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.
I made this tonight because my partner has been growing SO much spinach, which he loves, and I hate. I thought this recipe would be the perfect way to disguise the spinach and I was correct. Thank you for helping me eat all of my veggies in the most palatable way possible.
Also, this was my first lasagna and it was absolutely fantastic!!
Yummy. Didn’t grind up my vegetables or red sauce, but still good. Used spinach, carrots, onion, and yellow squash.
P.S. – Your cookbook was a Mother’s Day gift I requested last year. I have used it LOTS and really enjoyed.
I made this lasagna and it was absolutely great. I enjoyed the simplicity of the sauce. Good way to get everyone eating veggies. Thank you for sharing!
This was honestly the best lasagna I’ve ever made, at least the first time I made it. But that’s my fault for being so nonchalant in paying attention to the veggies I used. But I love that it’s so adaptable. Want to use already-made jarred sauce? Ok! Add an egg or two to the cottage cheese (or ricotta, whatever!) mixture? Great! Your veggies are different? That’s just fine. I’m about to make it for the third time, and that’s saying something because I HATE making lasagna. Two other remarks: I baked this in a 9×13″pan and it still filled it up; I *might* have used more cheese than it called for. I added kalamata olives to the processor with the veggies; if you like olives this is a GREAT addition.
Thanks again for a wonderful recipe. I always feel virtuous when I eat it because of all the veggies, even though I know in my heart of hearts that all the cheese I use renders it not-so-virtuous (but oh so yummy!!!)
Thank you for sharing! I’m glad you have tried it so many ways. Also, more cheese, no problem!
I made this today for the second time and loved it more than I remembered! Really great recipe – lots of flavor, lots of veggies, not too labor intensive to put together. And I always love notes that save you from washing things between uses! (e.g., “No need to rinse out the bowl of the food processor this time…”) It has earned a spot in my Home Run Dinners binder!
I made this tonight and did the X2 version of it, im having a baby soon and wanted to make some bulk meals in advance before tiny man arrives. I cooked both of mine and i will freeze one. only tried this as someone said it was a bit wet when cooking from “raw”.
overall i love this recipe! glad i stumbled upon this blog, beautiful content. X
Thanks for this recipe! I added the veggies to the tomato sauce, chopped them up really small and I looooove this lasagna,it’s amazing!
If I double or triple the recipe, what size baking dish do I need?
Hi Jannette, if you double a 9×13 should work. I know others who have used that.
Loved this recipe! Cottage cheese was such a surprising delicious healthy decision. Added mushrooms. Next time will double the veggies.
I have made many vegetarian recipes over the years. This is now my FAVOURITE recipe. My husband and I love it. Not labour intensive. Thank you. Like the idea you can vary the vegetables. Cottage cheese is easier to obtain and store in the fridge than a good quality ricotta cheese. The chilli flakes, extra virgin olive oil and fresh basil make it taste delicious!
I am not the biggest fan of cottage cheese and prefer ricotta – do you still recommend using cottage for the final product?
If you prefer ricotta cheese, that will work fine here!
this is the easiest and best recipe I have ever done. I made my own lasagne sheets and the combination was great. I did change a couple of things in that the vege I did were what I had in the fridge. Pumpkin cauliflower zucchini capsicum broccoli. taste was fab
thanks heaps
cheers
Deb B
I never usually comment but I tried this recipe for mother’s day today and it turned out fabulous. I used your marinara sauce from another recipe you had posted (had to adjust the sauce a little to my tastes). Everyone loved it. Thank you!
Since there are a lot of questions about freezing this recipe, I thought I would share my experience. I made a double batch and baked one right away and froze the other to eat it a week later. They were both delicious but the freshly baked one was better and the frozen one was a bit runny.
Thank you for sharing, Elizabeth! Yes, that has been my experience too when it comes to freezing this recipe.
Which pan is best for making lasagna? Should I change baking time if I am using nonstick metal pan?
Hi! I like the one I have from Crate and Barrel. I recommend porcelain if you can.
