Unexpectedly, this became one of our family dinners. Layers of cheese, a smoky black bean sauce and noodles makes this Black Bean Lasagna unforgettable. You're just 8 ingredients and a 9x13 inch casserole dish away from a cozy weeknight dinner.
If lasagna is the best food to drop off on someone's porch when you're thinking of them, what do we do if they're vegetarian? Enter black bean lasagna! This has all the comforts of lasagna: tangy tomato sauce layered with creamy layers of cheese and soft noodles, but no meat!
I promise you will like this even better than regular lasagna, because this smoky black bean tomato sauce is so delicious! We're using a few spices to make the sauce smoky and delicious: cumin, chili powder, and smoked paprika. You might have some leftover smoked paprika from making my pinto bean casserole, which is another easy warm casserole to bring to someone!
The Ingredients
- Black Beans. Two 15-ounce cans of black beans, drained and rinsed.
- Marinara. Find your favorite jar of store-bought pre-made marinara sauce. You need 28-ounces of it.
- Cumin. One and a half teaspoons of ground cumin gives this black bean lasagna a subtle smoky flavor.
- Chili Powder. One and a half teaspoons of chili powder. Be sure to use chili powder, not chile powder. Chili powder is a spice blend that is a mixture of dried ground chiles, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, paprika and cumin. This is different from chile powder, which is one type of chile that has been dried and ground up. It is usually spicy, so be sure to read your labels carefully.
- Broth. We need a small amount of liquid to make the filling, so 1.5 cups of vegetable broth keeps this recipe vegetarian. If you only have chicken or beef broth, that is totally fine to use as well.
- Cheese. Three cups of Mexican-style shredded cheese blend.
- Ricotta. Two cups of whole-milk ricotta cheese.
- Lasagna Noodles. In order to save an extra step, I use the no-boil lasagna noodles. We need 9-12 lasagna noodles, or enough for three layers of noodles. if you're using the long skinny ones, you probably need 9 (or 3 for each layer). If you're using the rectangular stout ones, you probably need 12 (or 4 for each layer).
How to Make Black Bean Lasagna
First, preheat the oven to 350 and have ready a 9x13-inch casserole dish. Combine the beans with the pasta sauce, spices, salt, and vegetable broth in a large pan. Bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes, stirring often. Use a potato masher to smash about ½ of the beans. Set aside to cool.
Meanwhile, combine 2 cups of the cheese (reserving the other cup for the top), ricotta and salt in a bowl and have ready on the side.
To layer your lasagna, start by placing one-quarter of the tomato-black bean sauce on the bottom of the dish. Follow this with one-third of the noodles, half of the ricotta mixture. Repeat again: one quarter of the red sauce, one third of the noodles, the remaining half of the ricotta mixture, one quarter of the red sauce, last third of the noodles, last quarter of the red sauce, and the last of the shredded cheese on top.
After you sprinkle the remaining cup of cheese on top, cover with foil, and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 10 minutes to brown the cheese. It's important to let it rest for 10-15 minutes before attempting to slice and serve.
The Order of Layers in Lasagna
- One quarter of the red sauce on the bottom.
- One third of the noodles.
- Half of the ricotta mixture.
- One quarter of the red sauce.
- One third of the noodles.
- Remaining half of the ricotta mixture.
- One quarter of the red sauce.
- Last third of the noodles.
- Last quarter of red sauce.
- Shredded cheese on top.
This is amazing, reheated for lunch the next day. It's one of my favorite leftovers! Slice into squares and store in an airtight food storage dish. Reheat in the microwave until warm throughout. You can also freeze the squares double-wrapped in plastic wrap and either wrapped in foil or placed in a freezer bag. Thaw overnight in the fridge, and then heat as normal the next day.
I like my Mediterranean Chickpea Salad on the side, warm bread, and a glass f red wine.
Black Bean Lasagna
Cheesy black bean lasagna with a smoky black bean tomato sauce layer!
Ingredients
- 2 15-ounce cans black beans, drained and rinsed
- 28-ounces of pre-made marinara pasta sauce
- 1 ½ teaspoons cumin
- 1 ½ teaspoons chili powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoons salt, divided
- 1 ½ cup veggie broth
- 3 cups shredded Mexican-blend cheese, divided
- 2 cups ricotta
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 9-12 no-boil lasagna noodles*
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350, and have ready a 9x13-inch casserole dish.
- Combine the beans with the pasta sauce, cumin, chili powder, smoked paprika, one teaspoon of the salt and vegetable broth in a large pan. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes, stirring often. Then, use a potato masher to smash about ½ of the beans. Let cool.
- Combine 2 cups of the cheese with the ricotta and the remaining ½ teaspoon of salt.
- Here's how to layer the lasagna:
-One quarter of the red sauce on the bottom.
-One third of the noodles.
-Half of the ricotta mixture.
-One quarter of the red sauce.
-One third of the noodles.
-Remaining half of the ricotta mixture.
-One quarter of the red sauce.
-Last third of the noodles.
-Last quarter of red sauce.
-Remaining 1 cup of shredded cheese on top. - Bake for 30 minutes, covered. Uncover and bake another 10 minutes. Let rest for at least 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
Notes
*We need 9-12 lasagna noodles, or enough for three layers of noodles. if you're using the long skinny ones, you probably need 9 (or 3 for each layer). If you're using the rectangular stout ones, you probably need 12 (or 4 for each layer).
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 570Total Fat: 21gSaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 63mgSodium: 1458mgCarbohydrates: 64gFiber: 13gSugar: 10gProtein: 32g
What to Serve with
Sandra D
This was very good! I halved it and used a glass loaf pan with 6 lasagne noodles (I had to break a piece off, then used the pieces for the sixth noodle). I used a 19 oz can of black beans and half a jar of pasta sauce. I put in some fresh spinach and left out the salt. I also sprinkled a bit of crushed red pepper in the sauce (not enough - I didn't taste any heat at all; I'll add more next time. Thanks for the really nice recipe!