Vegan Low Sodium Lasagna (Heartburn Friendly!)

This vegan white lasagne is heartburn friendly and low-sodium, making it a great dish for many people with various dietary needs. It’s a healthy meal, packed with veggies!

Ingredients

• 1 package of Lasagne noodles (I like no-boil or oven ready noodles) Make sure they’re vegan!

For the Filling

• Olive oil (1-2 tbsp)
• 16 oz mushrooms of choice (I used baby bella mushrooms)
• 2 bunches of kale
• 3 garlic cloves
• slat and black pepper to taste

For the Sauce

• 4 tbsp vegan butter
• 2 tbsp all purpose flour
• 2 1/2 cups unsweetened oat milk
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 lemon squeezed for juice

Optional Topping

• Vegan Mozzarella (skip this to make it lower in sodium. I promise it will still be completely delicious!)

Why You’ll Love It

Lasagne is a classic Italian food, but traditional lasagna recipes contains marinara sauce. This veggie lasagna is white though, so that people suffering from heartburn can participate without having to pay the price! No tomato sauce or tomato paste to cause heartburn or heighten the sodium level in the dish. Instead, this is packed with veggies – be sure to add this into your rotation of healthy recipes!

Background

I came up with this recipe one weekend when my sister and father came to visit me. My sister’s lunch request was for the Butternut Squash Kale Lasagne I make. But I knew that would cause my dad misery because tomato sauce results in heartburn for him. Plus, he is trying to follow a low sodium diet to keep his high blood pressure at bay. I knew I needed to avoid the tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes, but it also happened to be a week during which I didn’t get butternut squash in my farm share. Instead, I had mushrooms. And mushrooms go so well with a creamy white sauce. I came up with this easy recipe on the fly, but perfected it over time. Even though there are a few steps to it, this is in fact an easy lasagna recipe!

How to Prepare

For the filling: mince the garlic cloves (3) and thinly slice the mushroom (16 oz) and kale (2 bunches).

In a large saute pan or skillet with a lid, warm about 1 tbsp of olive oil on medium heat. Once warm, sauté the garlic and mushrooms uncovered. Once the mushrooms are softened, remove and set aside in a medium bowl.

Add the kale to the oiled skillet and cook with the lid on for about 2 minutes. Once the kale has wilted a little, cook some more uncovered until the kale has reached a dark color, about 5 minutes. Set aside into a large bowl.

In the same large skillet and still on medium heat, melt the vegan butter (4 tbsp) to start the white pasta sauce. Once the butter is melted, add the 2 tbsp of all-purpose flour and mix well until it turns into a thick paste. Now slowly add in the oat milk (2 1/2 cups) while constantly stirring. Do this until the sauce has thickened.

Add the spices and lemon juice, and give it a taste test. Feel free to add some red pepper flakes if you want to add a bit of spice to the sauce.

Assemble the lasagne: First step, preheat the oven to 350° Fahrenheit.

Start your lasagne by covering the bottom of the baking dish with a layer of the sauce.

Add a layer of noodles on top. (Your noodles need to either be oven ready out of the box or already boiled according to the package directions if that is the type you bought.)

Evenly place half of the mushrooms and half of the kale on top of the noodles. (*See notes about layer options.)

Follow another layer of sauce and noodles.

Repeat layers: add the rest of the mushrooms and kale, top with sauce (be sure to save a good amount for the final layer!) and noodles.

Finally, place the last of the remaining sauce on top of the noodles and add the vegan cheese if you opt to do so. Add as much cheese as you wish, but skip this if you are going for a low-sodium lasagna. This final layer of sauce needs to entirely cover the top noodles, or else they will dry out in the oven. You should now have sauce, noodles, veggies, sauce, noodles, veggies, sauce, noodles, sauce, cheese. (*See notes about dish and layer differences.)

Cover the lasagne with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. (You really DO want to cover your lasagne in aluminum foil. I tested it without foil once when I had run out of it, and it caused the top layer of noodles to be too dry and uncomortably crunchy.) At that point, remove the foil and bake for another 10 minutes.

Let cool for 10 minutes before serving. 

How to Serve

Cut a generous piece of lasagne (preferably along the edge of a noodle) and carefully transfer it onto a plate. Serve with fresh bread and a side salad in a small bowl. Make the salad with greens, bell peppers (if your heartburn prone person is okay with these), and cucumber to avoid tomatoes here too! Try using italian seasoning on your salad to stay on theme.

How to Store

Let the lasagne cool completely. The easiest (and prettiest) way to store the lasagne is right in the dish you baked it in. If your dish came with a lid, that’s the ideal way to store it, since this will turn it into an airtight container. If not, cover it in plastic foil, being careful not to touch the top of the lasagne. Either way, make sure to let the lasagne cool completely before covering it up. Once cool and covered, place in refrigerator and eat within 3 days to enjoy it as fresh as possible. Lasagne makes for great leftovers!

Lasagnas freeze really well, but it’s best to freeze it before you bake it. I suggest you double the recipe, make 2 lasagnas at once (assuming you have two dishes), but only bake one. Let the other cool completely before covering it in aluminum foil. (Write the baking instructions on it for extra ease once you thaw it!) If your dish comes with a top, add that on top of the aluminum foil to help prevent freezer burn as much as possible. If you have the time, let the lasagne cool down even more in the fridge for a few hours before placing in the freezer. Consume within 3 months after placing into the freezer. Thaw in the fridge overnight before baking.

