- Prep-time: / Ready In:
- Makes 1 9x13-inch lasagna
- Serving size: ⅛ of recipe
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This dish is ideal to serve to a group. It has all sorts of different tastes and textures. Use white-fleshed sweet potatoes with brown, purple, or reddish-orange skin (they may be labeled as yams), which can be found in most well-stocked grocery stores, and at farmers’ markets. Starchier and drier than the moister, sweeter orange-fleshed garnet or jewel varieties, these work better in this dish, because they hold their texture without becoming overly moist or runny. Serve sweet potato lasagna with a salad for a complete meal. Also, be sure to check out our reader-favorite vegan spinach lasagna!
Ingredients
For the cashew cheese:
- 1 cup cashews
- 1 ½ tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (from 1 to 2 limes)
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
For the sweet potato filling:
- 3 pounds white-fleshed sweet potatoes (4 to 5 medium), peeled and cut into large pieces
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice (from 1 lime)
- Sea salt
For the sautéed greens:
- 2 cups finely chopped leeks, white and light green parts
- 12 ounces button mushrooms, finely chopped (4 cups)
- 2 small cloves garlic, minced
- Sea salt
- 1 bunch Swiss chard, stemmed and finely chopped (about 4 cups)
- 1 bunch spinach, stemmed and finely chopped (about 4 cups)
For the tomato sauce:
- 3 medium tomatoes, diced (about 3 cups)
- 1 cup diced red onion
- 2 (6-ounce) cans tomato paste
- 2 pitted dates
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon dried basil
- 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Sea salt
- 1 pound rice lasagna noodles (16 noodles)
Instructions
- To make the cashew cheese: Place the cashews in a small bowl and add at least 1 cup water. Set aside to soak until softened, 1 to 2 hours. Drain the cashews and place them in a blender with the nutritional yeast, lime juice, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and ¾ cup water. Blend until the mixture is smooth and has the consistency of cream cheese. Transfer the cashew cheese to a pastry bag, a resealable bag, or a squeeze bottle, and set aside.
- Meanwhile, to make the sweet potato filling: Place a steamer basket insert in a saucepan filled with about 2 inches of water. Bring to a simmer, and add the sweet potatoes. Cover the pan and steam until tender when pierced with the tip of a sharp knife, 15 to 17 minutes. Transfer the sweet potatoes to a large bowl.
- Use a potato masher to mash the sweet potatoes. Add the lime juice and salt to taste, and mix well. Set aside.
- To make the sautéed greens: Combine the leeks and ¼ cup water in a sauté pan. Cover and cook over low heat until the leeks are very soft, about 15 minutes. Add the mushrooms, garlic, and salt to taste. Cook, covered, over medium heat, until the mushrooms are soft, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the Swiss chard and the spinach, and cook, uncovered, until the greens are tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool.
- To make the tomato sauce: Combine the tomatoes, onion, tomato paste, dates, garlic, and 1 cup water in a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth. Transfer the mixture to a saucepan, and add the oregano, basil, pepper, a generous pinch of salt, and 2 cups water. Cook over medium heat for 40 minutes. Taste for seasoning and set aside.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook the noodles according to the instructions on the package. Drain thoroughly. Spread out the noodles on a wire rack or a towel, making sure they do not overlap. Let cool.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- To assemble the lasagna, spread 1 ½ cups of the tomato sauce over the bottom of a 9 × 13-inch baking pan that is at least 2 inches deep. Arrange a layer of 4 lasagna noodles on top, slightly overlapping each of them.
- Top with half of the mashed sweet potatoes, then another layer of 4 noodles. Spread all of the sautéed greens on top. Pipe half of the cashew cheese on top of the greens (if it is in a resealable bag, just snip off one corner).
- Arrange a layer of 4 pasta noodles on top of the cheese. Spread half of the remaining tomato sauce over the pasta. Spread the remaining sweet potatoes on top.
- Arrange the last layer of pasta atop the sweet potatoes. Spread the remaining tomato sauce on top. Pipe the remaining cheese over the sauce in a fun zigzag or swirling pattern.
- Bake until the cheese on top is lightly browned and the sauce is bubbling along the sides of the pan, about 45 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.
- Serve hot.
Nutritional Information:
Per serving (⅛ of recipe): 521 calories, 96 g carbohydrates, 18 g protein, 9.9 g total fat, 1.9 g saturated fat, 0 g cholesterol, 285 mg sodium, 13 g fiber, 19 g sugar
Note: Nutritional information is provided as an estimate only.
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Comments (32)
(5 from 11 votes)I give this recipe 0 stars. It took me 5 hours to make and my husband actually asked if I was making Thanksgiving dinner. On top of that it was so heavy I strained my back getting it out of the oven and the servings were like tasteless bricks. The whole thing went in the garbage. A huge waste of time and money. My family will not let me live this one down and it will live on as “The Purple Lasagne”.
This recipe was a labor of LOVE. As a an Italian, I love adopting Italian dishes to veganism. I was skeptical at first about the atypical lasagna ingredients, but it came out delicious! It was the best lasagna I ever made! The only thing I didn't have time for was making the sauce from scratch, so I used bertolli olive oil & garlic jarred sauce. It came out so perfect & moist. It was filling and dense with savory and sweet flavors. I loved it so much! Thank you for this recipe, the leftovers will not last in my household!
