Vegetarian Lasagna

Lighten up your lasagna without lightening up the flavor! This Vegetarian Lasagna recipe is filled with zucchini, mushrooms, spinach and ricotta cheese. It’s a wonderful meatless Italian meal that’s sure to be loved by both vegetarians and meat lovers alike!

It’s a versatile meal that’s delicious with a number of different vegetables! And it’s easily made vegan or gluten free!

Can we talk about my love affair with lasagna for a minute? I mean it’s saucy, cheesy, downright delicious comfort food! What’s not to love?!

While I grew up with lasagna filled with meat sauce, I’m now OBSESSED with how seriously scrumptious lasagna filled with vegetable sauce can be!

So how do you make THE BEST vegetable lasagna recipe that’s just as good, maybe even better, than it’s meat-filled counterpart? Just follow my 3 simple secrets!

So what are my 3 secrets for making THE BEST Vegetarian Lasagna at home?

1. Always dice the vegetables into small pieces for an even-textured vegetable sauce!
2. Always drain liquid from the skillet after you’ve sautéed the vegetables! This will prevent a watery vegetable lasagna.
3. Always mix an egg in with your ricotta cheese! The egg will act as a binder for the cheese layer and will give you a creamy, even cheese layer in your lasagna.

Just following these 3 simple secrets will help you create the perfect vegetarian lasagna every time. Want to mix up the veggies based on the season or what you have in your pantry? No problem!

This lasagna recipe is super versatile and will turn out delicious no matter the combination of vegetables that you decide to use!

Ingredients

• Lasagna noodles – I prefer a classic lasagna noodle, but no-boil noodles can also be used to take out a step in the recipe.
• Whole milk ricotta cheese – I highly recommend using ricotta cheese made from whole milk vs. part skin ricotta cheese. It plays an integral role in making the cheesy layers extra creamy! If you’re not a fan of ricotta cheese, you can also use small curd cottage cheese.
• Egg – I also recommend mixing an egg in with the ricotta cheese when making lasagna. This is used as a binder and will help hold the creamy, cheesy layer together.
• Italian seasoning – I prefer to use my homemade Italian seasoning mix (linked here) but you can also purchase Italian seasoning pre-made at the grocery store.
• Low-moisture mozzarella cheese – using low-moisture mozzarella means the lasagna won’t get watery, which is especially important when making vegetable lasagna because vegetables contain a lot of water content.
• Olive oil
• Baby bella mushrooms – or white button mushrooms, whichever you prefer!
• Zucchini – summer squash can also be used in place of, or in addition to zucchini, if you have an abundance during the summer months!
• Onion
• Garlic
• Baby spinach
• Tomato paste – the tomato paste is what helps thicken the sauce and keeps your vegetarian lasagna from falling apart. It also prevents the sauce from being too thin and watery. This is one ingredient that you definitely don’t want to leave out!
• Tomato sauce
• Petite diced tomatoes
• Salt

Instructions

• Prepare the vegetable sauce.
  • Heat olive oil in a large skillet on the stove over medium high heat.
  • Add diced mushrooms, diced zucchini and diced onions, saute for 6-8 minutes.
    • Quick Tip! I highly recommend a small dice for the vegetables to create a perfect texture in the sauce without large chunks of vegetables popping up in the lasagna.
  • After you’ve sauteed the mushrooms, zucchini and onions, drain any liquid from the skillet. This will prevent watery vegetable lasagna, which no one wants!!
  • Place the skillet back on the stove over medium high heat and add minced garlic and spinach to the skillet. Saute for 1-2 minutes.
  • Add tomato paste to the skillet and stir it into the vegetables.
  • Add tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, Italian seasoning and salt.
  • Bring the sauce to a simmer on the stove, then reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
• Prepare the noodles and cheese.
  • Preheat the oven to 375°F.
  • Bring a large pot of water to boil on the stove, add the lasagna noodles. Cook until al dente, about 4-5 minutes, drain, then set aside.
    • Quick Tip! I recommend laying the cooked & drained noodles out in an even layer on a cutting board so that the noodles do not stick together.
    • Note: you can also skip this step and use no-boil lasagna noodles.
  • In a small bowl, combine ricotta cheese with one egg, Italian seasoning and shredded mozzarella cheese. Set the cheese mixture aside.
  • Once the sauce has cooked down for 20 minutes, begin putting the lasagna together.
• Assemble the lasagna.
  • Place 3 cooked lasagna noodles in the bottom of a 9 inch x 13 inch baking dish.
  • Spread a layer of the ricotta cheese mixture on the noodles.
  • Place a layer of the vegetable sauce on top of the cheese.
  • Layer noodles, ricotta and vegetable sauce 2 more times.
  • Layer the final 3 lasagna noodles on top, then cover the noodles with shredded mozzarella cheese.
• Bake the lasagna.
  • Tent the lasagna with foil and bake in the oven for 30 minutes.
  • Remove the foil and continue baking for an additional 15 minutes, or until the cheese becomes brown and bubbly.