Dear Kate, My partner and I have so enjoyed using your cookbook, Love Real Food! Each time we try a new recipe we are struck by your ability to totally nail the flavor combinations! Last night at dinner, we oohed and aahed over your Eggplant Lasagna—So Tasty! Other favorites include the Roasted Cauliflower and Kale Spaghetti with Almonds and your Sweet Potato-Black Bean Veggie Burgers with Cabbage-Pepita Slaw: Amazing! We haven’t made anything yet that we didn’t totally enjoy. Thank you so much for making vegetarian eating so delicious! Christy and Herb
I made this lasagna following the recipe for friends that are vegetarian coming to dinner. It was such a big hit that even though my meat eaters had their own they all loved this one. Excellent!!!
So good! I added in eggplant and didnt have as much cottage cheese but it still came out really good. Thanks for this recipe. We loved it and would make it again for sure :)
Can I make this with eggplant instead of the noodles?
Hi Amanda, I haven’t tried it. I would suggest my eggplant parmesan instead.
instead!
Hi I have lasagna sheets at home which have to be boiled.. I am not getting the No Boil ones, will you suggest what to do?
Hello! You could try it. No-boil noodles absorb more moisture than pre-boiled noodles, I believe. I’d recommend following the tomato sauce provided within the recipe rather than substituting store-bought marinara, since the store-bought options tend to contain more moisture. Hope that helps.
I like the no boil noodles for vegetable lasagnas since they can absorb the excess water released by the vegetables. It makes the noodles very flavorful and makes the lasagna less watery.
Kate I’m making this tomorrow for sure! Two questions. Our store has run out of no-boil lasagne. Can I use the boily one? I’m assuming I just need to boil before I place? Also, I don’t have 9 by 9 inch square pan. I do have a 9 inch round. Would that work? Thanks so much!
I’m sorry, a 9-inch round pan likely won’t accommodate this recipe (it’s smaller than a 9-inch square pan). Do you have any bigger options?
I do have a 9 by 13! But is that too big? And I got the boil answer from one of your previous commenters. Thanks:)
Hi there! I’ve heard from other commenters that a 9×13 pan actually works pretty well, though your lasagna won’t be as tall as mine since it’s more spread out. Technically, a 9×13 is 50% larger than a 9″ square, so you could increase the ingredients by 50% if you don’t mind doing some math. :)
Should be shown with pictures, as step 11 is bit confusing
I never comment but this deserved finding the recipe again and letting you know this is actually the best lasagna!! (I was also told that by two other people). Super easy also. I omitted the food processing of the veggies step because I like mine a bit chunkier, and user prepared pasta sauce to make it a bit quicker to make. So good and super easy! Thanks!
My hubby and I both aren’t fans of lasagna however we both throughly enjoyed this recipe! It was sweet, savoury and I didn’t even miss the meat. Great recipe! Thanks for sharing!
I saw this last night and made it for supper tonight. I added a Cup of cooked lentils to the mixture.
It was delicious. Absolutely delicious.
Deeeelicious!! This was my first try at making home made lasagna. I mostly followed the recipe. A few things I did differently was add kale instead of spinach, use store bought marinara instead of homemade & I added garlic powder & red flakes to the cottage cheese/veggie mix. I also probably used a lot more salt & fresh pepper in the cottage cheese/veg mix than the recipe called for. It really made the veggie mix sing. The added spice in the veg mix from the red pepper flakes gave a lot of depth to the dish. So happy with this recipe :)
Wonderful lasagna recipe and was enjoyed by the entire family. We used gluten free lasagna pasta as one of the family has gluten intolerance and it turned out to be a very yummy dish! Thank you!
My family doesn’t like ricotta cheese , what other options do I have I don’t want to use the sour cream or cashew cream as you suggested either !!
Thanks
Been learning how to cook for nutrition and weight loss. This is the best vegetable lasagna I’ve ever had in my life!! Ricotta cheese is devastating to my innerds and I love cottage cheese. Threw some squash in also and it was amazing. Thank you for this recipe.
This lasagne is really good I added mushrooms and also cooked pork mince only because my kids like meat so it makes it easier for them to eat because they don’t see the veggies.
