Vegetarian Lasagna Recipe
- Simon
- Last Updated on March 18, 2024
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
After you make this veggie lasagna, you will never want boring meat lasagna ever again. Vegetable lasagna is so much more flavorful and it is healthy! You will surely get your daily servings of veggies in when you have a nice big slice of this delicious lasagna! This meatless lasagna recipe is sure to win your heart and fill your belly.
Easy Vegetable Lasagna Recipe
When you first look at the ingredients for this vegetable lasagna recipe, it looks like a lot. However, it really is not that bad! Most of the ingredients are just vegetables and cheese! That is what makes the best vegetable lasagna, after all!
This vegetable lasagna also uses jarred tomato sauce rather than homemade sauce. While you can definitely make your own homemade pasta sauce for this recipe, it is also okay to just use a high quality store bought jar of sauce. It will save you so much time! We have a few tips below about how to make jarred sauce a little bit more flavorful with just a few simple ingredients. But using jarred sauce is always a good idea, especially if you are in a rush.
Once you try this vegetable lasagna, you may never want to eat a meat lasagna ever again. The veggies seriously add so much flavor and texture to the dish that it is amazing. Get ready to make vegetable lasagna unlike you have ever had before! This restaurant-worthy dish is unbeatable and meat lovers and vegetarians will agree!
Ingredients for Veggie Lasagna
Here is a quick look at the ingredients you will need to make vegetable lasagna. The full quantities are listed in the recipe below but looking over the ingredients and why they are used will really help you make the best veggie lasagna ever.
- Olive oil – Extra virgin olive oil is always the best. It is the most pure form of olive oil and the flavor reflects the high quality.
- Carrots – Carrots add a naturally sweet and earthy flavor to the veggie packed lasagna.
- Red bell pepper – Red bell peppers add a little bit of spice and also a rich pepper flavor.
- Eggplant – Eggplant helps make the veggie filling hearty and filling.
- Zucchini – Zucchini gives the filling a nice flavor and texture. Plus, zucchini is a hearty vegetable that will fill you right up!
- Diced onion – Use white or yellow onion which are typically the best for cooking Italian style meals.
- Minced garlic – Pre minced garlic or freshly chopped garlic cloves will both work well.
- Baby spinach – Baby spinach adds a healthy green veggie to the vegetable lasagna. You can also use regular fresh spinach, if needed, just be sure to chop in smaller so that it layers into the casserole dish easily.
- Salt ground black pepper
- Ricotta cheese – Use whole milk ricotta cheese for the most flavor and the best texture.
- Cottage cheese – Whole milk cottage cheese is also the best option. Strain the cheese overnight to eliminate some of the water and help make the filling thicker.
- Grated parmesan cheese – Parmesan adds a salty taste to the cheese mix and it is a classic Italian cheese. Almost every Italian dish has parmesan cheese!
- No boil lasagna noodles – No boil lasagna noodles are so easy to use. They will soften as the vegetable lasagna bakes so there is no need to cook lasagna noodles before assembling the lasagna. You can use regular lasagna noodles if you’d like, just make sure to boil them according to the box directions before layering them into the baking dish.
- Shredded mozzarella cheese – Buy pre shredded cheese to save on time and make this a quick and easy vegetable lasagna.
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Marinara sauce – Store bought marinara sauce is just fine for this veggie lasagna. It already has so many flavors thanks to the blend of vegetables that it will taste incredible.
Variations
Here are a few vegetable lasagna variations and ingredient substitutes that you may want to try.
- Use gluten free noodles in place of no boil noodles to make a gluten free vegetarian lasagna recipe. You can also use whole wheat noodles. Just make sure to cook the noodles to al dente before putting the lasagna together.
- Use all ricotta cheese rather than a blend of cottage cheese and ricotta. This will make the ricotta mixture a little bit richer and more flavorful. On the other hand, you can use all cottage cheese to make a lower calorie vegetarian lasagna.
- Add some fresh basil to the food processor along with the cooked veggies for a, Italian flavor boost.
- Add some interest to your jarred tomato sauce by stirring in some garlic powder, chopped fresh basil, chopped fresh parsley, red pepper flakes or even just a teaspoon of Italian seasoning. All of these little herbs and spices will give your jarred sauce more of a homemade taste.
- Stir one egg into the ricotta mix. This will help it bake thicker and be more firm. Some people like the looser texture of the ricotta mixture but, if you want your healthy vegetable lasagna to slice neatly, an egg will help it hold it’s shape.
- Replace the zucchini or the eggplant with a yellow squash. Yellow squash has a wonderful sweet flavor and it goes great with the classic vegetable lasagna.
- Any color of bell peppers will work. Red bell peppers are actually quite sweet which is why we love the flavor. You can also use jar roasted red peppers, if desired.
How to Make Vegetable Lasagna
Follow these simple steps to make the best vegetable lasagna recipe of your life! The fresh veggies make such a huge, flavorful impact on the lasagna that you will be amazed.
- Prepare: Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F. Get a 9×9 inch baking dish ready.
- Cook the veggies: saute the onions, carrots, and pepper with the olive oil over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add the chopped eggplant and zucchini and cook for 5 more minutes.
- Pulse: Add the cooked veggies to a food processor and pulse to chop the fresh veggies into smaller pieces. Scoop the mix into a medium bowl.
- Mix: Add the ricotta, cottage cheese, parmesan cheese, salt and pepper to the food processor and puree until smooth and whipped.
