plant-based cream cheese or soft nuts-based cheese (I used 100 grams of Spread Em Kitchen Co. Meadow cheese block)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp garlic powder
Tomato Sauce
- 1 large can crushed tomatoes I used a 797 ML can of Mutti Crushed Tomatoes
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp basil dried
- 1/2 tsp thyme dried
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
Lasagna Rolls
- 8 sheets lasagna noodles
- 1 small zucchini
- 1 package mushrooms 277 grams
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1/4 cup vegan mozzarella cheese I used Earth Island Mozzarella Style Dairy Free Cheese
Instructions
Vegan Ricotta
- Drain tofu and add 3/4 of the package to a large mixing bowl.
- Add your plant-based cream cheese or soft nuts-based cheese to the bowl.
- Add your salt and garlic powder.
- Mix with a fork or with your hands. (It's most effective to combine the mixture with your hands).
- Add more salt and garlic powder to taste if desired.
Tomato Sauce
- Add the can of tomatoes to a large bowl and add the garlic powder, salt, thyme, basil and olive oil.
- Mix your sauce and taste. Add more salt and garlic powder to taste.
Lasagna Rolls
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
- Cook 8-10 lasagna sheets until al dente. (They need to be cooked enough so they are just soft enough to roll. You do not want to overcook your noodles, as they will get softer in the oven. You may want to cook 10 sheets just in case one of your sheets tears. You will need 8 to cover a typial lasagna pan).
- Drain and rinse your lasagna noodles. Set aside to cool.
- Wash and chop your zucchini, mushooms and garlic. Sautée your vegetables for 5-7 minutes in a pan.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees fahrenheit.
- Coat a 4 X 9 rectangular lasagna pan with a thin layer of your tomato sauce.
- Lay out one lasagna noodle flat on a counter or cutting board. Using a large spoon, spread a thin layer of tomato sauce across the center of the noodle.
- Add a dollop of your vegan ricotta cheese. Place a small amount of mushrooms and zucchinni on top of the ricotta cheese. Sprinkle a small dash of salt overtop (optional).
- Fold your lasagna roll and place in your lasagna pan. Repeat until you have 8 rolls in your pan.
- Cover each lasagna roll in a layer of sauce. You do not want to drown them in sauce. Some of your noodles should be showing, rather than being completely covered. You want enough sauce so that they are not dry.
- Sprinkle your vegan mozzarella evenly on top of your lasagna rolls. Cover with lid or aluminum foil.
- Place lasagna rolls in oven at 400 degrees fahrenheit for 35-45 minutes until tender.
- Remove lid or foil and bake another 5 minutes. Let sit for a few minutes and serve!
For more delicious and easy but elevated Italian dishes, try my Vegan Ricotta Ravioli with Sage Butter recipe!
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