Vegetable Lasagna

Vegetable lasagna is a comforting Italian casserole dish perfect for family gatherings or meal prepping for the days ahead.

It’s a deeply satisfying and wholesome recipe. Tender layers of pasta meld with a rich, flavorful tomato sauce enriched with diced vegetables.

Our vegetable lasagna is filled with a creamy ricotta-parmesan sauce and melty mozzarella cheese, making it the perfect meat-free option for vegetarians and omnivores alike.

Vegetable lasagna is the perfect casserole dish to feed a crowd with diverse dietary preferences during holidays and family gatherings.

Like our cannelloni recipe, this lasagna is easy to put together and suitable for meal prep. It’s packed with flavor and substance, and it will satisfy vegetarians and omnivores alike.

As we developed the recipe, we made sure to stay 100% true to Italian flavors.

After all, from Neapolitan pizza, gnocchi alla sorrentina, eggplant parmigiana, and pasta pomodoro, everyone loves the oozy combination of tomato sauce, fresh basil, and melty cheese.

We recommend using no-boil noodles to save effort and time.

For the cheese sauce, we make one with ricotta, parmesan, and lemon zest that doesn’t need to be cooked! It’s well-tested, easy, and delicious.

We used the same sauce in our pumpkin pasta bake, artichoke pasta, and pasta al limone, and you guys loved it!

Quantities are in the recipe box at the bottom of the page.

1. Prepare your ingredients

The ingredients for vegetable lasagna are simple and easy to find. We list substitutions in the chapter below.

TOMATO SAUCE: You’ll need tomato puree or passata, finely chopped onion, pressed garlic, olive oil, dried oregano, fresh basil, and mixed vegetables cut into small dice.

We used eggplant (aubergine), zucchini (courgette), bell pepper, mushrooms, and spinach.

CHEESE SAUCE: You’ll need ricotta, grated parmesan cheese, lemon zest, and water.

OTHER INGREDIENTS: No-boil lasagna sheets and mozzarella.

2. Make the tomato sauce

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Add the chopped onion and sauté for 4 minutes, then add the pressed garlic and sauté for one more minute.

Add the diced eggplant, zucchini, bell pepper, and mushrooms, and season with dried oregano, salt, and black pepper. Sauté on high heat for 5 minutes, stirring often.

Stir in the tomato puree and water, and simmer for about 20 minutes or until the vegetables are cooked.

Now, add the spinach and basil leaves and let them wilt (about 2 minutes).

Taste and adjust for salt.

Tip: The sauce should not be thick. A liquid sauce with more water helps cook the lasagna sheets and prevents the dish from drying in the oven.

3. Make the cheese sauce

Add ricotta, grated parmesan, water, lemon zest, a pinch of salt, and black pepper to a bowl.

Whisk until combined.

Tip: The cheese sauce should be pretty liquid and pourable.

4. Assemble the lasagna

Preheat the oven to 350°F or 180°C.

We recommend making lasagna with four layers of pasta for the best sauce-to-pasta ratio.

1. Add a thin layer of tomato sauce to a baking dish (we use a 9 x 13 inch one).
2. Cover with no-boil lasagna sheets (We used 5 sheets per layer. Break them off to fit . They can overlap slightly).
3. Add 1/3 of the cheese sauce and spread it with the back of a spoon.
4. Cover with slightly less than 1/4 tomato sauce.

Tip: The top layer should have slightly more tomato sauce than the middle layers. Keep this in mind as you build the lasagna. The top layer is with grated parmesan and mozzarella, with no cheese sauce.

Repeat the steps (cheese sauce + tomato sauce) until you have four layers of pasta sheets.

Arrange the pasta sheets in the opposite direction of the previous layer (vertical, horizontal, vertical, horizontal).

Finish the top layer with tomato sauce, chopped mozzarella, and grated parmesan.

Cover with foil and bake in the center of the oven at 350°F or 180°C for 15 minutes.

Remove the foil and bake for 15 more minutes.

You can use the grill function for the last 5 minutes to brown the cheese.

Let the lasagna cool and set for 15 minutes before cutting it into 6 – 8 pieces.

Top with plenty of fresh basil and enjoy.

Make ahead: This vegetable lasagna is excellent for meal prep. You can make, freeze, and bake it from frozen when needed. It takes about the same baking time plus 5 minutes.

You can also assemble it, cover it, store it in the fridge and bake up to 12-16 hours later.

Refrigerator: Keep leftovers in the fridge in the same casserole wrapped in plastic. Alternatively, transfer to an airtight container and store for 4 days.

Freezer: We recommend freezing the lasagna before baking it. Then, bake it from frozen for 20 minutes, covered with aluminum foil, and uncovered for 10 – 15 more minutes.

Reheat: You can reheat vegetable lasagna in the air fryer, oven, or microwave.

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