Other Recipes You Might Enjoy

This Butternut Squash Kale Lasagne is filled with veggies. It’s healthy and satisfying, and pretty straight forward to make! If you’re looking to make this one heartburn friendly too, you can just use the white sauce recipe from above and substitute that for the tomato sauce in the Butternut Squash Kale Lasagna. 

This Deliciously Simple Vegan Spinach Tofu Lasagna is the simplest of the lasagna recipes I have. It’s as delicious as it is healthy!

Q&A

Is Lasagna High In Sodium?

Traditional lasagnas are usually filled with tomato sauce, meats, and lots of cheese, all of which add sodium to the dish. Because this dish is vegan and made with a white sauce, the sodium level of this recipe is much lower. If you want to go even further, then cut out the salt used in the white sauce and try adding in some fresh herbs instead.

Can my kid help me?

Yes, your child can help you prepare this dish! My 2 year old is in charge of cutting the mushrooms with one of her Montessori style knives. It’s sharp enough to cut the mushrooms, but not so sharp that I have to worry about her cutting herself. Obviously, the older your child, the more they can help you prepare. Having your child help you layer the lasagne into the prepared baking dish is another great way to get them involved without having to be too concerned about the process or safety of your child. 

Is It Spelled Lasagna or Lasagne?

You may have noticed that I used both spellings, lasagna and lasagne. Why? Well, in American spelling, it’s written Lasagna. But this is an Italian dish, and in Italian Lasagna would be singular. The dish itself is plural because of the multiple noodles and layers. So, in proper Italian spelling, it really is lasagne with an e at the end. I was fortunate enough to be able to live in Italy for two years, so it kind of hurts my eyes to spell it with an a. But I know that my readers most likely expect it spelled that way – lasagna. So I opted to mix. Ha!

Continue to Content

Vegan White Lasagne Recipe (heartburn friendly!)

Yield: 4

Prep Time: 45 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes

This creamy vegan white lasagne doesn't use any tomatoes or tomato sauce, so it's heartburn friendly. Filled with delicious vegetables, it is completely satisfying on its own.

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Ingredients

• 1 package of Lasagne noodles (I like no-boil or oven ready noodles) Make sure they're vegan!

For the Filling

• Olive oil (1-2 tbsp)
• 16 oz mushrooms of choice (I used baby bella mushrooms)
• 2 bunches of kale
• 3 garlic cloves
• slat and black pepper to taste

For the Sauce

• 4 tbsp vegan butter
• 2 tbsp all purpose flour
• 2 1/2 cups unsweetened oat milk
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 lemon squeezed for juice

Optional Topping

• Vegan Mozzarella

Instructions

1. For the filling: mince the garlic cloves (3) and thinly slice the mushroom (16 oz) and kale (2 bunches).
2. In a large skillet with a lid, warm about 1 tbsp of olive oil on medium heat. Once warm, sautee the garlic and mushrooms uncovered. Once the mushrooms are softened, remove and set aside.
3. Add the kale to the oiled skillet and cook with the lid on for about 2 minutes. Once the kale as wilted a little, cook some more uncovered until the kale has reached a dark color, about 5 minutes. Set aside.
4. In the same skillet and still on medium heat, melt the vegan butter (4 tbsp) to start the sauce. Once the butter is melted, add the 2 tbsp of all purpose flour and mix well until it turns into a thick paste. Now slowly add in the oat milk (2 1/2 cups) while constantly stirring. Do this until the sauce has thickened.
5. Add the spices and lemon juice, and give it a taste test.
6. Assemble the lasagne: First step, preheat the oven to 350° Fahrenheit.
7. Start your lasagne by covering the baking dish with a layer of the sauce.
8. Add a layer of noodles on top. (Your noodles need to either be oven ready out of the box or already boiled if that is the type you bought.)
9. Evenly place half of the mushrooms and half of the kale on top of the noodles. (*See notes about layer options.)
10. Follow another layer of sauce and noodles.
11. Add the rest of the mushrooms and kale, top with sauce (be sure to save a good amount for the final layer!) and noodles.
12. Finally place the last of the sauce on top of the noodles and add the vegan cheese if you opt to do so. This final layer of sauce needs to entirely cover the top noodles or else they will dry out in the oven. You should now have sauce, noodles, veggies, sauce, noodles, veggies, sauce, noodles, sauce, cheese. (*See notes about dish and layer differences.)
13. Cover the lasagne with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. At that point remove the foil and bake for another 10 minutes.
14. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Notes

Be sure to double check what kind of lasagne noodles you bought. Many require that you boil them FIRST, before you layer the lasagne. If you bought these regular lasagna noodles, you'll have to boil them in a large pot acording to the package directions. I like to cut this step out by buying "oven ready" or "no boil" noodles. These can go straight from the box into the lasagne dish.

*I find this recipe makes just the right amount for 4 adults to eat just the lasagne with a few slices of freshly bakes bread and a small salad. These are generous servings. I've made this in different size and shape lasagne dishes and depending on the dish, it can sometimes only come out as a single layer of veggies in order to really fill that layer. (So: sauce, noodles, veggies, sauce, nooodles, sauce.) While I prefer to get a few more noodles in there, I've never not liked this lasagne, no matter how many layers of noodles it had or how thick the lasagne ended up being. 

I use a glass baking dish and find that I don't need to grease it, neither with oil nor with any sort of non-stick spray (which I stay away from anyway!).

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