Best Vegetable Lasagna
Seriously the best veggie lasagna! This meatless lasagna recipe is packed with bell pepper, zucchini and carrots, sautéed until golden on the edges.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on August 29, 2024
I set out to create the best vegetable lasagna recipe. Here it is! This vegetarian lasagna is cheesy (of course), and loaded with vegetables, spinach and a simple tomato sauce.
If you have any meatless-meal skeptics in your life, this lasagna will change their mind. I’m sure of it.
This lasagna is based on my spinach artichoke lasagna on the blog and the roasted eggplant lasagna in my cookbook. I love those less-conventional vegetarian lasagnas.
Yet, I wanted to offer a classic vegetable lasagna suitable for holidays and weeknights, and this is it. The tomato sauce is the same across all three recipes, but the vegetables vary.
For this recipe, you’ll chop bell pepper, zucchini and carrot into very small pieces and sauté them until they’re nice and golden on the edges. That caramelization brings out so much more flavor. Then, add spinach to the skillet and cooked it down for a few minutes so it doesn’t get too soggy.
The Best Vegetable Lasagna
Five reasons to love this recipe:
- You can easily adjust the vegetables to suit the seasons or your pantry (see recipe notes).
- The sauce is made from scratch with basic ingredients. It only takes a few minutes to make.
- Use no-boil noodles and you don’t have to bother cooking them. Just layer them up!
- I recommend cottage cheese instead of ricotta, which has more protein and flavor (trust me).
- You can even make this recipe gluten free and/or vegan. See the recipe notes for details.
The end result is a super flavorful, nutrient-dense, veggie-packed lasagna. This lasagna might not be the quickest weeknight option around, but it is a reasonably simple recipe that will absolutely satisfy your comfort food cravings.
Enjoy, and please let me know how this recipe turns out for you in the comments! Your feedback is so important to me.
Craving more vegetable-packed casseroles? Here are more of my favorites:
- Baked Ziti with Roasted Vegetables
- Lentil Baked Ziti
- Better Broccoli Casserole
- Roasted Veggie Enchilada Casserole
Watch How to Make Vegetable Lasagna
Best Vegetable Lasagna
Seriously the best veggie lasagna! This lasagna recipe is packed with bell pepper, zucchini and carrots, sautéed until golden and tender on the edges. Recipe yields one 9-inch lasagna, enough for 8 slices.
Ingredients
Veggies and spinach
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 large carrots, chopped (about 1 cup)
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 1 medium zucchini, chopped
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 5 to 6 ounces baby spinach
Tomato sauce (or substitute 2 cups prepared marinara sauce)
- 1 large can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes
- ¼ cup roughly chopped fresh basil + additional for garnish
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Remaining ingredients
- 2 cups (16 ounces) low-fat cottage cheese, divided
- ¼ teaspoon salt, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 9 no-boil lasagna noodles*
- 8 ounces (2 cups) freshly grated low-moisture, part-skim mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
- To prepare the veggies: In a large skillet over medium heat, warm the olive oil. Once shimmering, add the carrots, bell pepper, zucchini, yellow onion, and salt. Cook, stirring every couple of minutes, until the veggies are golden on the edges, about 8 to 12 minutes.
- Add a few large handfuls of spinach. Cook, stirring frequently, until the spinach has wilted. Repeat with remaining spinach and cook until all of the spinach has wilted, about 3 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat and set aside.
- Meanwhile, to prepare the tomato sauce: Pour the tomatoes into a mesh sieve or fine colander and drain off the excess juice for a minute. Then, transfer the drained tomatoes to the bowl of a food processor. Add the basil, olive oil, garlic, salt, and red pepper flakes.
- Pulse the mixture about 10 times, until the tomatoes have broken down to an easily spreadable consistency. Pour the mixture into a bowl for later (you should have a little over 2 cups sauce). Rinse out the food processor and return it to the machine.
- Pour half of the cottage cheese (1 cup) into the processor and blend it until smooth, about 1 minute. Transfer the mixture to large mixing bowl. No need to rinse out the bowl of the food processor this time; just put it back onto the machine because you’ll need it later.