But over all this is a great recipe and it feeds 6 of us
What can I make with leftover veggie cheese mixture and sauce?
Hi! You shouldn’t have left overs, but if you do, you could try a roll-up! Or, depending how much you have left, a mini version of this recipe.
I made this with zucchini, baby bella mushrooms, garlic, onion, and spinach for the filling and it came out great! I also used Explore Cuisine’s Organic Green Lentil Lasagne noodles which worked wonderfully in this recipe! Loved whipping the cottage cheese to give it more of a ricotta-like texture! Healthy and delicious :)
Hi Carly! I’m so happy to hear you loved it. Thanks so much for sharing!
My entire family loves this recipe. Thanks!
Made this last night and it was great! Very light and tasty and pretty easy to make, too. I used summer squash, green pepper, and sweet potatoes. I just did store-bought marinara, and I skipped all the food processing (cause I don’t have a food processor, and I like my vegetables in their original shape and consistency for some reason) but it still tasted great. Only problem with not food-processing the veggies is that the lasagna ended up being very tall and made a bit of a mess in the oven when some juices boiled over. Maybe I’ll try a 9X13 pan next time to spread it out a little.
I’m happy you liked it. Sorry you had an experience with it bubbling over. Some have tried in a larger pan or put a catch pan underneath.Thanks for your feedback, Emma!
This lasagna was AMAZING. I made it for my mother-in-law’s 75 birthday. It’s easy to make and I followed the recipe exactly. I was surprised how yummy the cottage cheese was. I used low-fat cottage cheese and partly-skimmed mozzarella. Was fantastic.
Hi how long would I cook for fresh lasagna sheets? Thank you
Hi Jane! Did you make your own pasta? I haven’t tried it with this recipe, but typically fresh pasta cooks a lot quicker. The cooking time for fresh pasta will depend entirely upon the thickness of the pasta. I would see if it works without any pre-cooking and continue on as if they were pre-boiled. Let me know how it goes!
A fabulous recipe! I added lacinato kale to the veggies used and used Rao’s jarred sauce to save a bit of time. My favorite lasagna!
Hooray! That is wonderful to hear, Kristin. I’m glad you love it.
Hi! Baking time for pre-boiled lasagna remains the same? 18 min?
Hi RJ! I would cook them to just about done, enough they still have some firmness to them. You shouldn’t need to adjust then. Let me know how it goes for you!
I love this recipe and cook it at least once a month! Always a fan of reducing steps and sparing dishes to be washed, I saute the veggies in a large pot, add all the cottage cheese to the pot, and use my hand-held immersion blender to do the job of the food processor, right there in the pot. No food processor parts to clean! I don’t puree thoroughly, just until the mix reaches a consistency I like for the dish and that duplicates the consistency when I used a food processor. Trying the recipe tonight with butternut squash and broccoli! I’m sure it will be great! Thanks, Ms. Kate!
This was delicious! I thought it would be a little bland because I had forgot to put in basil and didn’t have much garlic on hand. We were not disappointed. I think the cottage cheese was a good call. Thank you for this recipe!
I absolutely love your Veggie Lasagne recipe, so simple to follow. (I love that my food processor does a lot of the work!), I would never have thought cottage cheese would be a runner for lasagne but it sure is. Can’t wait to try different variations.I can see this being a regular with my family!
Really delicious. I feel healthy by eating this lasagna and it still has a rich robust flavors. I’ve made it 3 times and I’ve always used whatever veg I have. Thank you!
I made this tonite and it was delicious. My only problem was it was somewhat watery. I opted not to pulse the veggies and cottage cheese and I wonder if this is why? I will pulse the next time I make it and see if it makes a difference. Thanks Kate for a great veggie lasagna
Hi June! How long did you cook them for on the stove? If you didn’t cook them per directions, they will still have had some water. Pulsing can also impact how they bake in the overall end product.
Ah maybe I didn’t cook them as long as directed. I will definitely make again and follow instructions to the letter. Thanks so much!
