Lasagna is one of the most popular world dishes. Not knowing the exact origin, we credit Italians for the fame of this widely spread amazingly delicious dish.
Lasagna with little to many ingredients can be made both simply as well as exquisitely!
The main ingredients of lasagna are the dough or base, tomato, cheese, meat or protein, olive or sunflower oil, and various spices and herbs. The base is composed of eggs, flour, a pinch of salt and some water.
However, if you are vegan, allergic to eggs, watching your cholesterol or simply ran out of eggs, you would have surely wondered how to substitute those creamy, rich sphere balls! Don’t worry, we have you covered. Your lasagna without eggs is not going to be a soggy mess nor a dry desert.
But first, in order to substitute it wisely let’s understand why eggs are used in lasagna in the first place.
The Role Of Eggs In Lasagna
You surely would have wondered while having a creamy, cheesy, soft pasta, as to what exactly makes the cheese so dense, luscious and thick.
Well, no more mystery because that is what role eggs play in lasagna! They make lasagna more creamy and dense by binding the cheese together making a creamy, rich, and perfectly delicious texture we absolutely enjoy.
Eggs are traditionally scrambled and mixed with cheese to bind the cheese molecules together. The most common cheese used in lasagna is ricotta which is pretty watery, lumpy and loose, hence binding is an important factor for a perfect lasagna.
Egg binds the cheese, not letting it drip out from the layers of pasta before one can even take a bite. It allows the ricotta cheese to stick together properly creating a pleasant, dense, creamy, non-drippy meal.
Knowing its role now, let’s list the best substitutes for eggs in lasagna.
7 Great Egg Substitutes For Lasagna
Flaxseed with water
This substitute works great in any recipe wherein eggs are used as a binder. It can even be used in baking cakes and cupcakes as well because it does the work of binding without imparting any particular flavour to it.
Just mix grounded flaxseed with a little bit of water making the mixture gooey. This happens because water breaks down a fibre in flaxseed called mucilage- a sticky part of the seed coat. Thereby, making the entire mixture sticky as well. This texture is similar to egg which makes it the perfect substitute.
Just add the gooey mixture with ricotta cheese, make your lasagna and enjoy it eggless!
Mashed potato or parsnip:
Just boil some potatoes or tangy parsnips and mash them up. Use this mixture by combining it with ricotta cheese and spreading it on the layers. The vegetable mash provides an excellent binder for your lasagna. What’s more, this substitute makes your lasagna even heartier than the traditional type.
If you are vegan, just skip the cheese and pile the vegetable mash in between the layers generously. It will provide that nice thick hearty texture you are looking for!
Arrowroot with water
Arrowroot works just like flax seeds in providing a wonderful binding similar to that of eggs.
Just mix one tablespoon of arrowroot powder with two tablespoons of water for each egg you won’t use. After stirring it up, combine the mixture with cheese and spread it onto your lasagna layers. Enjoy!
Unsweetened, pureed pumpkin or zucchini
As long as you would love to have a more seasonal flavoured lasagna, than the traditional ones, this substitute will work wonders. Puree the vegetable or simply buy a store-bought unsweetened pumpkin or zucchini puree. Mix it with the cheese and layer it up in between your pasta. This substitute makes a great seasonal lasagna while maintaining the same texture like that of a traditional one.
Since the flavours of this lasagna will be more seasonal, switch the red sauce for a more buttery, sage based white sauce. This would create a wonderful combination of creamy vegetables with buttery notes of sauce.
Bechamel sauce
Trust us, this option takes your traditional lasagna to the next level! You won’t require to add ricotta cheese as Bechamel sauce will fill in for both eggs as well as ricotta.
In order to do so, just mix flour, milk, butter and your favourite choice of cheese (parmesan, mozzarella, vegan). Adding cheese is completely optional. Then, just slather this mixture all over your lasagna layers.
Feel free to experiment with new spices and sauces along with this substitute as there are so many ways one could alter it up!
Plain, unsweetened yoghurt
When not using the egg, just add plain unsweetened yoghurt to your ricotta mixture for a creamier and thicker texture.
You can as well replace the ricotta cheese entirely with your choice of cheese (parmesan, mozzarella, vegan) as owing to its stickiness, yoghurt stays well together.
Heavy cream with cornstarch
You can completely trust heavy cream to make the creamiest egg substitutes. This option is wonderful for people looking for that thick, dense, luscious creaminess in their lasagna.
Simply mix the heavy cream with a tiny bit of corn starch and combine this mixture with ricotta cheese. Apply this mixture in between your pasta, cook and enjoy the heavenliness of rich lasagna!
The Wrap Up
Trust us, nothing calms one better than a perfectly baked lasagna.
Now that you know you can make a perfectly delicious lasagna without using any eggs, don’t shy away and bake your own soon.
An egg is merely a binding agent used to make the most commonly used ricotta cheese firmer and richer. This can be substituted with many ingredients to make it eggless.
If for any good reason you want to avoid eggs in your lasagna, or have simply run out of it, just use any of the above-mentioned substitutes as per your preference. And make your own hearty plate of lasagna!
Hope this article helps reduce your anxiety about making an eggless lasagna and opens up a wider spectrum of various substitutes one can try.
