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.
Wow, I’ve had a lot of vegetarian lasagna over the years, but this is the best yet. I added a half bag of veggie Italian sausage crumbles to the mixture. Great job!
Simply the best vegetable lasagna I ever tasted. Huge hit for Father’s Day dinner! Thank you!
I made this several times and it’s delicious but so many unnecessary steps! For one, I never use the blender, chop everything small, it’s faster in the pan. It’s definitely a keeper though, it’s really tasty!
Do you put regular lasagna uncooked into the tray? It gets cooked with the sauce etc?
Hi! Using no-boil noodles, yes. Put it uncooked with the other ingredients per the layering instructions. If it isn’t no-boil, I suggest cooking your lasagna some and then letting it finish cooking once it’s all layered and in the oven. Does that make sense?
Very tasty easy recipe, and low fat!
I didn’t blitz anything, just chopped veg finely. Used 1/2 jar of passata and 410g of crushed tomatoes and 1small red chilli. Used creamed cottage cheese which I spread separately to the vegetable mix. Topped last layer with 1/2 cup parmesan cheese. Thank you for recipe
6/28/2020
Oh my gosh this was good!! I love veggie meals – my partner not as much – but he ate 2 big helpings of this veggie lasagna recipe. AND… because we’re camping, I put it all together in a disposable aluminum pan and cooked it on a grill over a campfire! It was delicious, hot and
had just a hint of smoky flavor. I’m planning on making it again in a couple of weeks for friends.
This recipe is a definite keeper!!
Great tasting lasagna. It was my first time making it. I followed the directions but had a problem when I processed the vegetables. They immediately started to purée, so I stopped and hand mixed. I drained most of the liquid of the cottage cheese and only used half the amount of cottage cheese. To thicken, I added a few other shredded cheeses to the vegetables plus some precooked sweet potatoes. I used the vegetables that were listed in the recipe. I believe the sautéeding time made the zucchini too mushy for the processor. I will definitely make this recipe again. Thank you Kate!
Hi.
I love this recipe and have made it several times. I alter nothing and it turns out perfect every time.
Thank you for sharing your recipes. I didn’t know you had a cookbook and will order it soon.
Thanks Cookie and Kate!
The recipe looks really good, but I haven’t tried it yet. Would ricotta cheese work instead of cottage?
Hi Vaidehi! Yes, you can use ricotta if you prefer.
Hi
I made this and it was delicious…. will definitely mature again. However, my low fat cottage cheese didn’t go thick and creamy / more like bitty and grainy. Any tips to overcome this please ?
I’m sorry this one wasn’t perfect for you. You blended it or whipped it in a food processor per instructions?
I made this for my vegetarian DIL when she came home from having my latest grandson. Both she and husband said it was very good.
Hi Kate,
I recently made this lasagna for my family. I will admit I am not the cook of the family, but everyone absolutely loved this! The combination of veggies works wonders together. I didn’t have any cottage cheese so I used paneer instead. I also added a bit of salt to the paneer for added taste.
I can’t wait to use more of your great recipes.
Amazing!! Added mushroom and used ricotta cheese instead of cottage cheese. I also added shredded parmesan!
I made this lasagna for Father’s Day and it was delicious! Also made a second one and froze it, uncooked. How long do you think it should be cooked from frozen? Thanks again!
Hi Mary! I’m glad you loved it. I haven’t tested it just yet, so I can’t provide great guidance on cooking frozen. Make sure you are using the proper dish and it works in freezer to stove to follow any safety instructions they provide!
Thank you, Kate! Since I decided to cook the lasagna from frozen the other night, I took a chance and preheated the oven to 400. After baking it covered with foil for about 15 minutes, there was little change in the frozen lasagna, but I put it back in for another half hour and it started cooking really well. I didn’t pay the closest attention to the time, but it probably took about an hour total to go from frozen uncooked to perfectly cooked and ready for dinner. Individual milage, of course, may vary. Thanks again for this great recipe and your reply too!