- Transfer the cooked veggies and spinach mixture to the bowl of the food processor. Pulse until they are more finely chopped (but not puréed!), about 5 to 7 times, stopping to scrape down the sides as necessary. Transfer the mixture to the bowl of whipped cottage cheese. Top with the remaining cottage cheese, then add ¼ to ½ teaspoon salt (to taste) and lots of freshly ground black pepper. Stir to combine. Now it’s lasagna assembly time!
- Spread ½ cup tomato sauce evenly over the bottom of a 9” by 9” baking dish. Layer 3 lasagna noodles on top (snap off their ends to fit, and/or overlap their edges as necessary). Spread half of the cottage cheese mixture evenly over the noodles. Top with ¾ cup tomato sauce, then sprinkle ½ cup shredded cheese on top.
- Top with 3 more noodles, followed by the remaining cottage cheese mixture (we’re skipping the tomato sauce in this layer.) Sprinkle ½ cup shredded cheese on top.
- Top with 3 more noodles, then spread ¾ cup tomato sauce over the top (you may have a little sauce leftover) to evenly cover the noodles. Sprinkle evenly with 1 cup shredded cheese.
- Wrap a sheet of parchment paper or foil around the top of the lasagna (don’t let it come into contact with the cheese). Bake, covered, for 18 minutes, then remove the cover, rotate the pan by 180° and continue cooking for about 10 to 15 more minutes, until the top is turning spotty brown.
- Remove from oven and let the lasagna cool for 15 to 20 minutes, so it has time to set and cool down to a reasonable temperature. Sprinkle additional basil over the top, then slice and serve.
Notes
*Lasagna noodle recommendations: I like to use DeLallo’s Whole Wheat Lasagna Noodles (affiliate link) and Whole Foods’ 365 No-Boil Lasagna Noodles. See below for gluten-free suggestions.
Change it up: Feel free to play around with the vegetables here. You’ll want to use about 3 cups chopped veggies total (excluding the onion). Mushrooms or butternut squash might be nice!
Make it gluten free: Substitute gluten-free lasagna noodles. Choose no-boil (oven ready) noodles if possible; if not, cook them according to package directions. (Fair warning, I tried using DeBoles brand of no-bake lasagna noodles and they weren’t done cooking in the time specified here. Reheated leftovers were ok, though.)
Make it dairy free/vegan: Double the recipe for my vegan sour cream (also available in my cookbook, page 217) and use 2 cups instead of the cottage cheese. Skip the step where you would blend the cottage cheese and just barely blend the spinach/veggies into the sour cream. Omit the mozzarella and use all of the tomato sauce for the final layer. Serve the lasagna with a dollop of additional sour cream on top or, better yet, my basil pesto.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
Honestly !!! This is probably the best lasagne I have ever had and made ! I didnt have zucchini but I did have broccoli. I dont think I will ever make lasagne again with meat or ricotta ! Thank you so much for this amazing recipe !
Terribly inefficient recipe, the only thing worse is the functionality of this website. Disaster
Wow—what a snarky remark. I love this website as it gives me amazing results every time. As a 40 year vegetarian it is so wonderful to have great recipes, heart centered stories and such a spirit of generosity. Thanks Katie! (And Cookie!)
Best Ever Lasagna!!
Made as written using my immersion blender instead of a food processor (broken).
Absolutely delicious and a joy to make. Thanks.
I have made this lasagne numerous times over the last couple of years and it is amazing! It has a wonderful taste and texture. I added sautéed mushrooms this time and can’t wait to try it. I highly recommend it!
Worked very well especially with the garlic addition to the tomatoe sauce
Hi Kate
Thanks for this great recipe. I’ve made it at least three times and even my meat eater friends loved it and requested it again. I cut the vegetables small and didn’t blend the cottage cheese and it still turned out great.
30 minutes- no way. It took me 1 1/2 hrs. Didn’t fit in a 9×9, and my husband and I didn’t like the flavor. At all. For all the effort it took and the taste, this was a bust. I followed the recipe exactly and made the sauce too.
