Easy Vegetable Lasagna
This vegetable lasagna is a reader favorite! Tender vegetables, a light tomato sauce, and lots of cheese make this the best vegetable lasagna recipe, ever. Jump to the Vegetable Lasagna Recipe or watch our video to see how we make it.
Watch Us Make Vegetable Lasagna
We Honestly Think This Is The Best Lasagna Recipe, Ever
I know that saying that this is the “best lasagna, ever” is a bold statement, but we truly believe it. I love lasagna in all it’s forms. We’ve shared a variety of them including a meaty beef and sausage lasagna, this healthier spinach and mushroom lasagna, our extra easy no-fuss lasagna and even this creamy chicken lasagna with white sauce and while they are all delicious, it’s this easy vegetable lasagna that truly has my heart.
- This veggie lasagna is easy to make, made from scratch, and calls for simple ingredients.
- The recipe is adaptable based on the vegetables you have available to you. In our photos, we’ve used zucchini, yellow squash, red peppers, and onions, but a variety of veggies can work in their place.
- You can make this lasagna gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan. Check our notes below for suggestions.
How to Make Vegetable Lasagna
Just like when making classic lasagna, the method for our recipe is pretty simple. Here’s an overview of how to make our vegetable lasagna (the full recipe is below):
- Cook your lasagna noodles OR skip this step and use no-boil noodles. Even though we use regular lasagna noodles in our video, I actually prefer the texture of no-boil noodles and bonus, it’s easier!
- Make the simple tomato sauce, which takes about 20 minutes. If you’re going to be short on time, the sauce can be made up to three days in advance.
- Combine ricotta cheese, egg, and a bit of salt together. Choose a high quality ricotta for this. Unfortunately quite a few brands miss the mark when it comes to great tasting ricotta. I like BelGioioso Ricotta con Latte Whole Milk, Sorrento, and if I can find it, freshly made ricotta from our local cheese shop.
- Assemble the lasagna by layering the vegetable sauce, noodles, the ricotta mixture, and shredded cheese.
The lasagna bakes in the oven for about 35 minutes. I like to bake it covered for 20 minutes, and then uncover it so the top and cheese get some color.
Veggie Lasagna Recipe Variations
One of the things I absolutely love about this veggie lasgana recipe is that it is so easy to adapt to what we have in the house (or the season).
You will need 4 to 5 cups of chopped vegetables to make this meatless lasagna. Here are some suggestions for vegetables you can use:
- Zucchini and/or yellow summer squash, chopped
- Mushrooms, chopped or torn into small pieces
- Spinach, kale or other greens
- Winter squash like butternut or delicata squash would be excellent for a fall-inspired lasagna. I’d peel and cube them.
- Carrots, chopped or shredded
- Bell peppers, fresh or roasted (I love adding roasted red peppers)
- Eggplant that’s been cut into cubes
For a gluten-free vegetable lasagna, use gluten-free noodles or use vegetables to make the noodle layer. Layer long, thin slices of eggplant or zucchini in place of the noodles. I prefer to partially cook the slices by roasting or grilling first so they don’t add too much moisture to the lasagna.
For a dairy-free vegetable lasagna, swap the ricotta cheese and egg for almond ricotta. You can make it yourself or buy it (Kite Hill is a popular brand). I also like swapping the cheese called for in the recipe for a generous sprinkling of nutritional yeast.
For a creamy vegetable lasagna, use our creamy chicken lasagna recipe, but swap the chicken sausage for sautéed vegetables.
Make Ahead and Storing Tips
Lasagna is the perfect make-ahead meal. Here’s how I do it:
The vegetable sauce can be made in advance and should last in your refrigerator up to 3 days and in your freezer for about three months. We recommend using freezer-safe glass containers, or double layers of freezer bags to store sauces. To thaw, leave it overnight in the refrigerator.
