This Sweet Potato Lasagna makes a comforting meal, made entirely out of whole foods. Instead of using traditional pasta, these lasagna “noodles” are made out of thinly sliced sweet potatoes for a naturally gluten-free dish.
I love using sweet potatoes as an alternative to pasta, as they still have a starchy, comforting texture, and they’re loaded with fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Sweet potatoes are a good source of vitamin C, which is not only linked to boosting the immune system, but it may also help your body produce collagen, which helps maintain the skin’s elasticity.
This lasagna is packed with plant-based protein, thanks to a hearty layer of quinoa and lentil “meat.”
Quinoa is a complete source of protein, containing all the essential amino acids your body needs, and I love pairing it with red lentils for an extra boost. They cook together in just 15 minutes, making this lasagna relatively quick to assemble!
To keep this vegan dish nut-free, I made a béchamel sauce out of pureed white beans for added creaminess. It blends together in just minutes and adds a comforting creaminess to the overall lasagna. (Plus, even more fiber and protein.)
The result isn’t exactly like traditional lasagna, but I find it equally as comforting.
Feel free to add a layer or two of cheese to this lasagna if your family isn’t dairy-free. It’s a great way to sneak more vegetables and plant-based protein into your week, especially if you have leftovers to enjoy for a future meal, too.
Sweet Potato Lasagna (Vegan & Soy-Free!)
Ingredients
Sweet Potato "Noodles
- 3 large sweet potatoes , peeled (about 2 1/2 pounds)
Quinoa Lentil "Meat" Filling
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion , diced
- 2 cloves garlic , minced
- 1 cup quinoa , rinsed and drained
- 1/2 cup red lentils
- 1 (25 oz) jar marinara sauce , divided (no sugar added)
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
White Bean Cream Sauce
- 1 1/2 cups cooked white beans (or one 15 oz. can drained and rinsed)
- 1/4 cup water , plus more as needed
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone liners. Use a mandoline slicer to slice the sweet potatoes into very thin slices, about 1/8 inch thick. (You can use a sharp knife to do this if you prefer.)
- Arrange the sliced sweet potatoes on the lined baking sheets and bake until they are easily pierced with a fork, about 15 to 20 minutes.
- While the sweet potatoes are baking, prepare the quinoa filling. Heat the olive oil in a small saucepan over medium heat and saute the onion until softened, about 5 minutes. Add in the garlic and saute another minute, just until fragrant.
- Add in the quinoa, lentils, 2 cups of the marinara sauce, water, and salt into the saucepan and bring everything to a boil. Cover with a lid, lower the heat, and simmer until the quinoa and lentils are tender, about 15 minutes.
- In the meantime, prepare the white bean sauce. In a blender combine the beans, water, lemon juice, salt, and pepper, and blend until smooth. Adjust any seasoning to taste, then set it aside.
- To assemble the lasagna, spread a thin layer of the remaining marinara sauce in the bottom of the pan to help prevent sticking. Arrange a single layer of the cooked sweet potato slices on the bottom, then spoon half of the quinoa lentil mixture on top of that. Spread it around evenly. Spoon half of the white bean sauce over that and spread it with a spatula.
- Repeat the layering process with another round of sweet potato slices, quinoa "meat" and white bean sauce, then top it off with a final layer of sweet potato slices. Finally, spread the remaining marinara sauce over the top of the sweet potato slices to help prevent them from drying out or burning. Bake the lasagna at 400ºF until heated through, about 25 to 30 minutes. Slice and serve warm.
- This lasagna can be stored in the fridge for up to a week in a tightly sealed dish. I like to reheat it by the slice for faster reheating-- typically a couple slices in the oven will reheat in about 15 minutes at 350ºF.
Video
Nutrition
Per Serving: Calories: 165, Carbohydrates: 26, Fiber: 6, Protein: 7, Fat: 3
Recipe Notes:
- Need a tomato-free option? Try using my Tomato-Less Marinara Sauce instead.
- When shopping for marinara sauce, check the label to make sure it’s sugar-free and has less than 4 g of oil per serving. I like the “Fat Free Marinara Sauce” from the 365 Brand at Whole Foods, which is oil-free, as well.
I imagine you could customize this recipe in a number of different ways, so please leave a comment below if you try something different! We can all benefit from your experience.
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Reader Feedback: What’s your favorite healthy comfort food?
This looks yami!! I would try it!
