BBQ Pulled Jackfruit Lasagna

⭐️ Why You Will Love It

• It’s easy to make: it takes about 20 minutes of prep time + 30 minutes of baking.
• It’s delicious: smoky pulled jackfruit, buttery bechamel sauce, and tender lasagna pasta. What else could we ask for?! Plus, it has the perfect balance of sweetness and saltiness!
• It reheats well: leftovers keep for up to 4 days in the refrigerator, so you can easily reheat it on a weeknight evening if you are in a hurry.

BBQ Jackfruit

It all starts with the jackfruit, which is the main component of this lasagna. It brings a smoky flavor and a super meaty texture! Here is what you will need:

• Young green jackfruit – I went with two 14-ounce cans. Use young green jackfruit, not the sweet and yellow kind.
• Ketchup – Regular tomato ketchup.
• Mustard – I personally went with Dijon mustard for more spiciness, but you can use regular yellow mustard.
• Worcestershire sauce – Regular Worcestershire sauce is not vegan as it contains anchovies. Make sure you are using a vegan Worcestershire sauce.
• Soy sauce – For extra umami and for saltiness.
• Coconut sugar – Coconut sugar helps balance the spicy mustard and the saltiness of the sauce. You can substitute the coconut sugar with maple syrup, agave, or regular sugar. Feel free to omit it if you want less sweetness.
• Spices – Smoked paprika for that smoky barbecue flavor, ground cumin, and ground black pepper.

First, start by sautéing garlic in some oil until fragrant.

In the meantime, rinse and drain the jackfruit and cut off the hardcore part. Using your hands, or a fork, shred the jackfruit. Personally, I like to leave some larger pieces for more texture.

Bechamel

Then comes the bechamel sauce that brings richness and creaminess to the lasagna.

Simply combine unsweetened almond milk (or any other plant-based milk), nutritional yeast, salt, nutmeg, potato starch, and vegan butter in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, whisking constantly until it thickens.

Making the Lasagna

It’s now time to assemble! Here is how to arrange the layers:

1. Spread half of the BBQ jackfruit in a baking dish. The jackfruit will be quite saucy, so make sure you are adding the sauce as well.
2. Top with sheets of lasagna.
3. Spread half of the bechamel sauce over the lasagna sheets.
4. Repeat once.

📔 Tips

• Soak the lasagna sheets in warm water for 5-10 minutes. It will soften them and will allow them to cook more evenly in the oven.
• Do not shred all of the jackfruit. This is optional, but I recommend shredding half of the jackfruit and only roughly shredding the rest. It will give your lasagna a meatier texture with larger chunks of juicy jackfruit!
• If reheating the lasagna, cover the baking dish with aluminum foil to prevent the lasagna from drying.
• For even more texture, feel free to add 1 cup of sliced mushrooms to the jackfruit filling! Cook the mushrooms right after adding the garlic for 2-3 minutes before adding the jackfruit.