This is one of those meals where the first bite gave me nostalgia. It reminded me of all of the insanely delicious Italian food I was blessed with growing up. This dish has all the flavor and textures of a cozy, saucy, and cheesy lasagna bake without the noodles or dairy! It’s a lightened up version of the hearty dish we all know and love.

I know eggplant is a late summer produce item, but i’m totally making this all fall and winter long. Especially for the holidays! I try to eat seasonally for the most part, but there are just some foods that I love year round!

This is a dish even meat eaters will devour. I know from experience! This will honestly have anyone fooled that it’s gluten and dairy free. It’s way too good to notice!

The ricotta cheese is made with a cashew base, making it both vegan and soy free. It’s simple to make once the cashews have been soaked overnight. It comes together in a few minutes, and has the texture and flavor of ricotta cheese.

Once the eggplant slices get baked up and tender, it’s a quick layering of tomato sauce, the “cheese”, some fresh basil, and the eggplant. Sign me up!

When this eggplant lasagna comes out of the oven, the tomato sauce is bubbling and the cashew cheese gets that warm melt-in-your-mouth texture. The eggplant gets super soft and tender, giving it a similar texture to a noodle but with more nutrients and grain free!

Great for gatherings, but also for meal prep. just pop it right in the oven to heat up and serve with your favorite veggies, salad, or pasta. I honestly just keep this in the pie dish to store in my refrigerator to reheat it instead of transferring it to storage containers! Lazy yet practical 😉

If you want a vegan parmesan to sprinkle over the top, I’ve got a super simple one linked here. It makes a good sized batch that you can keep in the fridge for sprinkling over all things savory. Soo good!

Enjoy! xx

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