Looks awesome! I’m excited to try it.
So unique! I can’t wait to try them, but in a low carb way. With beef meat instead of the veggy filling because I limit my amount of carbs. Bean sauce will be a great discovery.
Happy new year!
This looks great – and I really appreciate the nut-free bechamel! Question: what herb did you garnish the lasagna with? Thank you!
My favorite healthy comfort foods are warm, creamy soups – like potato-cauliflower (with pickles!) or butternut squash.
It’s just some chopped parsley on top. 🙂
HAVE you tried making this ahead and freezing it?
I am missing where it says the size of the casserole dish to use – help!
I used a 9-inch x 13-inch dish!
Thanks for this, Meghan, looks yummy! How would you cook the white beans if you are not using a can? And the red lentils – how do you prepare them or do you use canned?
Thanks again
I forgot white beans at the store, would garbanzo beans work?
Probably! Let us know if you try it.
Hi Megan,
Your recipe inspired me to a big experiment in the kitchen (for me anyways). I took your recipe as kind of a guideline to use up what we had left over in the fridge and sitting around in our cupboards. Out came a awesome tasting vegan lasagna. My bf (lasagna is usually one of his signature dishes) loved. He asked for a second helping in no time! HA 🙂
Here is what I did/used:
Lasagna pasta instead of sweet potatoes
Leftover quinoa from “salad in a jar”
Green lentils from a can
I left out the water in the “lasagna filling” and just cooked till the lentils and quinoa were hot.
I baked everything a little bit longer to make sure the pasta was cooked through. Only change I would make next time, use even less liquid.
Thanks for making my first homemade lasagna a hit 🙂
The white bean sauce is an awesome idea by the way!
Happy new year!
Hi Megan,
Your recipe inspired me to a big experiment in the kitchen (for me anyways). I took your recipe as kind of a guideline to use up what we had left over in the fridge and sitting around in our cupboards. Out came a awesome tasting vegan lasagna. My bf (lasagna is usually one of his signature dishes) loved. He asked for a second helping in no time! HA 🙂
Here is what I did/used:
Lasagna pasta instead of sweet potatoes
Leftover quinoa from “salad in a jar”
Green lentils from a can
I left out the water in the “lasagna filling” and just cooked till the lentils and quinoa were hot
I sprinkled some freshly roasted pine nuts on each lentil layer.
I baked everything a little bit longer to make sure the pasta was cooked through. Only change I would make next time, use even less liquid.
Thanks for making my first homemade lasagna a hit 🙂
The white bean sauce is an awesome idea by the way!
Happy new year!
I have not tried your recipe but have made various versions of “lasagna” before. Other great options are coco-yam, casava, and/or sweet potato. NOT the USA sweet potato but the African one that is white. All of them can be thin sliced raw with a mandeline or benriner.
Love your site because of the creativity. I don’t have any special dietery needs, but in the past I have worked as a personal chef and my clients get bored with what everyone else is doing..
Also love your tomato-less marinara recipe…could also substitute some (or all) of the beet with sweet red peppers (bell) roasted.
In Santa Cruz, CA I ate at a restaurant that had a burger made from macadamia nuts and brown rice (or was it quinoa or red bulger wheat? hmmm) But the texture held up well for a meaty chew and crispy crunch outside when seared on a flat top grill. — Sorry got off on a tangent thinking about your filling for this lasagna.
Hi Megan,
I have one suggestion. One of the layers could have spinach or some greens added in. I have done this in other lasagna recipes and it works well. Can’t wait to try your recipe.
Enjoy….Robin M
This was delicious and really felt like a true lasagna fix!
I added a handful of spinach to the quinoa/lentil mixture near the end of cooking and 2 tbsp of nutritional yeast to the bean sauce.
Thanks always for your wonderful recipes!
I’m a new cook in the kitchen eating healthy like this. As soon as I got your email I got the ingredients and made it the same day. The texture was just fine but it was lacking in some kind of spice it was kind of bland. I don’t know if I didn’t put in enough of what you said, or you always say to fix it up to your own taste. But with my lack of experience I wouldn’t know what spice to put in to give it a little kick. Can you help?
I made the dish the same day I got the email or text year was very nice but it was blended I didn’t know what other spices to add to it what can you recommend
Delicious!!! I shared with a co-worker who also loved it! Thank you 💖
This is so creative! I want to make this for dinner. Like now 🙂
Made this exactly and came out great. Will take idea to add spinach next time.
