Many, MANY years ago when we were just out of college and living in Portland, OR (our “out West” adventure!), we ordered a White Lentil Lasagna for lunch at Bread and Ink Cafe. My husband still remembers that meal, so here I am 17 years later trying to recreate it! (We are clearly into food if that wasn’t already obvious, haha).
After a couple of attempts, my husband – and the kids too – have given this Creamy Lentil Lasagna two thumbs up, and I’m excited to share it with you today. My 4th grader even ate the leftovers for breakfast if that tells you anything. This dish is a hearty vegetarian meal I think any meat lover would embrace. Let me know what you think in the comments!
Sponsor Shoutout: Ceramcor
I baked this recipe in my new Ceramcor Ovenex Bakeware because have you seen the pictures going around the internet that show how glass bakeware can explode? So scary, but thankfully Ceramcor is offering us a great solution. Not only is it safer to use in the oven, but I think their colorful baking dishes are more attractive than the regular clear glass variety. Wouldn’t this red one be perfect for Christmas? They have other colors too.
And I found that this dish is a little wider at the bottom than my traditional bakeware, which gave me more room for my lasagna. Normally, it seems as though I can’t fit the lasagna noodles side-by-side without them having to overlap in my other baking dishes. First world problems, I know. Anyway, check out the different sets they have available – perfect for holiday gifts and entertaining.
Creamy Lentil Lasagna
My husband and kids have given this Creamy Lentil Lasagna two thumbs up. It's a hearty vegetarian meal I think any meat lover would embrace.
Ingredients
Lentil Cream Sauce and Noodles
- 5 tablespoons butter
- ½ onion, peeled and diced
- 2 carrots, peeled and diced
- 1 cup lentils, dry, green
- 8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 tablespoons whole-wheat flour
- ½ teaspoon salt, + more to taste if using homemade broth
- pepper, to taste
- 3 cups milk
- 3 cups chicken broth, or vegetable
- 1 cup water
- 8 ounces whole-wheat lasagna
Cheese Mixture
- 8 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 2 cups ricotta cheese
- 1 cup parmesan cheese, grated, divided
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 450° F.
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In a large sauté pan (with sides) or a sauce pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in the onion and carrots and cook until they begin to soften, 2 or 3 minutes. Add the lentils, mushrooms, and garlic to the pan and cook while stirring until the garlic begins to smell fragrant but does not brown, about 1 or 2 minutes.
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Stir in the flour, salt, and pepper so it coats the veggies. As soon as the flour begins to brown (about 1 - 2 minutes), stir in the milk, broth, and water. Bring the liquid to a boil, turn down to medium-low, and stir occasionally until it thickens and the lentils are tender, about 30 - 35 minutes.
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Meanwhile, boil the lasagna noodles according to package directions. Drain, toss with olive oil (so they don’t stick together), and set aside.
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In a large bowl, mix together the mozzarella, ricotta, and ¾ cup of the Parmesan.
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In a rectangular casserole dish, layer the ingredients in this order: one-third of the sauce on the bottom, one-third of the noodles next, then half of the cheese mixture. Repeat with another layer of sauce, noodles, and cheese with the last layer of noodles going on top of that. Then smooth the final layer of sauce on top of the noodles. Any noodles on the top that don't get covered in sauce could get crispy so be careful about even coverage. Top with the remaining ¼ cup Parmesan cheese.
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Bake at 450° until golden brown on top, about 15 - 20 minutes. If your casserole is cold when you start (either from the fridge or defrosted completely from the freezer), then you'll need to increase the baking time.
Recipe Notes
1. Please visit Ceramcor, the makers of Xtrema Cookware to learn more about their all natural ceramic bakeware, cookware, and teaware.
2. We recommend organic ingredients when feasible.
Nutrition Facts
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This looks delicious!! I can’t wait to try it. Do you think It would taste OK with coconut milk? We have a dairy intolerance at our house, so I typically use coconut milk instead of cow’s milk, but some recipes it just doesn’t quite work. :-)
We use coconut a lot too…I had the same question. Usually if it is only a cup sub then it doesn’t matter much, but 3 cups would probably make it too sweet. I guess unless you use the unsweetened version.