I’ve made this many times and it’s always a hit. And people always ask me for the recipe. Today I practiced making a meat lasagna because I’m about to have guests who are meat eaters. I will serve both lasagnas. The meat recipe called for regular pasta, not the no boil kind. It suggested soaking in hot water for a few minutes. I was skeptical. But it worked. And I find that the regular pasta reheats better than the no boil. And is a bit more substantial. So Im going to try your recipe with the regular pasta and see what I think. Stay tuned!
And in the meat recipe I’m going to use cottage cheese the next time instead of ricotta bc it works so well in your recipe.
I’ve been making vegetable lasagna for years. This recipe is absolutely the best! Incredibly delicious. It came out perfect. I made a few minor changes, but stuck with the basic recipe. Thanks!
** I prefer ricotta (sorry). Also added egg (1 egg to the 2x) to the mixture. Added artichoke hearts and peas. Limited the bell pepper and onion, and added a little shallot and garlic. Next time I’ll probably add broccoli and some crimini mushrooms.
This is definitely my go-to recipe from now on.
This is absolutely our favorite vegetable lasagna!! It is easy to make, has great flavor and healthy. Hard to beat that combination.
I absolutely love this recipe, Kate! Lazy me, I used jarred arrabiatta sauce and mascarpone rather than cottage cheese. I also add random Italian spices if I’m feeling up to it. The sweet to spicy ratio of sauce to filling is just perfect.
I plan to make this for a friend who lost a loved one. Due to work schedules, I’ll need to make ahead of time and allow them to bake. Any suggestions on how to premake and freeze to have the same excellent result?
Hi Priya, freeze and then give them the baking instructions, including to defrost in the refrigerator before cooking. This is an excellent make ahead option.
I love lasagna, but honestly the taste and texture of this was just so off-putting for me. I don’t think the cottage cheese works — it’s too tangy — and mixing in the pulsed vegetables with the cottage cheese just gives everything an odd texture. The vegetables are still chunky enough that you know they are there but not big enough to really enjoy? It’s hard to describe. I think the recipe could also use more sauce. I’m only giving this two stars because my boyfriend really liked it.
Is it possible to make this in advance and refrigerate before baking? Thank you!
Hi Ray, yes you can assemble and keep it in the refrigerator until you are ready to bake.
Hi Kate, how much longer would you bake it if it was in the refrigerator for a half day?
It shouldn’t need much extra time, about 3-5 minutes.
I have made this recipe numerous times, as written, and it is fabulous. I have added in mushrooms occasionally and do like it either way. Mushrooms make it a bit more hearty. If we have leftovers, I go ahead and pre-slice them, wrap each serving in aluminum foil and stick them in a ziploc bag to freeze them until ready to pull out. I thaw servings in fridge overnight and then unwrap and microwave to enjoy for lunch!
I have made this recipe at least 10 times now. Everyone has loved it. My stepmom went out and bought a lasagna pan the next day. My dad who wouldn’t like a veggie lasagna, the most satisfying look I’ve ever seen him have
I have a big pan so I doubled everything. I add two eggs to the cottage cheese and veggie mixture, and also some mozzarella, so I skip the “add mozzarella” in one of the steps. I do not blend anything. I did twice, but did not find it to be that much different. I just dice all the veggies. I keep the cottage cheese as is. Then mix it all up.
I have made this with any kind of veggie out there. My favorites are mushrooms, carrots, onions, spinach, and zucchini. It’s very versatile. I also cook it a lot longer since it’s a large amount.
I do typically skip the homemade sauce. I really do not find a big difference between that and getting a good brand of marinara.
This is now one of my signature recipes. People request this all the time.
Just made this lasagna for dinner, and it was a hit! The combination of sautéed bell pepper, zucchini, and carrots added such a rich depth of flavor. I used cottage cheese as suggested, and it gave the dish a delightful creaminess. The homemade tomato sauce was the perfect finishing touch. Even my meat-loving family members went back for seconds. This recipe is definitely a keeper!
https://tandoormorni.com/tandoori-recipes/
I’ve made this before and it is to die for! Do you think it would work with passata at all or would it be too runny?
Hi Sophie, I think it will work.
