Filled with a huge variety of healthy veggies and melty cheeses, this decadent Vegetable Lasagna will win the hearts of vegetarians and carnivores alike.
Much like a certain beloved, hefty orange cat of cartoon fame, I am obsessed with lasagna. I love the layers of cheesy, tomato-saucy goodness, and I love making it for meal prep. Unlike some meal prep dishes, lasagna is so full of flavor, I could eat it for dinner six nights in a row. Sometimes, I eat it for lunch, too. I told you I’m Garfield.
Lots of folks think of lasagna as this traditional Italian dish that can only be made a certain way by highly skilled hands, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. In Italy, lasagna recipes and ingredients vary by region, and some families have their own special versions. Some are made without meat, so the dish can also be enjoyed by vegetarians.
This meat-free vegetable lasagna recipe is the best version of vegetarian lasagna I’ve come across. It’s absolutely delicious and incorporates so many fresh vegetables that add to the flavor and texture. Unlike some versions of veggie lasagna, this recipe uses a mix of ricotta and mozzarella instead of a white béchamel sauce, which only adds to the appeal, in my opinion. Most of this recipe is made from scratch, too, so keep that in mind when you’re setting aside time to make this dish. Trust me, it’s worth the extra steps!
Is This Vegetable Lasagna Healthy?
This vegetable lasagna is healthy, especially compared to frozen lasagna products and recipes that use meat or a béchamel sauce. This recipe is packed with vegetables. The carrots and bell peppers provide lots of vitamin A, the spinach gives a dose of iron, the mushrooms lend B vitamins, and all the veggies combined add plenty of fiber to the dish. The mozzarella in this recipe is full-fat, but the ricotta and skim milk are both low in fat. The cheeses also add some protein, and the pasta contributes the majority of the carbs in this dish.
Overall, this recipe is suitable for vegetarians and can be made vegan with the use of dairy-free versions of mozzarella, ricotta, and skim milk. You can make a gluten-free version by ensuring the lasagna pasta sheets are gluten-free.
Make Lasagna Your Way
The world is your lasagna, friend, so fill it with things you like. If you don’t care for carrots, don’t use them. You can use pretty much any veggie mixture you like in this recipe, and it will still work just fine. That also applies to some of the other ingredients in this recipe! Here are a few of my favorite swaps.
- Not a pasta fan? Use eggplant. Cut peeled eggplant lengthwise, spray both sides of each slice with nonstick spray, and either grill the slices or bake them on a baking rack. (Grilling works best, in my opinion.) Once they’re cooked, use them for the pasta layers instead of lasagna pasta. The grilling process tenderizes the eggplant and dries the slices out enough to hold up to cheese and sauce!
- Use veggies you love! Replace any of the vegetables in the veggie layer with diced eggplant, spaghetti squash, or whatever you have on hand.
- In a rush? Buy the sauce. Use a store-bought marinara or pasta sauce instead of making your own if you are short on time.
- No ricotta? Substitute cottage cheese. Use smooth, low-fat cottage cheese instead of ricotta.
How Do I Store Leftovers?
Let the lasagna cool to room temperature. Cover the pan with plastic wrap or aluminum foil, or transfer portions to an airtight container. It should keep in the fridge for 4-5 days. To reheat, put the lasagna in a 350°F oven until it is heated through (about 15-20 minutes). You can also microwave portions of the lasagna, but for optimum quality, stick with the oven. For longer storage, you can freeze it in freezer-safe containers for up to 3 months. Before reheating, let it thaw in the fridge overnight.
Serving Suggestions
This lasagna is a meal in itself, but I still like to serve it with a salad and some garlic bread. Serve this lovely veggie lasagna with a Spinach Salad or a simple Green Salad. You could also go full-Italian and whip up an Italian Salad. As for bread, I love this Garlic Toast recipe.
As with any Italian dish with tomato sauce, I suggest adding a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese on top, along with some fresh-ground black pepper.
Recipe
Ingredients
For The Vegetable Layer:
- 1 medium onion
- 2 cloves garlic crushed
- 3 carrots
- 3 small orange bell peppers (or 1 large pepper)
- 1 red bell pepper
- 8 button mushrooms (if the mushrooms are large, use 6)
- 5 small zucchini
- 6 ounces baby spinach
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 8 lasagna sheets
For The Tomato Sauce:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic crushed
- 1 can diced tomatoes
- ¼ cup fresh basil roughly chopped
- ½ teaspoon salt
For The Topping:
- 2 cups low-fat ricotta cheese
- ½ cup skim milk
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 cups grated mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F, and finely chop the onion, garlic, carrots, bell peppers, mushrooms, and zucchini. Roughly chop the baby spinach.
- In a pan over medium heat, add the olive oil, onions, and garlic and fry for 5 minutes. Add the rest of the chopped vegetables and the ¼ teaspoon of salt, and cook, tossing every few minutes until everything is soft. Set the cooked mixture aside.
- Add all the sauce ingredients to a pot and simmer on low for 10 minutes, until the sauce thickens. If the sauce is too thick, it won’t cook the lasagna sheets. Once it's slightly thickened, set it aside.
- Whisk the ricotta, milk, ¼ teaspoon of salt, and pepper together in a bowl.
- Build the layers in a large casserole dish or high-rimmed baking pan. Start with half the sautéed vegetables on the bottom of the dish, then half the tomato sauce, then add 4 pieces of lasagna sheets to form a single layer of pasta. You can break the lasagna sheets a bit to make them fit. Using more or fewer sheets is fine. Repeat these layers once more, starting with the rest of the vegetables. Pour your ricotta mix on top, and scatter the mozzarella on top of the ricotta mix.
- Place in the oven, and bake for 30 minutes, or until the cheese bubbles and browns on top.
Tips & Notes:
- If your lasagna sheets are still a bit rigid, remember: they still need some liquid to cook in, like boiled pasta. So make sure that your tomato sauce still has some lovely liquid in it for the pasta AND to prevent your veggies from drying out.
Nutrition Info:
Recipes written and produced on Food Faith Fitness are for informational purposes only.
Did I read the ingredients correctly? It calls for oranges?
Good catch Stephanie, I meant orange peppers! The recipe is corrected.