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.
Hi there,
Is this suitable for home freezing?
Hi Serena, I know others have froze it and haven’t minded the results. Let me know what you think!
OMG the best
My husband and kids 6 & 4 gobbled it up.
Will definitely be a new favourite and a great way to get vegies into the kids
I’m glad it was a hit, Alicia! I appreciate your review.
Hi! If I were to freeze this, should I bake it first and then freeze it, or just assemble and then freeze? Thanks!
Hi Serena: I make a veggie lasagna that is very similar to this recipe (ie mushrooms instead of the red pepper) and it freezes very well.
WOW! This is the BEST veggie lasagna I have EVER made/eaten. I have never made my own tomato sauce before, and I was happy I did. The only tweaks I made were the addition of baby bella mushrooms to the veggie mixture and I used fire roasted tomatoes in the sauce. All I can say is I’ve eaten 1/2 the pan myself between yesterday and today (please don’t judge me). I am so looking forward trying more of your recipes! Thanks for sharing your gifts and talents with us!
Be Blessed!
Hooray! That’s great to hear, Gwen.
This is my all-time favorite lasagna recipe! I do opt for ricotta instead of cottage cheese, but YUM! I used my own basil and garlic pasta sauce recipe. I prepare it anytime I’ve got kids that aren’t mine over for dinner because its healthy, a crowd-pleaser, and no one knows they are eating all those beautiful veggies! And, its a great way to use up the abundance of zucchini and yellow squash during the summer. I’ve got two prepped and ready in the freezer for busy school nights!
Do you need to thaw it in the fridge before baking or just put it in frozen?
Excellent recipe for vegetarian people. I always make it with ricotta cheese but this year I am gonna try with cottage cheese and make it more healthier.
Thanks
Jasmine.
Loved it! Even my non vegetarian son loved it! Trying the artichoke lasagna next.
I’ve made this 5-6 times and I change it up a bit every time–just keeping the fundamentals the same. Back in the day, I learned (in Home Economics!!!! class) to make lasagna with cottage cheese (I don’t think ricotta was even readily available to us ordinary people) so I was very happy to revise that use of a great cooking/eating staple. I do bake it about 40 minutes because I love the crunch of the noodles at the edge and the char of the cheese on top. Great recipe—you’ve renewed our love for a beautiful, colorful and flavorful dish! I told my husband last night as we were digging in, its the “perfect comfort food”!
Thank you for sharing, Christine! I appreciate your review.
I’m sure it’s yummy as written, but I subbed Japanese eggplant for the zucchini (none available at local stores?!) And celery for the carrots and
OMG!! This is my new favorite veggie lasagna! I loved finding a recipe using cottage cheese…I’ve used it for a while just because I don’t like ricotta. Great recipe!
Thank you for sharing, Connie! I’m delighted you enjoyed it.
My blender is broken unfortunately, can I still make this without blending the various components or is it crucial?
Hi Lani, try to chop really small. But it does help with the overall texture. Let me know what you think!
Hi Kate,
Can i assemble it a day in advance n keep it in the refrigerator till i am ready to bake it? Thanks!
Hi Ritu, I wouldn’t recommend it as it can tend to release water. You could try and store the components separately and then assemble. Or, this makes great leftovers too!
Oh no I’m just seeing not to make ahead. I pre assembled for a neighbor family to bake tonight to bring over. I’m praying it comes out ok.
Made this tonight as written, but used a jar of organic marinara sauce. It was absolutely delicious! Will definitely be making this again for another meatless Monday. Thank you so much for an awesome recipe!
You’re welcome, Gwen!
Wow
This veggie lasagna was a hit. My son who is an excellent cook really liked it. (My daughter in law wants the recipe)
The only changes I made: I simmered the sauce and added additional garlic and spices that I use when I make a spaghetti sauce; I added Parmesan to the veggies along with the cheese; and added 2 additional bell peppers. I didn’t assemble it until a few hours later.
That’s great! Thank you for sharing how you adapted this, Paula. I appreciate your review.
Is there any reason not to chop the vegetables finely using the food processor before cooking them? I thought this would reduce the risk of the vegetables getting watery/mushy in the food processor and reduce a step.
Hi Kristi, I found this helped to get them caramelized. I hope you try it and enjoy it!
JUST MADE A PAN FOR DINNER TODAY….IT CAME OUT PERFECT…THANK YOU FOR THE RECIPE…
You’re welcome! I’m glad it was perfect. Thank you for your review, Deborah.
I’m looking forward to making this tomorrow.
If I double the recipe should I use a 13×9 inch pan?