Definitely the right title for it..Indian cooking doesn’t involve using the oven and I’ve been wanting to try new dishes using it. I made it 2 days back exactly per the recipe above and it was absolutely delicious. All the recipes I’ve tried so far (healthy granola, banana bread, red thai curry, kale salad, sweet potato black bean burger) are all regular repeats on our meal plan. Thank you so much for such simple and clear instructions!
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Made this recipe over the weekend and added turkey sausage. Was a total hit with the family! One of the best lasagna recipes I’ve made and simple prep too. Very yummy.
Instead of lasagna noodles could you use eggplant (sliced thin on a mandolin)instead or would it be too mushy?
Hi Karen! I haven’t tried it, but I would recommend trying my eggplant parmesan if you are wanting to use your eggplant!
Fantastic recipe! My aunt first used this recipe and passed it on to me. I used Fresh mozzarella a little bit of feta cheese; used plain yogurt instead of the cottage cheese. The sauce was on point. Super tasty lasagna! Thanks for sharing your recipes :)
Love , Love, LOVED IT. Took some time to prepare but so worth it.
Delicious! I don’t miss the meat at all. Super simple recipe. My new go to.
I have made this lasagna several times and I love it! My thirty old guy roommates love it! So good – really highly recommend!!
This recipe is incredible! It was easy to follow and the lasagna turned out great. I will make sure to use this recipe from now on!
I’m so happy you love it, Jess! Thank you for taking the time to review.
I am making this now and I don’t see where you cook the tomato sauce..is that correct?? thanks
Hi! See step 4. I hope this helps!
OMG i loved this recipe. very easy and i had almost everything at home. I eat kosher so this recipe was a great new thing that i could try. THANK YOUUUUU!!!!
You’re welcome, Annie! Thank you for taking the time to review.
Can this lasagne be made in advance and just put in oven later to cook. I have visitors coming but didn’t want to be cooking when they’re here.
Delicious and pretty easy ✨
This looks so elegant and delicious. I would love for you to make it with a white, bechamel type sauce with zucchini, carrots, and onions…I had it this way once but cannot find a good recipe for it.
Tip: place toothpicks randomly into the lasagna before covering with foil and the cheese will not stick to the foil as it bakes.
I am planning to make this recipe for a friend who is expecting. Do you think it would last if I freeze it before cooking? And do you have any guestimate as to how long to bake from frozen or would you let it thaw out first?
Thank you!
Sarah
Hi Sarah! I didn’t have luck when I froze this as I didn’t like the result. But, I know others who froze it after baking and didn’t mind it. Typically you let the dish warm so there isn’t frost from freezing and ensure it’s a freezer + oven safe dish. I would suggest starting at the original time and temperature then adjust from there. I wish I had better insight for you! Hoping to have freezer recommendations for recipes in the the future!
If I am not ready to eat the lasagna, can I freeze it after the first 18 minutes in the oven and then cook it later on?
Hi Jade, I wouldn’t recommend cooking partially then freezing. I didn’t have luck when I froze this personally. But other readers have froze once baked and enjoyed the result. I hope this helps!
This recipe is SO good! I used cooked lasagna noodles instead just because I prefer this method. This is honestly the best lasagna I think I have ever had!
Love this recipe!!!!!! It’s my favorite lasagna recipe… especially now I’ve been cooking a ton, and this is one of my go-to recipes for dinner! Thank you Cookie & Kate :)
How far in advance can I make this recipe?
Hi! This keeps well for a few days covered in the refrigerator.
Delicious! I tried this recipe and froze single servings. I like it so much, I’m making it again and have shared it with friends. My zucchinis are producing now and I love that I can use them in this with other fresh vegetables. It freezes well and when I don’t have time to cook, I can pull one serving out and have a tasty, nourishing meal or bring it to a sick friend or relative.
