Most zucchini lasagnas ask you to bake a pan of it and hope the zucchini does not flood the dish. This one skips the oven entirely. Thin ribbons of raw zucchini take the place of pasta, and they are layered with a thick cashew ricotta, a sun-dried tomato marinara and a bright basil pesto — the same stack you see in the photograph, served cool on a white plate with a spoonful of pesto oil and a handful of microgreens.
It works because every layer is thick and the zucchini is salted first. Raw zucchini holds a surprising amount of water, and if you skip the salting step the stack weeps within the hour. Salted, rested and patted dry, the ribbons turn silky and flexible, and the layers stay distinct when you slice: pale green, deep red, creamy white, exactly like the photograph. A short chill in the refrigerator firms the whole pan so it cuts into clean stacks instead of sliding apart.
This is a genuinely light dinner for a warm evening, and it belongs in our Healthy & Low-Carb collection next to our spaghetti squash marinara — another pasta-free take on an Italian classic — and our classic ratatouille, which uses the same late-summer vegetables in a cooked, saucy form. Serve it with a simple green salad and crusty bread for anyone who wants something more substantial alongside.
Salt the zucchini — this step is not optional
Lay the ribbons in a single layer on towels, sprinkle with the teaspoon of salt, and leave them for 20 minutes. You will see beads of water form on the surface, and that is the water that would otherwise have pooled on the plate. Blot the ribbons firmly with a second towel before layering; they should feel damp, not wet. Skip this and the cashew ricotta thins, the marinara slides, and the stack you worked to build collapses on the first cut.
Keep the sauces thick
Both sauces should be thick enough to spread with a spatula and stay where you put them. If the cashew ricotta looks runny, blend in a tablespoon of cashews at a time until it holds a soft peak; if the marinara is loose, add a few more sun-dried tomatoes. Thin sauces are the other reason raw lasagnas fail, and they are easy to fix before anything is layered. The pesto, by contrast, can stay loose — it is drizzled over the finished stack, not layered inside, and its oil is what gives the plate its green gloss.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups raw cashews (210 g), soaked (see step 1)
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice (30 ml)
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast (10 g)
- 1 small garlic clove (3 g), peeled
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt (3 g)
- 2 tablespoons water (30 ml), plus more as needed
- 1 cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil (160 g), drained
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes (150 g), halved
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste (15 g)
- 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar (5 ml)
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano (1 g)
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (1 g), optional
- 2 cups fresh basil leaves (40 g), packed
- 1/3 cup raw walnuts (40 g)
- 1 garlic clove (3 g), peeled
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil (60 ml)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice (15 ml)
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt (3 g)
- 3 medium zucchini (600 g), sliced lengthwise into thin ribbons
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt (6 g), for salting the zucchini
- 2 medium tomatoes (300 g), thinly sliced
- 1 cup microgreens (20 g), to serve
Amounts are for the yield below. US customary measures first, grams in brackets for scale users.
Step-by-step instructions
- Soak the cashews. Cover the cashews with boiling water and soak for 30 minutes, or soak in cold water for at least 2 hours. Drain well. Soaked cashews blend completely smooth; unsoaked cashews stay gritty no matter how long you blend, and grit is the one flaw a cashew ricotta cannot hide.
- Blend the cashew ricotta. Blend the drained cashews with the lemon juice, nutritional yeast, garlic, salt and water until thick and smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides. Add water a teaspoon at a time only if the blender stalls — the finished ricotta should hold its shape on a spoon, like the pale dollops in the photograph, not pour.
- Make the marinara. Blend the sun-dried tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, tomato paste, balsamic vinegar, oregano and red pepper flakes, if using, until thick and spreadable, with a little texture left. Taste and adjust the salt; sun-dried tomatoes vary in saltiness, so season after blending, not before.
- Make the pesto. Pulse the basil, walnuts and garlic in a small food processor, then drizzle in the olive oil with the motor running. Stir in the lemon juice and salt. Keep this pesto looser than the other sauces — you will drizzle it over the finished stacks, and a little extra oil is what carries the green colour across the plate.
- Salt and dry the zucchini. Slice the zucchini lengthwise as thin as you can manage — about 1/8 inch (3 mm) — with a mandoline if you have one, or a vegetable peeler for the outer ribbons. Lay the ribbons on clean towels, sprinkle with the teaspoon of salt, and rest for 20 minutes. Blot very dry with a second towel, pressing firmly.