Hi, I believe that has worked for others. Let me know!
I made this tonight and loved it! I used regular whole wheat lasagne noodles as that what what I had, and skipped the basil but otherwise followed the recipe. So pleased I tried it and have leftovers for some days too. (I previously tried the veggie chili and was floored by how good it was and how easy to make. I need to submit a review on that page. So glad I found your site.)
Thank you!
Jill
I’m glad you found the blog too, Jill! Thank you for sharing.
How important is using freshly grated mozzarella? Is the already-shredded, in-a-bag cheese okay to use instead?
HI Bethany, I find it melts more even and better texture/taste.
I don’t have a food processor. I’m 68
and am trying to reduce the number of appliances that I have. Could you suggest a way to make this recipe without using a food processor?
Many Thanks,
Patty
Hi Patty, You can finely chop as much as you can and mix in the cottage cheese that way. Let me know what you think!
Made this on Sunday. Followed recipe and added freshly grated parmesan cheese to the top layer.
Recipe was outstanding. You would never know it was cottage cheese. Amazing.
I made half batch with the ‘no bake’ noodles and the other half with ‘regular lasagna noodles’ but did not boil them. Just layered them straight out of the box. In taste testing both, you would never know there was a difference.
Thanks for the recipe. I plan to try your other lasagna recipe next.
wait, can you actually make lasagna without using regular lasagna sheets without boiling them??
Yes, but add extra sauce. Dry noodles absorb all of the liquid.
I love this recipe. Super healthy and tasty. A real winner with the kids.
That’s great! Thank you for sharing, Denise.
Amazing! I can’t believe I pulled this off and served this professional looking dish! Thank you for this wonderful recipe and excellent directions! It was so delicious. My son was complaining all the while I was making it, as it was vegetarian. He had two slices! The end.
I’m glad you and you son loved it, Leann! Thank you for your review.
Excellent veggie lasagna. The vegetable combination was perfect and made this lasagna feel more substantial than when I just use spinach. Will definitely make this again!
That’s great, Edie! Thank you for your review.
This was amazing! I don’t understand how it is so good. Admittedly I did change a few things-I used ricotta, used the veggies I had on hard (zucchini, broccoli, onions) and added a bunch of garlic to the veggies. Also I just used jarred sauce. But the method is amazing and SO flavorful.
I’m glad you loved it, Katie!
Do I have to use no boil noodles? Can I use regular lasagna noodles and boil them first al dente?
Hi Sarah, see the notes for gluten free and that will work if you can’t find no boil.
Hi Kate! I made your vegetable lasagna last night and it was a big hit, even with the meat eaters in the family! I doubled the recipe and used a larger Pyrex pan, so could fit 3 lasagna noodles width-wise in two rows for each layer – perfect! I loved making the fresh tomato sauce which avoids all that extra sugar in jarred tomato sauces. I also used canned mushrooms per my daughter’s suggestion to avoid the excess water from fresh mushrooms. Next time I am adding butternut squash for a more fall flavor. Oh, and I topped it with freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Your recipes are always spot on! thank you so much for your inspiration!
I’m happy it was a hit, Stacy. Thank you for sharing how you made it.
I’d like to make this for a family that does not like green salads. What would you suggest as a side dish?
Hi Carey, I like this as it’s own dish. You could try another roasted vegetable or my Roasted Garlic Bread.
I wanted a recipe for vegetable lasagna and found this! It was fantastic, creamy, cheesy and packed with veggies. I used pan sautéed zucchini, broccoli, spinach and mushrooms. I’d never thought of whipping cottage cheese and folding in the veg. Brilliant and delicious. Thank you!
Love the vegetable lasagna. One question…can I prepare it a few hours in advance (assemble without cooking) and cook when I get to my daughter’s?
I haven’t tired it. It may release some water as it sits. Let me know if you try it and your result!
I’m dairy free. I have vegan mozzarella but what can I use to substitute the cottage cheese?
Hi Robin, I recommend you try my Best Vegan Lasagna!
The sauce just tastes like puréed tomatoes! I really don’t like this recipe because of the sauce
I’m sorry you don’t enjoy this recipe. You can use a store bough red sauce if you like.
As I prepared this recipe, I thought there was no way it could be as good as others are saying it is, but I was WRONG! For a weeknight dinner with kids, I chose to use a jarred sauce, otherwise I followed the recipe, and added a sprinkle of cayenne to the veggies since we like spice. This lasagna is DELICIOUS. It’s even worth having to wash the parts to my food processor :)
I’m glad you all loved it, Denice! Thank you for your review.
