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Looking for an easy meal prep idea? Try vegan lasagna roll ups – made with tofu ricotta cheese, lasagna noodles, marinara sauce, and more.
Lasagna roll ups? More like future lasagna.
Have you all ever tried Dippin’ Dots? They tag themselves as being the “ice cream of the future.” Sounds silly, but I feel this way about lasagna roll ups. I discovered them last year while looking for meal prep ideas. While I absolutely love classic lasagna, I like roll ups better. There’s something super fun about eating lasagna sushi – plus the portions are already made out for you.
Another thing I like about lasagna roll ups is that if you’re a solo eater, you only need to cook the volume of noodles you want to eat, so this recipe can be easily halved or quartered depending on how many mouths you need to feed. Typically, I eat two lasagna roll ups per meal with a side of veggies like green beans or broccoli.
Marinara is just the beginning
My recipe for lasagna roll ups features a classic marinara sauce – I absolutely love Michael’s of Brooklyn sauce if you’re able to get your hands on it… It’s cheaper than Rao’s – but you can really use the basic sauce as a stepping stone to create different variations of your own lasagna rollups.
First, choose your sauce – you can stick with marinara or go with something like pesto or alfredo sauce. Then pick your fillings! For this recipe I decided to just go with tofu ricotta and Daiya cheese, but I think spinach would taste great as well as mushrooms and garlic. Of course, you can also go totally off-script! I have a pipedream to make a variation of my vegan crab salad into a “seafood” lasagna roll up.
What ingredients do you need to make vegan lasagna roll ups?
The bulk of the ingredients you’ll need for lasagna roll ups are actually used to make the tofu ricotta. Once you have that made, all you need are a few more things and you’ll have everything you need to make lasagna roll ups.
Lasagna noodles: A non-negotiable ingredient! Though I guess if you’re really healthy you could try to use zucchini strips instead. Just seems really messy though. Lasagna noodles are the heart of this recipe. Make sure you buy the kind that isn’t quick cooking – I’ve noticed that variety tends to contain eggs.
Marinara sauce: Since there are so few ingredients required to make vegan lasagna roll ups, you should definitely splurge on the sauce. I love Michael’s of Brooklyn over Rao’s, personally, but if you have the means, do a little better than the $1 bottle of Ragu.
Vegan mozz: I’ve been able to get away with one bag of vegan mozz lately, but you might want to buy another as a backup just in case. For this recipe, I chose to use Daiya cutting board shreds, but any kind of vegan mozz shreds will work assuming you enjoy the texture and flavor. Maybe don’t go for Miyoko’s for this recipe. As much as I love their fresh mozz, it doesn’t spread very well and you’ll probably need to buy $25 worth of cheese to get full coverage.
Tofu: The base of the ricotta for this recipe is made with tofu. I absolutely love tofu ricotta and if you do too, please check out my recipes for butternut squash orzo bake or asparagus with tofu ricotta and spicy bread crumbs. For the ricotta, you’ll need a block of firm or extra-firm tofu. I find the kind that’s sold in a bed of work best.
Miso and nutritional yeast: The nutty, cheesy, and umami flavor of the vegan ricotta comes from the additions of both white miso and nutritional yeast. Over the years, I’ve seen a lot of people ask, “Which nutritional yeast brand is best?” I gotta say, I’ve been vegan for 12 years, and honestly, all of the brands taste the same to me. Just get one that’s cheap and fortified with vitamin B-12.
Lemon juice and lemon zest: An important part of the tofu ricotta is making sure it has a tang. The lemon juice and lemon zest kick it up a notch and complement the acid in the tomato sauce to bring a really nice complex flavor forward.
Onion powder and garlic powder: You don’t need much, but both onion powder and garlic powder, give the tofu ricotta more flavor, so you’re not stuck with that weird tofu aftertaste.
Sea salt: Tofu on its own is kind of bitter. Adding salt to the tofu brings out the spices making for a more flavorful ricotta.
Fresh basil and red pepper flakes: Both of these ingredients are optional! Top off your vegan lasagna roll ups with fresh basil and red pepper flakes. Alternatively you can use Italian seasoning, rosemary, or oregano.
How to make vegan lasagna roll ups
To make the vegan lasagna roll ups you will need a large pot, a strainer, two baking sheets lined with parchment paper or silicone mats, a food processor, measuring spoons, some regular spoons, and a casserole dish or two. I also find it’s helpful to have an offset spatula for spreading the tofu ricotta across the noodles, though it’s definitely optional!
Start by bringing a large pot of water to a boil and season with sea salt. Simmer the lasagna noodles until they are 1-2 minutes from being fully cooked. While the noodles do their thing, Turn to your food processor. Add the tofu, lemon juice, lemon zest, onion powder, garlic powder, miso, and nutritional yeast. Run the food processor until the mixture is smooth and creamy. You will probably have to scrape the sides of the food processor a few times, and if for whatever reason, you’re having a difficult time getting it to incorporate, add a tablespoon or two of water to get it moving. Once the ricotta is fully incorporated set it aside until you’re ready to assemble.