Remove from the oven and let rest for 15-20 minutes before slicing. Feel free to top with fresh grated parmesan cheese, crushed red pepper flakes or fresh basil!

Pro tips

• Feel free to use other veggies! Diced bell peppers, summer squash, carrots or broccoli can all be used to make the vegetable sauce.
• Always let the lasagna sit, uncovered, out of the oven for 15-20 minutes. This will allow the cheese to cool down and make for even slices of lasagna, instead of a big sloppy mess!
• To prevent a watery vegetarian lasagna, always be sure to drain any liquid from the skillet after you’ve sautéed the vegetables. This will remove excess liquid from the lasagna and prevent it from getting watery.
• The sauce can be made ahead of time. Feel free to prepare the vegetable sauce up to 2 days in advance of preparing the lasagna. Store the sauce in the refrigerator until ready to assemble the lasagna. I do not recommend preparing the cheese mixture until you’re ready to prepare the lasagna.

Diet variations

• Gluten free: to make this lasagna gluten free, simply substitute gluten free lasagna noodles for traditional lasagna noodles. The other ingredients are naturally gluten free.
• Vegan: to make this lasagna recipe vegan, replace the ricotta cheese with tofu ricotta. It’s easy to make tofu ricotta cheese at home in 5 minutes, or you can look for it pre-made at the grocery store. You’ll also want to use vegan mozzarella cheese and omit the egg in the ricotta cheese mixture.

How to store and reheat

• To store: Assembled, but uncooked lasagna should be stored in the refrigerator and cooked within 24 hours of assembly. Prepared and cooked lasagna can be kept in the fridge for up to 7 days.
• To freeze: This vegetarian lasagna can be frozen for up to 6 months. Feel free to make this recipe in two 8 inch x 8 inch pans. You can eat one now and freeze one for later. This recipe easily serves 6-8 people, so a half pan will feed 3-4 people. I recommend storing the extra lasagna un-baked in the freezer. When ready to cook, transfer the lasagna from the freezer to the refrigerator 24 hours in advance. Bake the lasagna as instructed in the recipe.
• To reheat: When reheating a lasagna from the refrigerator, preheat the oven to 350°F. Remove the entire casserole dish of lasagna from the refrigerator, cover with foil and place in the oven for 20 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbling. You can also reheat individual pieces of lasagna in the microwave for 3 minutes.

What to serve with it

This lasagna is definitely enough on it’s own, but it’s also delicious when served with salad or fresh baked bread. Try it with one of these scrumptious sides!

• Rosemary Focaccia Bread
• Classic Panzanella Salad
• Cheesy Garlic Bread Nachos
• Roasted Cauliflower Salad
• Garlic Herb Breadsticks
• Crispy Eggplant Caprese Salad
• Stacked Beet Salad

More vegetarian Italian recipes

Try these other popular Italian recipes, that are also vegetarian!

• Quinoa Caprese Salad
• Sweet Potato Ravioli
• Tomato Basil Gnocchi Soup
• One Pot Vegetarian Pesto Tortellini
• Sheet Pan Gnocchi with Butternut Squash & Crispy Kale
• Creamy Vegetarian Tortellini Soup
• Tomato Basil Bruschetta
• Grilled Vegetable Italian Panini

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