You can refrigerate unbaked lasagna. Cover and refrigerate the assembled, but unbaked lasagna up to 2 days. When you cover, use parchment or wax paper between the lasagna and aluminum foil. Aluminum foil can react with the tomatoes.
Baked lasagna also freezes well. Let it cool completely on a rack before freezing, and then wrap it very well with foil (we use two layers). Defrost the frozen lasagna overnight in the refrigerator and then bake at 400°F for about 1 hour. (I prefer baking and then freezing the lasagna instead of freezing uncooked lasagna.)
More Vegetable Pasta Recipes
- Our Easy Garlic Mushroom Pasta is quick to make and delicious thanks to garlic butter mushrooms.
- This Fresh Veggie Spaghetti combines lots of vegetables into a fresh and simple sauce.
- This Easy Vegetable Baked Pasta is loaded with vegetables, extra cheesy, and seriously irresistible.
- Inspired by this vegetable lasagna recipe, these Veggie Lasagna Roll Ups are a fun spin on the original.
- For a quick and easy dinner, try my favorite Orzo Pasta Recipe with Tomato and Basil.
- Try Our Favorite Eggplant Parmesan. We roast the eggplant instead of breading and frying it. It’s easier and still tastes amazing!
Recipe updated, originally posted May 2013. Since posting this in 2013, we have tweaked the recipe to be more clear and added a quick recipe video. – Adam and Joanne
Easy Vegetable Lasagna
- PREP
This vegetable lasagna recipe is a reader favorite! Tender vegetables, a light tomato sauce, and lots of cheese make this the best vegetable lasagna recipe, ever. We really do not miss the meat. Add your favorite vegetables to this, we have given suggestions in the article above.
Makes 8 Servings
You Will Need
14 lasagna noodles (2 extra for filling in holes)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup (140 grams) chopped onion
1 tablespoon minced garlic, (3 cloves)
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or more to taste
2 medium zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 medium yellow squash, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
One (12-ounce) jar roasted red peppers, drained and cut into 1/2-inch pieces, 1 heaping cup
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
Generous handful fresh basil leaves, chopped
One (15-ounce) container ricotta cheese or cottage cheese
2 large eggs
2 ounces (60 grams) parmesan cheese, grated, about 1 cup
8 ounces (230 grams) low-moisture mozzarella cheese, shredded
Salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste
Directions
- Cook Noodles
- Make Vegetable Sauce
- Make Cheese Filling
- Assemble Lasagna
Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil then cook lasagna noodles according to package directions. (We add a couple teaspoons of olive oil to the water so the noodles do not stick together). Drain then lay flat on a sheet of aluminum foil.
Heat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly oil a 13-inch by 9-inch baking dish or spray with non-stick cooking spray.
Heat the olive oil in a wide skillet with sides over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, red pepper flakes, zucchini, squash, and a pinch of salt then cook, stirring occasionally until softened but still with some crunch, another 5 to 8 minutes.
Stir in the roasted red peppers and crushed tomatoes. Bring to a low simmer and cook until the liquid has thickened and reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Add the basil and season to taste with additional salt and pepper.
While the sauce cooks, stir the ricotta cheese, eggs, and a 1/2 teaspoon of salt in a medium bowl until blended.
Spoon just enough vegetable mixture into the baking dish to lightly cover the bottom (about 1 cup). Arrange four noodles lengthwise and side by side to cover the bottom. (If the noodles are short on one end, you may need to cut an extra noodle and place into dish to cover where the other noodles have not).
Spread about half of the ricotta cheese mixture over the noodles. Sprinkle with a third of the parmesan cheese and a third of the mozzarella cheese. Top with a third of the vegetable mixture.
Add another layer of four noodles then repeat with remaining cheese and vegetables. Finish with a final layer of noodles, vegetables, parmesan cheese and mozzarella cheese.
