Who needs cheese? This vegan eggplant and legume lasagna recipe delivers a rich-tasting panful of pasta, tomato sauce, roasted garlic and pureed beans.
Place unpeeled garlic cloves in a dry frying pan over medium-high heat. Toast, shaking the pan occasionally, until skins are brown, 5 to 8 minutes. Remove from heat; when cool enough to handle, remove and discard skins.
Bring a large saucepan of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook lasagna sheets in the boiling water, stirring occasionally until tender yet firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Drain.
Preheat oven to 200 degrees C.
Paint the eggplant slices with a light coat of olive oil. Combine eggplant and half the tomato sauce in a lasagna pan. Season with garlic powder, dried herbs, salt, and pepper.
Bake in the preheated oven until eggplant is tender, about 20 minutes. Transfer eggplant to a bowl.
Reduce oven temperature to 175 degrees C.
Combine olives, 4 of the pan-roasted garlic cloves, and 1/4 cup parsley in a food processor. Process until chopped finely. Add chickpeas and white beans. Process until smooth.
Coat the bottom of the lasagna pan with 1/4 of the remaining tomato sauce. Layer 1/4 of the cooked lasagna sheets, 1/3 of the blended beans, and 1/3 of the cooked eggplant slices. Repeat 2 more times. Finish with a layer of lasagna sheets and the remaining tomato sauce.
Chop the remaining 2 pan-roasted garlic cloves; sprinkle garlic granules and 1 tablespoon parsley on top of lasagna.
Bake in the hot oven until bubbly, about 30 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.