- Assemble the vegetarian lasagna: spread some sauce in the bottom of the baking dish. This will prevent the lasagna noodles from sticking to the bottom of the casserole dish. Place three lasagna noodles in the baking dish then top with a layer of cheese mixture and a layer of veggies.
- Layer the lasagna noodles: Continue to layer the lasagna in the casserole dish, adding the sauce, lasagna noodles, ricotta mixture then veggies. Once the casserole dish is full, end with a sprinkle of the mozzarella.
- Cover and bake: Cover the 9×9 inch baking dish with foil then place the prepared baking dish into the oven to bake. Bake the vegetable lasagna for 20 minutes then uncover and bake for 10 more minutes. The cheese should be melted and the sauce should be bubbling around the edges.
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Serve: Let the lasagna cool for about 10 minutes then garnish with some fresh basil, if desired, and serve!
How to Store Vegetable Lasagna
If you happen to have leftover hearty vegetable lasagna, wrap the cooled lasagna in plastic wrap and place it in the fridge. It will stay fresh for about a week. You can reheat the veggie lasagna in the oven for about 10 minutes. It will be fresh and absolutely delicious as leftovers!
You can also freeze this tasty veggie lasagna. Assemble the lasagna according to the directions in the recipe but do not bake it yet. Instead, wrap the baking dish completely in plastic wrap and freeze for up to three months. Take it out, unwrap it and pop it in the oven whenever you need an easy meal! Just bake the vegetable lasagna for about 10 minutes longer since it will be frozen.
Best Vegetarian Lasagna Ever
Give this incredible vegetable lasagna a try and you will surely fall in love with this recipe. It is easy enough to make during the week but delicious enough to serve at Christmas dinner. Don’t forget to check out our zucchini lasagna recipe for another fantastic dish. And, if you liked making this lasagna, you may want to take an incredible cooking class near you! There are so many great classes to try that you will be able to cook like a true Italian chef in no time. Enjoy!
Vegetarian Lasagna
Equipment
- 1 Large Skillet
- 1 Food Processor
- 1 9x9 inch Baking Pan
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil extra virgin
- 1 cup carrots chopped
- 1 red bell pepper chopped
- 1 cup eggplant peeled and chopped
- 1 cup zucchini chopped
- 1 cup onion diced
- 1 tablespoon garlic minced
- 6 ounces baby spinach
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 8 ounces ricotta cheese
- 8 ounces cottage cheese
- 1 cup parmesan cheese grated
- 9 lasagna noodles not boiled
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese shredded
- 3 cups marinara sauce
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F.
- Add the olive oil to a large skillet and heat over medium high heat. Add the onions, carrots, and bell pepper to the skillet and saute for 5 minutes. Add the zucchini and eggplant, toss, and continue to cook for 5 more minutes. The veggies should be soft.
- Add the garlic and spinach to the skillet and stir well. Once the spinach has wilted, remove the skillet from the stovetop.
- Add the veggies to a food processor and pulse just a few times to chop up the veggies into smaller pieces. Do not over-mix! You do not want to purre the veggies, just chop them smaller. Pour the veggies into a bowl.
- Add the salt, pepper, ricotta, cottage cheese and the grated parmesan to a food processor and pulse until smooth.
- Spread about 1/2 cup of the marinara sauce in the bottom of a 9x9 inch baking pan. Place three no-boil noodles across the bottom of the pan. Spread 1/3 of the ricotta cheese mix on top of the noodles then top with 1/3 of the veggie mix. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese.
- Add another layer of tomato sauce, followed by three more noodles, 1/3 of the ricotta mixture, and another layer of veggies. Repeat this layering until you end with tomato sauce on top and a sprinkle of mozzarella cheese as the last layer.
- Wrap the pan in foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil then bake for another 10 minutes. The cheese should be melted and the sauce should be bubbling around the edges.
- Let the veggie lasagna cool for about 10 minutes then slice and serve.
Disclaimer: Please be aware that the food images displayed on this website are for illustrative purposes only. They do not represent the actual dishes or presentations you might achieve when following our recipes. While we strive to inspire your culinary journey, the appearance of your dishes may vary.
Frequent Asked Questions
We want to help you make a vegetable lasagna that is worthy of 5 stars. Take a look at these frequently asked questions and answers and hopefully this great recipe will turn out perfectly for you!
How do you keep vegetable lasagna from being watery?
Using oven-ready noodles really helped prevent the lasagna from being watery. When you cook lasagna noodles, they tend to add a lot of moisture to the vegetable lasagna. When you use no cook noodles, they will absorb the water and moisture from the lasagna as it bakes. This is why we always use no boil noodles when making vegetable lasagna!
What is vegetable lasagna made of?
This vegetable lasagna uses a blend of vegetables including carrots, zucchini, diced eggplant, bell peppers, and onions. No boil noodles and a ricotta, parmesan and cottage cheese mixture is layered into the lasagna as well. Shredded mozzarella goes between the layers and on top of the lasagna making it cheesy and delicious.
What vegetables go well with lasagna?
Zucchini, bell pepper and eggplant are the most common veggies used to make vegetable lasagna. These veggies are used a lot in classic Italian cooking which is why they go so well with this hearty vegetable lasagna! All that Italian flavor is hard to resist!
What not to do when making lasagna?
When making lasagna, be sure not to end on a dry noodle as the top layer. You always want a layer of sauce and a sprinkle of mozzarella to be the top of the lasagna. This will prevent the lasagna from drying out and getting too crisp.