I’m a picky eater and often find it hard to find vegetarian recipes but this lasagne is amazing! This recipe will be a regular for me. It’s so delicious!
Hi Kate, I love all of your recipes and I can’t wait to try this one out this weekend! If I’m looking to double the batch, should I double the cooking time as well or will that be too long? Thanks!
Hi Marisa! Assuming you plan to put this in a 9×13? I believe others have done that just fine without adjusting the cooking time.
Hi Kate! Making this today – only have one cup of cottage cheese. Can u suggest something I can use instead for other half I need for the recipe? Or should I go find some more cottage cheese! Thanks
Hi Rima! It may be ok with less cottage cheese, but I highly recommend having the right amount for this recipe. I hope that helps!
This is my fav lasagna recipe!!! I’m making it again for supper tonight, freezing some for when the in-laws visit and making another one for a friend who is having a baby any day now!!!
Would you suggest cooking it first then freezing?
Also, I use oven ready lentil lasagna noodles for added umph ;)
Hi Allison, I didn’t have the best luck with this one frozen. Although, I know it does work best when you cook it prior to freezing. Dairy tends to release liquid when it thaws. I hope this helps!
Wow! This recipe is absolutely delicious. Can’t recommend it enough. Frozen the extras too. So so good. Thanks Kate!
Thanks for sharing, Rima!
I’m from Scotland and saw this recipe on your Instagram. I made it for dinner tonight and 3/4 family members liked it (the other one doesn’t like trying new things). A veg lasagna will never be as good as a beef one imo but this was a really tasty veg alternative which I’ll definitely make again. Its filling and satisfying. I’d like to make it cheesier, what other cheese could I add? Would cheddar work?
When you say no-cook noodles do you you mean fresh lasagna sheets? In Scotland we have dried or fresh lasagna sheets.
PS we like your veg chilli too, I make it every couple of weeks :)
Thank you for your feedback, Becks! You could increase your amount of mozzarella cheese in it, or if you want to add a different flavor then you could try parmesan? For no-boil, it’s a type of dried noodle that doesn’t require as much cooking time so you don’t need to cook prior to assembling. You could try fresh as that doesn’t require as much cooking time. Let me know how it works for you!
Hi Kate, thanks for your reply. I made it again tonight, this time I used my own homemade tomato pasta sauce and added roughly the same amount again of grated cheddar cheese and it was really tasty. Next time I’m going to try fresh lasagna sheets coz I still think they’re too al-dente for my taste.
Great recipe, very substantial and filling for a veg dish! It’s definitely gonna be a regular in my meal plan :)
Such a great recipe, thank you for sharing it! My husband and I made it together on our anniversary and then we made it again with friends and it was a hit. I love the cottage cheese spin and fresh tomato sauce. So healthy and easy to bring together once you have veggies chopped. 5 stars for sure!
This is the best veggie lasagna I’ve ever had. I usually make extra sauce and use half cottage cheese half ricotta. Delicious!! Thanks so much.
Thanks for the very easy but super yummy recipe, Kate. This was the winner on our family potluck dinner yesterday :)
Do you need a skilled frying pan.To make this recipe?
Hi! A skillet you can use to sauté the vegetables. Does that answer your question?
Make this often exactly as written. Turns out great every time and is frequently requested by my “meat loving” boys!
I love it, Candy! Thank you for your review.
Love how this turned out !! Some of my own updates..
1) I added 4 Serrano peppers and crushed red pepper flakes and upped the black pepper level too.
2) I halved the cottage cheese..
3) I didn’t grind the veges with the cheese.. but had them chopped small and cooked.. so it worked too! Thanks!
Made this for my family tonight, was amazing and everyone helped themselves to seconds.
slightly changed up the recipe by adding the veg to the tomato sauce and then added a traditional bechmel sauce with cottage cheese.
wonderful recipe
Oh my goodness… this was amazing! I did add in some crimini mushrooms and used my own favorite jar pasta sauce… I’m impressed that with not using meat or ricotta that i was still satisfied, truth is they weren’t even missed! The flavor was full of yumminess!!! Aloha Tami