This was reaaaaallllyyyy good. The beans puréed into a water, so we couldn’t use it. Luckily we had Daiya vegan mozzarella shreds on hand and layered it with that instead. I highly recommend it! We will definitely be making this again. We are going to stick with the vegan cheese, will add spinach, mushrooms and a little more marinara sauce on the next round. Thanks!
This was great!!! So comforting and wonderful ingredients, thank you!
Hi, do you think I can use green lentils?
I used a mix of green red and black lentils, it was great!
This recipe is fantastic, we loved it! Very delicious, thank you! I used garbanzo beans instead of white beans and it was great.
Hi! We truly enjoyed this recipe – like loads on your page.
The only thing I missed were the spices: oregano, basil, thyme that a normal lasagne is packed with. Did you leave these out on purpose?
I made this and the slicing of sweet potatoes has a learning curve so it’ll be easier next time, but this recipe is so delicious!! Tastes so much like the real deal. Only changes I made was I added oregano and parsley and used half red quinoa to look more like meat for my family. I also shredded a little fresh Parmesan cheese on top, but that isn’t necessary. Just for my family also. So delicious!!!
How do you prepare the lentils prior to adding them to the mixture? Just making sure I should cook them before adding or do you leave them dry? I also have an insta pot, haven’t cooked lentils in it yet, so any feedback would be helpful! Thanks!! 🙂
Super good! My only issue is felt there wasn’t enough of the white sauce – I’m going to double it next time I make it.
Just made it. I cut the recipe in half just incase I didn’t like it but it was EXCELLENT!! Now I wish I made a whole recipe. I can’t wait to try more of your recipes. Thank you!
This looks really interesting and delicious! I’m trying to avoid tomato/marinara because of reflux, and find it particularly hard to avoid with all the fall/winter recipes. Any suggestions on a low-acid substitute for the marinara sauce?
Maybe try my tomato-less marinara recipe for it? https://detoxinista.com/tomato-less-marinara-sauce-nightshade-free-aip-friendly/
Ooh, interesting, thanks!
Hi Megan, thank you for such a delicious recipe! My whole family enjoy this one so much! Thank you!
This was so good!!!!! My whole family loved it. I doubled the white sauce and added spinach like others suggested. Was amazing!!! Totally amazing!!!! Thank you for the weekly meal plans 😊
I love this dish. Thank you so much for publishing. I make it once a month and it lasts me almost a week. Just plain YUM.
I combined the “meat” filling of this one with GF noodles and veggies and Daiya cheese and wow! I was impressed. At first I was nervous about the lentils and quinoa but it was delicious! I will definitely make the filling again. I made the creamy bean filling but I was too nervous about trying so many new things and I didn’t like the taste so I dumped it (also, I was baking this for a dinner party and was scared it wouldn’t turn out very well). But I did use white northern beans from a can. Should I have tried a different bean?
Hello! I have read that it is not suggested to eat tomatoes with starches – can you confirm that or explain how using marinara with sweet potatoes is different, perhaps? Thank you!
I don’t get too complicated with food combining rules, or it would occupy my thoughts too much. I’ve been taught that tomatoes are neutral, and can be combined with a starch or a protein with no issue. That has been my experience, with no bloating or discomfort after eating them together. But, you should try it for yourself and see how your body feels!
That sounds like much stricter rules than I follow! I’ve never had a digestive issue from eating tomatoes with sweet potatoes before, so I enjoy them together. I’d just listen to your body to see how any combination makes you feel.
Can I use yams instead of sweet potatoes? Also – the quinoa – is it recooked or are you rinsing and draining the seeds?
I made this tonight and it was delicious! I only had green lentils so I tried to cook them longer than red would take. Besides that, I followed the recipe but ended up only having enough of the white bean sauce for one layer. We had shredded vegan cheese on hand so I used that for the second white sauce layer. Next time I’d double the white bean sauce portion but vegan cheese didn’t ruin it. Overall, it was really good and different from any other vegan lasagna I’ve made in the past.
Could this recipe be frozen to cook at a later date?
So tasty!
This is very good! I added a big handful of baby spinach to the quinoa (after it was finished cooking – just added, replaced the lid, and let wilt for a few minutes). I also added smoked cheddar cheese on top halfway through baking.
Awesome plant based lasagne! Adding a mix of mozzarella and Parmesan on top took it to the next level 👌