Cover loosely with aluminum foil and bake 20 minutes, uncover then bake 15 minutes until cheese is crusty around the edges. To make the cheese golden brown on top, slide under the broiler for 1 to 2 minutes. Let rest 10 to 15 minutes before serving.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Make-ahead tips have been shared in the article above. The sauce can be made up to three days in advance, you can refrigerate assembled and unbaked lasagna up to 2 days, and the baked lasagna can be frozen.
- For a gluten-free lasagna, use gluten-free noodles or use vegetables to make the noodle layer. Tips have been shared in the article above.
- For a dairy-free and egg-free lasagna, swap the ricotta cheese and egg for almond ricotta. You can make it yourself or buy it (Kite Hill is a popular brand). I also like swapping the cheese called for in the recipe for a generous sprinkling of nutritional yeast.
- Nutrition facts: The nutrition facts provided below are estimates. We have used the USDA database to calculate approximate values.
If you make this recipe, snap a photo and hashtag it #inspiredtaste — We love to see your creations on Instagram and Facebook! Find us: @inspiredtaste
Nutrition Per Serving: Serving Size 1/8 of lasagna / Calories 444 / Protein 25 g / Carbohydrate 45 g / Dietary Fiber 4 g / Total Sugars 7 g / Total Fat 19 g / Saturated Fat 9 g / Cholesterol 93 mg
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With 4 of our 5 college-age kids home this summer (plus one boyfriend), I was stretched in my meal-planning skills…especially with 2 vegetarians. We tried this recipe and it was a hit! It was quite flavorful.
Aldi’s I love the season vegetable lasagna.It is INE of the best Frozen lasagna .It is the best around.I wish yous will keep it all year around. Thanks Barb Spence
The first time I made this recipe was last Thanksgiving (2019) and I have made it twice since. I was concerned about the recipe being meatless but it was a bigger hit than I expected, and has become my family’s favorite lasagna (with the exception of my sister who doesn’t like ricotta or lasagna in general…sigh). Great job on this recipe Adam + Joanne, it’s delicious and hard to mess up.
This was a great way to use up extra veggies in the house. I used asparagus, mushrooms, carrots, celery, jalapeno, roasted red peppers and kale. I loved the addition of the roasted red peppers, I had never thought to add that to a lasagna. The husband and I are trying to eat vegetarian a couple of nights each week and this was a great recipe for us, super easy and made a huge pan worth (we will have to freeze some). I might add more sauce next time, but I like things very saucy. Will definitely make again, experimenting with different veggies.
I love your recipes!
This lasagna is the best! I’ve made many different versions of lasagna but this is our favorite.
Easy and delicious!! This recipe is definitely a keeper. Enjoy!
This lasagna is delicious and simple to make. I’ve made it several times and have to say that it’s one of my favorites of all time. I use the non cook noodles, and cottage cheese instead of ricotta. Love the roasted red peppers called for in recipe! Now that I have my home grown squash this will be made even more frequently. So glad my husband is a fan of this recipe as well!
I have made this at least 15 times the son in law candidate loves seeing this in the fridge when they come to town and I have taken it to family gathering buy request, at first I made it as written and have since tweeked it as follows. I make twice the vegetable mixture and cook it down as the recipe says when its softened I put about half in the food processor and puree it briefly then add it back to the rest and proceed with the recipe layering, I like the extra veggie mixture and the way it comes together and any extra I just use in another recipe. Mark
Very easy and delicious! I added carrots and then wondered if after cooking the sauce I maybe could have blended for my daughter that is not crazy about veggies ;).
My family loved this lasagna. They all request it for a special birthday.
This was honestly amazing!!!! Best vegetable lasagna I have ever had. I recently transitioned to being a vegetarian and I haven’t had much success with getting my kids on board with nutritious vegetable-based dishes but this one was a hit! My daughter, our toughest critic, asked for more. Love to know that it’s packed with so much nutritional goodness. I used cottage cheese (instead of ricotta) and spinach, carrots, zucchini, mushrooms, and bell peppers for my veggies. Mouthwatering and even better left over. Thanks for a new staple in our household!