- Layer the lasagna. Line a 9 x 5 inch (23 x 13 cm) loaf pan with plastic wrap, leaving an overhang on both long sides. Lay zucchini ribbons across the base, slightly overlapping, then spread one-third of the marinara, one-third of the cashew ricotta and a single layer of tomato slices. Repeat twice more, finishing with zucchini ribbons on top. Fold the wrap over, press gently, and set a second loaf pan or a small plate on top as a weight.
- Chill, slice and serve. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, until the pan feels firm. Lift the lasagna out by the wrap overhang, unwrap, and cut into 4 thick stacks with a long, sharp knife, wiping the blade between cuts. Plate each stack on a white plate, drizzle with pesto, scatter with microgreens, and tuck a tomato slice against the side, as in the photograph.
Nutrition estimate
| Nutrient | Per serving |
|---|---|
| Calories | 320 kcal |
| Protein | 11 g |
| Carbohydrates | 16 g |
| Fat | 24 g |
| Saturated fat | 4 g |
| Sodium | 480 mg |
| Fiber | 5 g |
| Sugar | 9 g |
Nutrition figures are estimates calculated from standard ingredient data for the yield stated. Your actual values will vary with brands, substitutions and portion sizes — treat them as a guide, not a guarantee.
Storage & reheating
Covered in the refrigerator, the lasagna keeps for up to 2 days, but it is at its best within 24 hours — the zucchini slowly releases water after that, even when salted. Do not freeze it; thawed raw zucchini turns soft and watery. Leftover pesto keeps 5 days refrigerated under a thin layer of oil, and leftover cashew ricotta keeps 4 days. Nutrition figures are estimates per serving and vary with brands and the size of the zucchini; estimates vary.
Easy Vegan Zucchini Lasagna
No pasta, no oven — cool, creamy layers with a bright tomato-pesto finish.
Ingredients
Tick ingredients off as you prep, and tap a step below to mark it done as you cook. Scaling adjusts the listed amounts - seasoning to taste stays your call.
Instructions
- Soak the cashews. Cover the cashews with boiling water and soak for 30 minutes, or soak in cold water for at least 2 hours. Drain well. Soaked cashews blend completely smooth; unsoaked cashews stay gritty no matter how long you blend, and grit is the one flaw a cashew ricotta cannot hide.
- Blend the cashew ricotta. Blend the drained cashews with the lemon juice, nutritional yeast, garlic, salt and water until thick and smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides. Add water a teaspoon at a time only if the blender stalls — the finished ricotta should hold its shape on a spoon, like the pale dollops in the photograph, not pour.
- Make the marinara. Blend the sun-dried tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, tomato paste, balsamic vinegar, oregano and red pepper flakes, if using, until thick and spreadable, with a little texture left. Taste and adjust the salt; sun-dried tomatoes vary in saltiness, so season after blending, not before.
- Make the pesto. Pulse the basil, walnuts and garlic in a small food processor, then drizzle in the olive oil with the motor running. Stir in the lemon juice and salt. Keep this pesto looser than the other sauces — you will drizzle it over the finished stacks, and a little extra oil is what carries the green colour across the plate.
- Salt and dry the zucchini. Slice the zucchini lengthwise as thin as you can manage — about 1/8 inch (3 mm) — with a mandoline if you have one, or a vegetable peeler for the outer ribbons. Lay the ribbons on clean towels, sprinkle with the teaspoon of salt, and rest for 20 minutes. Blot very dry with a second towel, pressing firmly.
- Layer the lasagna. Line a 9 x 5 inch (23 x 13 cm) loaf pan with plastic wrap, leaving an overhang on both long sides. Lay zucchini ribbons across the base, slightly overlapping, then spread one-third of the marinara, one-third of the cashew ricotta and a single layer of tomato slices. Repeat twice more, finishing with zucchini ribbons on top. Fold the wrap over, press gently, and set a second loaf pan or a small plate on top as a weight.
- Chill, slice and serve. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, until the pan feels firm. Lift the lasagna out by the wrap overhang, unwrap, and cut into 4 thick stacks with a long, sharp knife, wiping the blade between cuts. Plate each stack on a white plate, drizzle with pesto, scatter with microgreens, and tuck a tomato slice against the side, as in the photograph.
Recipe by Ahsan ul Haq · FryDaily. Printing? This card is designed to print cleanly on its own.