This lasagna recipe is sooo good!! It is very easy to follow, and always turns out amazing. Thank you for sharing this recipe :)
I have made this recipe so many times I can’t even remember. It’s absolutely wonderful and it has so much flavor. I always have people ask me for the recipe.
I made this with out onion and garlic still it’s test very good.
many peaple asking me for this recipes.
my daughters love to eat this lasagna.
The BEST VEGETABLE LASAGNA YOU WILL EVER MAKE EVER.
I CHANGED A FEW THINGS.
The night before I chopped up some of my vegetables so I can get the sides I was looking for and the next morning I use my vegetable chopper which I cannot live without and did the rest of the vegetables and that so I got my vegetables looking the way I wanted them to look and then I went to the stove and proceeded to cook them in oil I think I cooked them for around 12 to 14 minutes. For my marinara sauce I just chopped up some garlic in the garlic press and I added it to some tomato sauce that I had on hand kind of salt and pepper to taste. My assembly of this lasagna was quite different than what has been suggested but it became a knockout.
Number one. I put some of the tomato sauce down and then I topped it with the lasagna noodles I think I had about three lasagna noodles there already cooked. I then added half of the vegetables and spread them out over the sheet of lasagna. I then put on approximately 3/4 of a cup of ricotta cheese and then I topped that with a bit of tomato sauce and more lasagna noodles I started to build layers and I proceeded to go on like this until I had used everything. I then used a combination of cheddar cheese and mozzarella cheese actually it was pizza mozzarella cheese and I talked everything with a big layer of that.
As I was building my layers I was running out of ricotta so I substituted with some feta cheese Macedonian feta cheese to fill up that layer. I cooked the lasagna at 380° for 45 minutes. I then took it out of the oven took the tin foil off the lasagna and put it back in the oven at 380 for about another 15 minutes until it was golden brown. Stunning a presentation and yes one of my vegetables I use mushrooms and I certainly did you spinach.
if pictures had a scratch’n’sniff. Best lasagne I’ve ever made. Thank you for this recipe
I’m from Coimbatore, south of India, made this several times. A great hit both with family and friends.
LOVE this recipe! It’s been a staple in my house for over 3 years. My Vegetarian friends always request me to make this. Although, i almost have to double the recipe for the sauce. It never seems to make enough when I do it. I probably only get 1 1/4 cups (even though I use the 28 oz can) Maybe the jip me on the tomatoes and put more water in instead of tomatoes lol)
I absolutely love this recipe. I double or triple it and batch bake in smaller aluminum baking tins to freeze. It’s just brilliant to pull out the portions that I need for dinner. Freezes beautifully.
I also love the flexibility of this recipe. Is it a do or die moment for the mushrooms in my fridge? Did I discover too much frozen spinach in the freezer? They are going in. Admittedly, I also used ground turkey in a batch. I needed to use it or lose it so I cooked it up and tossed it in the tomato sauce. No longer vegetarian, but we use what we have. And this recipe let’s you do those little changes.
My last batch I crumbled up (pressed) extra firm tofu and added that to the cottage cheese mixture because we need to have more protein in our diet. Could not tell at all that I added it in. Same texture, same taste. Exactly what I had hoped. (Used one block of tofu in a recipe that I had doubled for batch cooking. 1/2 block per regular recipe.) I don’t want to mess too much with the perfection of this recipe, but the flexibility is there!
Thank you so much for this recipe. :-)
Hi Catherine, I’m so glad this recipe has worked for you! Thanks for sharing your adaptations, especially the tofu trick.
This lasagna was an absolute hit in our household! Like others said, I used a jar of Rao’s tomato, basil, marinara, instead of making it from scratch, and I also added an egg to the cottage cheese. Mix to make it a bit fluffier. The flavors were fantastic… This will be a new staple in our home!
I love this recipe . Thank you . Best ever .
It would be wonderful if you could have a metric conversion of your measurements please
Absolutely delicious. All the veges along with the cheese (and cottage cheese) is healthy and lighter than a meat version. I’ve made this a couple times and enjoy every time. My husband also enjoys a different version of a lasagna. Thanks!!