Seriously the best lasagna of any kind we have ever had! So light and flavorful and delicious. It did take me nearly 3 hours to make — but it was well worth it, and I will gladly make it again. Also plan to try the vegan version. Thank you Kate!
Hi kate what if I want to use fresh noodles instead of the no back
Hi Julie, I haven’t tried homemade or fresh noodles so I can’t say for sure how it would vary.
Skipped the onion but everything else according the recipe. Turned out awesome! Added little parmesan when serving. Delicious
I just made this and it was outstanding!!!
I want to serve at a dinner party so will need to double the recipe. Will that change the cooking time??
Hi Barbara, It should still be the same as it will be in a larger pan. However, just keep you eye on it and adjust as necessary. Enjoy!
I absolutely can’t say enough about this delicious recipe! I doubled the recipe expect him to have leftovers but there were none…
I’m glad you loved it, Tyler!
I make this recipe often and love it (in fact I’m vegetarian and make several of your recipes). I was wondering, do you think if I grate the vegetables I can skip the cooking step and simply add them to the cottage cheese mixture? Since they are so small grated I wondered if they would cook just fine in the oven.
Hi Nicole, you want to cooke the vegetables for the taste and to cook out some of the moisture otherwise you will have a soupy result.
The only vegan-friendly noodles I have are the kind that I need to boil. Can I use it instead and would I need to adjust anything?
Also the family is allergic to cashews could I use the same amount of homemade vegan bechamel sauce?
Hope to hear back from you. :)
Delicious! Didn’t use low fat ricotta or low fat cheese as I have underweight children. Added extra cheese. One of the yummiest vegetarian lasagnas I’ve ever had and so easy to make with no roasting vegetables. Will definitely make again.
This recipe was amazing Kate! I used fresh lasagna noodles because I had access to it at my local store. The rest of the recipe stayed the same and it got rave reviews from the family. Than you!
You’re welcome, Suzanne!
Biggest fan of this lasagna! Thank you for a winning, healthy, beautiful recipe.
Would you recommend this cooking time for a casserole dish that is 14.3″L x 8.3″W x 2.6″H?
Hi Meg, I’m not quite sure without trying it. Maybe start with the recommend time before uncovering, then adjust once it calls for you to rotate. Let me know how it goes!
We have been making your granola for years and a few other stables. Sometimes, I wonder to other food bloggers websites but then I realize that your stuff is always better. I loved this recipe. Such a crowd pleaser for my toddler. Sweet or savory you always nail it!
You are so kind, Nicole! Thank you for sharing.
I am a big fan of all the recipes of yours that I have tried! This lasagna was a lot of prep but totally worth it!! So delicious! Used non fat cottage cheese (don’t tell my husband :)), Delallo whole wheat no boil lasagna noodles were great!
I’m glad you thought it was worth it, Alyssa!
This was great! We upped the salt a bit and used 1/2 cottage cheese + 1/2 ricotta as others have mentioned, but would definitely use this as a staple lasagna recipe!
Can I use homemade lasagne noodles?
Sure, although I haven’t tried it. You may need to adjust your time.
The top layer of pasta wasn’t all the way cooked and was chewy. Maybe because of the missing sauce in the second layer?
Made this tonight. Even my meat loving MIL enjoyed it! My toddler ate more veggies in this tonight, than in the past week combined. Will be making this again, and again, and again… 5 ⭐️
Great to hear, Cat!
Trying this recipe for a Friendsgiving this weekend. Can I assemble it a day before and keep refrigerated before I bake?
Thanks,
Liz
Hi Liz, I find it can release water and not provide the best result. I know some have tried it and had mixed results.
Is there a misprint in the nutritional info regarding the toatasl sodium per slice? Thanks.
Hi M, I try to be as accurate as I can be. Please refer to my Nutrition Disclaimer
Another winner. We love love loved it. Thank you
You’re welcome, Trish!
Loved this recipe! My picky children and vegetable fearing husband gobbled it up! Mine came out a little too sweet, so next time I may cut back on carrot, add more salt, and maybe also add a new veggie such as mushroom. Loved knowing that we were eating a healthy meal. The sauce was AMAZING too. I was impressed with its bright fresh taste. Thanks for this recipe.
I’m glad you loved it, Rachael! I appreciate your review.
This was so amazing that after leaving it out for my roommates, I discovered that they ate half of it :) Was lazy and used store-bought marinara but followed everything else. Thanks for the great recipe!
You’re welcome, Tasmin!
Kate do you think this will be sufficient as the main dish for 2 adults and 2 toddlers? or should I double the quantity
Hi! Yes, I think it will. I hope you all enjoy it!