Return to your noodles. Assuming they are mostly cooked, drain them and run under cool water for a few minutes. If you don’t do this, the noodles will continue to cook and will probably break apart when you try to assemble the roll ups.
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Then, line the lasagna noodles across the baking sheets.. you’ll end up with anywhere from 12-16 of them. Next scoop a few tablespoons of tofu ricotta across each noodle and use an offset spatula to evenly distribute it. Then, repeat the process with the marinara sauce. Sprinkle a little bit of vegan mozz across each noodle, but don’t go crazy. You will need to reserve some cheese for the top of each roll.
Add enough marinara sauce so the bottom of each casserole dish is just covered. Then, use your hands to carefully roll each lasagna noodle into a spiral, and place it seam-side down in the casserole dish. Repeat until you’re all out of noodles. Then, add some sauce to the top of each lasagna roll up and top with vegan mozz shreds. Sprinkle some red pepper flakes on top and toss in the oven for about 25 minutes. If you wish to brown your vegan cheese a little bit, finish it off by turning on the broiler for 5-7 minutes. Don’t walk away from the oven if you choose to do this step as broiling can cause burning quickly.
Serve your lasagna roll ups with fresh basil, additional sea salt, and more red pepper flakes. The rollups reheat wonderfully in the microwave, and keep well in the refrigerator for about 4-5 days.
Substitution ideas and more
Once you have the basics, you can’t go wrong with substitutions and additions to your vegan lasagna roll ups. Here are some ideas I have.
Add some mock meat: If you’re missing meat sauce, brown some Beyond meat and mix it in with the sauce prior to assembling. If you’re not a big mock meat person, consider making walnut or lentil ground beef instead.
Veg out: Add some blanched spinach, sauteed mushrooms and garlic, wilted kale, or butternut squash to your lasagna roll ups for extra flavor and vegetable goodness.
Use a different sauce: The first time I made these, I actually made a savory sauce with oat milk, cornstarch, nutmeg and pumpkin. Not saying you have to go that wild, but using a different sauce can change the flavor of the lasagna roll ups which makes it super versatile and flexible. Consider using pesto or alfredo sauce. Maybe try cheese sauce or a simple butter and nooch sauce.
Top with different spices: Basil is a loose suggestion. Feel free to add oregano, Italian seasoning, fresh rosemary, or thyme.
Want more recipes?
If you like these lasagna roll ups, there’s a chance you’ll probably like some of my other recipes too! Consider checking out these recipes for your next meal.
- Seitan chicken parmesan
- Winter vegetable pasta salad
- Butternut squash orzo bake
- Roasted beet salad with green goddess dressing
- Vegan Caesar salad with crispy chickpeas
- Cauliflower piccata
Recipe jam
In this segment, I suggest a song for you to listen to while you make vegan lasagna roll ups! You can even stream it right here in your browser. Today’s recipe jam is Spacer Woman by Charlie.
If you try this recipe, I want to hear about it! Feel free to post your creations to Instagram or Facebook and tag Hell Yes It’s Vegan or #hellyesitsvegan. I look forward to seeing what you make!
Vegan Lasagna Roll Ups
Equipment
- Large pot
- strainer
- measuring spoons
- zester
- food processor
- 2 baking sheets lined with parchment paper
- large spoons
- offset spatula
- 1-2 casserole dishes
Ingredients
Lasagna Roll Ups
- 1 box lasagna noodles
- 32 oz marinara sauce
- 1 bag shredded vegan mozzarella cheese, (I used Daiya Cutting Board Shreds)
- red pepper flakes, (optional)
- fresh basil, (optional)
Tofu Ricotta
- 1 block extra firm tofu
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- 1 Tbsp white miso
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp lemon zest
- juice of ½ lemon
- sea salt to taste
Instructions
- Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add lasagna and simmer until 1-2 minutes before fully cooked. Drain, rinse (this is important because it makes the noodles easier to handle plus it will stop the cooking process so they won't break), and set aside.
- Meanwhile, add all of the tofu ricotta ingredients to a food processor and incorporate. You may have to scrape the sides down a few times or add a tablespoon or two of water to get things moving. Once the tofu ricotta is smooth and creamy. Add salt to taste and set aside.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or with silicone mats and lay the lasagna noodles out across the sheets. You'll have anywhere between 12-16 noodles. Discard any broken ones.
- Add a few tablespoons of tofu ricotta to each noodle and use an offset spatula to evenly distribute. Next, add a few tablespoons of sauce and a small sprinkle of cheese.
- Coat the bottom of each casserole dish with marinara. Then, working one noodle at a time, carefully roll the lasagna until you produce a spiral and lay the roll seam-side down on the casserole dish. Repeat until you run out of noodles.
- Top each lasagna roll up with more marinara and a small sprinkle of vegan mozz. Top with optional red pepper flakes and sea salt. Bake for 20-25 minutes and optionally broil for a few minutes to brown the cheese.
- Let the lasagna roll ups cool for 5 minutes before adding fresh basil leaves.