I also made this with regular orange sweet potatoes and it came out fine.
Can you put it together a day ahead and bake it the next day?
Where can I find the nutritional information? This is a needed, important part of maintaining my health. This recipe sounds great and I want to make it, but it’s a bit annoying that this information isn’t with the recipe. Appreciate it if all recipes would include the nutritional values.
Hi Lauren, We hear your feedback, and we’re looking into adding nutritional information to our recipes for the future. Please stay tuned for updates! Thank you, Courtney, editor Forks Over Knives
Video has water for cashew cheese and tomato sauce- how much?
Amounts are given in the instructions. Step 1 for the cashew and step 3 for the tomato.
Can I freeze this lasagna? Thank you. Actually, it would be helpful to know for most recipes whether they can be frozen.
This recipe is surprising good! I really enjoyed it. I made it using onions instead of leeks and using whole wheat lasagne noodles.
Why go to the trouble of finding and buying 'white' sweet potatoes? Not worth the extra effort just for looks, when the orange sweet potatoes are healthier for us anyway, correct? Or at least please add a note to the recipe that acknowledges the difference.
The recipe says because they have less mature and will hold together better
Where do I find your nutritional information on each recipe
Good meal for omnivores; even looks like traditional lasagna.Next time I will double the greens and cut back by about a third on sweet potato. Lots of prep but a good “having company” meal.
I forgot to add that I think orange sweet potatoes will work just fine but it won’t have look of traditional lasagna.
I made this tonight and it was great!!! I didn't have the white sweet potatoes but did have some orange ones that I canned and drained them and added the salt and lime and it was delicious!!! Also I didn't have Swiss chard so I used Kale and it turned out delicious. Thank you for sharing your recipe with us. I had never made homemade tomato sauce until tonight. Will make this again for sure.
This recipe was a lot of work, but it was so good!
My typical lasagna recipe is made in a crockpot. Wondering if the cashew cheese sauce would be okay cooking that way in the crock pot for 3 hours, or if it would curdle/separate?
How far ahead can this be made? Does it freeze well?
Although this recipe took a long time to make it was definitely worth it. I’ve been vegan for over a year now and this has got to be my favorite recipe, my non vegan family loved it! Thank you :)))
What can be substituted for the white flesh sweet potatoes? I can’t find these. Thank you!
This is a labor of love. Make one thing the day before to make it go quicker. I made the sauce the day before and I’m so glad I did. I wouldn’t tell anyone this is a sweet potato lasagna just say it’s a plant-based lasagna. The sweet potato with the white flesh just blends in making it very moist and all the flavors blend very well. I made it almost exactly like the directions I didn’t add or subtract anything just make sure each component is salted well. Very good! Would make again when I have the time to make a meal like this.
Made this last night, and first responses were, "It's different, but it's pretty good." By the time they finished their first servings, it changed to, "OK, this is REALLY good." Definitely a keeper!
What can I use in place of the mushrooms, which I am highly allergic to!!! So many vegan recipes utilize mushrooms and I’m at a loss!
If you can eat eggplant, Julie, peel and add that. It is pretty neutral in flavor. Or you could use zucchini that has been sweated (cube, sprinkle with salt, let sit for 10-20 mins, rinse off, and pat try and use) or patty pan squash or just omit them and add extra sweet potatoes and everything else! Enjoy! Good for you for looking for substitutes.
Can this dish be prepared in advance and then baked when ready to eat?
We had this for Christmas dinner- it was delicious. It's not hard to make, just a lot of steps. I actually took my time making each component then assembled it just before baking. I always use more garlic than the recipes say. The only thing was I could not find white sweet potatoes; and I knew they needed to be fluffy, rather than moist, so I used purple. It didn't look bad. My husband LOVED it. He likes dry food, I like saucy- so I will serve it with extra sauce on the side next time. BTW this may be my new tomato/pizza sauce recipe.
Rachel Z that was not meant to be my reply to you. I would prepare sauce, greens, cashew cheese in advance- but since the potatoes stiffen as they cool I would cook those close to assembly time. I didn't try it- but this seems like it would freeze well after initial baking,
Is there a substitute for tree nuts. I have a family member who can eat peanuts( legumes) but no tree nuts. I am wondering about healthy substitutes? Thanks
You could try silken tofu. It is the cashews that make this creamy, so try it and see if it will work with the tofu, but be sure it is the silken kind. Let us know if you try it!
I made this last night and it turned out excellent. Tick of approval by dad which says a lot, told to “add it to the rotation”. I did double the cashew sauce though because we love our lasagne full of creamy goodness. Would avoid using field tomatoes and go for truss. Not sure why this meal doesn’t come up when searching within the FOK website, I had to Google and go in that way. Would make double batches and freeze as it takes a long time to prep. Also considering roasting slices of sweet potato and laying in next time.
The problem with these recipes for beginners is using ingredients you can’t find such as white sweet potatoes. Noticed that there was no response when a couple people asked if there was a suitable substitute.