I might just have to try it and let you know! I was thinking I’d probably use the canned coconut milk. It’s full fat and unsweetened. :-)
I always forget about using that version of coconut milk. I need to try that more often! Thanks.
No problem! It’s typically great for these kinds of recipes.
I find that coconut milk adds too much sweetness for some dishes, & I think this would be one of them. I am going to use soy mill or unsweetened almond milk.
I use unsweetened cashew milk and find it works well in recipes without “flavoring” the dish. What will you use as a non-dairy option for the ricotta? I am just recently found out I have to eliminate dairy from my diet and am new to the idea of modifications/substitutions. Thanks.
YES! Cashew milk, great idea. I haven’t tried it yet, but I bet that is a great option.
I’ve been looking into making cheese substitutes out of nuts. Here is one that looks good that i’m going to try soon. It uses Macadamia nuts :-)
http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2014/02/macadamia-nut-ricotta-from-nom-nom-paleo.html
Thank you for this Lasagna – new – way dish. Works also for my office lunch for the next day. Perfect !
What sort of lentils do you use (red, green)? Thank you!
I would like to know also the type of lentils that are used for this please! I was just going to post this same question.
Green! :)
Could you clarify the baking temp? You have preheat @ 400* and bake @ 450*. Seems kind of high temp for a casserole. This definitely looks to be a simple yummy dish. Thanks!
450 – sorry for the preheat typo!
Can you please tell me what brand of pots and pans you use? Thank you!
Hi there. Lisa buys All Clad: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2011/12/09/real-food-tips-my-favorite-kitchen-tools-and-appliances/.
Hi there, I am excited to try this recipe but I have a bunch of non-mushroom eaters in this family (including me, LOL!). Can you recommend a substitution? Or perhaps leaving them out entirely? Thanks!
I also loathe mushrooms. I often substitute them for frozen artichoke hearts or bell peppers. I would love a suggestion for a substitution too.
Some ideas to try are cauliflower, eggplant or meat – although all would need to cook longer than the mushrooms!
I made this tonight and it exceeded my expectations. I cooked it on 425 (there was a little confusion on oven temp) in a 9X13 pan. I also recommend dicing the mushrooms unless your family loves them. Mine doesn’t but when diced you hardly notice them. Also, I used no boil brown rice lasagna noodles to make it GF. Oh and GF flour instead of whole wheat. Yummy!
Hi there. Lisa buys All Clad: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2011/12/09/real-food-tips-my-favorite-kitchen-tools-and-appliances/.
We live in Portland and love the Bread and Ink Cafe! Will have to try this.
This was great! I ended up adding another 3/4 cup of red lentils to my already 1 cup of red lentils to make the sauce creamier. Great flavor overall. 20 minutes at 450 was more than enough time for it to cook through.
I made this tonight and while it tasted good, it was extremely soupy.
I made this tonight and while it tasted good, it was extremely soupy.
I made this tonight and it was soooo delicious! Everyone in my family loves it! I’m looking forward to more recipes with lentils.
Can I make this with no-boil lasagna noodles?
Hello. Yes, that should work.
Would this taste great with homemade whole wheat lasagna noodles?
Sure.
I made this over the weekend and thought it was delicious! I diced the mushrooms like another reviewer. I used a standard 9×13 baking dish and it was right at the top of the pan and threatening to bubble over. Next time I make it I’ll try using a slightly larger dish or cutting back on the liquid just a little bit.
My girlfriend and I make the lasagna yesterday and it was very delicious.
We are both great fan of lentils as they are health and as they taste amazing.
It is not the last time, we have made it!
Looks great, but I’m actually looking for a lentil lasagna noodle that’s 100% lentil and no other additives. Can you point me in the right direction?
As are the majority of recipes on this site-this was amazing! I added a bag of frozen spinach to my cheese mixture for extra vegetables. Next time I may use only 1 cup of ricotta instead of two as it was too much for my taste but this was a hit with all of my kids and my husband!