I’m constantly halving recipes to avoid excessive leftovers in our two-person household. So it was nice to learn about Vegan for One: Hot Tips and Inspired Recipes for Cooking Solo by Beverly Lynn Bennett and Ellen Jaffe Jones. Their recipes actually work well for singles and couples, since most make two servings. This deconstructed veggie lasagna recipe is a great sample recipe. It shows the everyday ease, nutrition, and style of this simple cookbook.
The chapters in Vegan for One include Dressings, Salads, and Slaws; Soups; Wraps and Sandwiches; Side Dishes; Main Dishes; Cookies, Bars, and Sweet Treats; and Baked Goods and Desserts. Below is a selection of the recipes that piqued my interest.
Spiced Apple-Walnut Roll-Up
- Tex-Mex Breakfast Burritos
- Dark Chocolate Sauce
- Savory Onion Gravy
- Kale Caesar Salad with Roasted Chickpea Croutons
- Miso Noodle Soup
- Mexicali Corn Quesadillas
- Smoky-Bacon Brussels Sprouts
- Caribbean Black Beans with Mango Salsa
- California Vegetables au Gratin
- Tuscan Tempeh with Onion and Bell Pepper
- Caramel-Almond Blondies
- Fruit Galette for One
And of course, this wonderful deconstructed veggie lasagna is impossible to resist. It’s a plant-based pasta with a hint of convenience and loads of nutrition.
This cookbook does include many gluten-free recipes, but many of the recipes do use wheat. I added a gluten-free pasta option to the deconstructed veggie lasagna recipe below.
Special Diet Notes: Deconstructed Veggie Lasagna
By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, egg-free, optionally gluten-free, nut-free, peanut-free, vegan, plant-based, and vegetarian.
- Pinch sea salt (optional) + additional to taste
- 4 ounces pasta (such as penne, rotini, or ziti; optionally gluten free)
- 1 cup frozen California mixed vegetables (broccoli, carrots, and cauliflower) or other frozen mixed vegetables
- ¼ cup diced red or yellow onion
- ¼ cup diced red bell pepper
- 1½ teaspoons olive oil
- 2 large cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning or ½ teaspoon dried basil + ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- 4 ounces firm or extra-firm tofu
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast flakes
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ¾ cup dairy-free marinara sauce
- ¼ cup dairy-free mozzarella cheese shreds
- Freshly ground black pepper
- To cook the pasta, fill a large saucepan two-thirds full with water. Add the optional salt and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Add the pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, according to the package instructions or until tender. Reserve ¼ cup of the pasta water. Drain the pasta in a colander and return it to the saucepan.
- While the pasta is cooking, make the vegetable mixture. Put the frozen vegetables, onion, bell pepper, and oil in a large nonstick skillet and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and Italian seasoning and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender, 2 to 3 minutes.
- While the vegetable mixture is cooking, make the tofu ricotta. Put the tofu, nutritional yeast, and lemon juice in a small bowl. Add the reserved pasta water and mash with a fork to combine.
- Add the tofu mixture to the cooked pasta and stir until well incorporated.
- Add the pasta mixture to the vegetable mixture in the skillet and stir to combine. Add the marinara sauce and cheese and stir until evenly distributed.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot.
- Stored in an airtight container; the extra serving of deconstructed lasagna will keep for
- days in the refrigerator. Warm in a small saucepan or skillet over medium-low heat before serving.
Key Pantry Ingredients: Deconstructed Veggie Lasagna
More Recipes by Chef Beverly Lynn Bennett
Tropical Fruit Parfaits with Vanilla Nut Whip (vegan, gluten-free & soy-free)
Shredded Vegetable & Kale Pancakes (vegan, gluten-free & allergy-friendly)
Chocolate Lover’s Cupcakes (vegan, gluten-free & soy-free)
Want More Recipes? Enjoy my Cookbook Eat Dairy Free!

11 Comments
This recipe is really a time-saving way on cooking 😉 I do hate put food in the fridge for days because the taste will not good anymore when we re-warm it. Thus, I always try to calculate how much ingredient I can eat in every meal xo
I actually know so many people who struggle to cook for just one or two people so this will be hugely helpful! Thank you for sharing, love this recipe!
What a delicious dinner for the family! The layers of flavor sound wonderful!
Love this “deconstructed” version of lasagna! This looks absolutely incredible! So delicious, nutritious + full of flavor! This is up there in the next meals I just have to try! Thank you for this amazing recipe 🙂
Happy to share it!
This looks delicious and super family friendly! I can’t wait to try it out 🙂
Love this! My hubby hates leftovers and meals like this always make so much. This is perfect!
I’m in the same boat – my husband hates leftovers! It’s so frustrating!
This looks so great! I love the variety and option for 1 or 2 servings! I would use the 2 as a leftover for lunch!
I love this recipe! I’m too lazy to make full-on lasagna but it is such a cozy and yummy meal..best of both worlds here! This sounds so good.
I know what you mean. It never seems worth it for smaller households.