Can this recipe be made ahead OF TIME AND REFRIGERATED
This lasagna is packed full of flavor! Delicious!
Love this recipe, because I feel great giving my family a variety of vegetables. Wondering if I can make this a day beforehand before I bake it? So prepare it all on a Sunday and pop it into the oven Monday?
Hi Valerie! I find it gets watery as it sets unbaked. I do know this makes great left overs! You could always prep the ingredients the day before then assemble when you would like to bake. Let me know if you try it. I hope your family loves it!
Delicious, and both my vegetarian and non-veg family members ate it! I was a little short on cottage cheese so I mixed 4 oz of warm cream cheese in with the filling. Didn’t help the nutrition but tasted good!
Even though I had to substitute the spinach for kale, the cottage cheese for greek yogurt, and used four different types of cheeses, this was still REALLY good. I called it the “Leftover Lasagna” because it wiped out so much from our fridge! This is a great way to eat veggies without even realizing it! Thanks for another great recipe!
I made this lasagne it was the best one, Its my first time doing a vege lasagne it was perfect. I tried with other vegetables its great. we love it.
Thank you, Helena!
If you make this ahead of time, is it better to keep in the fridge and then bake once you’re ready to eat? OR is it better to half bake or fully bake it and then put in the fridge and then reheat/bake the rest once you’re ready to eat? Can’t wait to make make this! Thanks in advance!
Hi Kim, this makes great leftovers once baked. I didn’t have great results leaving this unbaked to sit as it got watery for me. Let me know how it goes for you!
The kids enjoyed this veggie lasagna so it’s a winner in our house!
Made this today for my parents who are committed meat eaters. I followed the recipe almost exactly except used dried instead of fresh basil in sauce. Tomato sauce is delicious, definitely make from scratch if you can. I think I would put more spinach next time and maybe blend up all the cottage cheese(Im not a big fan of the texture of it unblinded). I really liked this lasagne and my parents both had clean plates and said they really liked it. I’ll definitely make again
Watch the video and understand the option to multiply ingredients doesn’t work well. I just wasted a bunch of $ and time because I didn’t pick up that these are imperfect instructions. We needed a double batch. The ingredients list changed but the instructions didn’t. When reading “layer 3 lasagna noodles” we did exactly that, put a layer of 3 across the pan. Ended up using a total of 9 layers which turned out a like a brick. Ruined daughter’s birthday dinner. I will say that the filling tasted nice when we taste tested it.
This recipe was so good that I need to check out more recipes of yours. I replaced the spinach with kale as that was what I had in stock. I didn’t go for low fat dairy either and used whole-wheat pasta sheets. The whole family loved it. Delicious. It’s a keeper.
Can this be made ahead easily? Maybe if I make the sauces the night before and on the day just assemble and bake would it be ok?
Hi Cathy! You could do that, or you could use jared marinara as well to cut a step. Let me know if you try it!
I made this today for lunch. I used half ricotta, half cottage cheese and about a quarter less cheese in total than in the original recipe. Didn’t have red pepper flakes so used cayenne pepper. Not only was the lasagne delicious but is was also surprisingly well-balanced. In general, cooking pasta is really not my thing but my mum shocked me by saying this was the best lasagne she’s ever had. Not bad coming from a lifelong veggie! Will most definitely be making this again : )
I like that you did half and half with the cheeses! Thank you for sharing, TrVas.
This is my go-to for when I have friends or family over for dinner. Its so easy, ALWAYS delicious and its such a hit. The meal itself is super easy to put together. The only part of the recipe I don’t follow is putting the veg and the cottage cheese in the blender, I find its not really necessary. 10/10 would recommend this dish.
Absolute winner! Anti vego lasagne family, so this was a big call. Day 2 even better. Thanks a million, fully converted
Love this recipe! My hubby can be picky about his lasagna. He loved this! I think getting the veggies chopped so tiny helped.
Yes! Chopped small is key to getting the vegetables to cook just right.