This is the best Vegetarian Lasagna! This meatless classic is packed with roasted veggies, THREE types of cheese, and so much flavor.
I absolutely LOVE lasagna. It’s a classic for a reason. Gooey cheese, tender noodles, loads of sauce. What’s not to love? I already have a classic lasagna, a one pot lasagna, AND a lasagna soup, so I thought it was about time for a meatless version. Enter: the BEST vegetarian lasagna!
Ingredients
Roasted Vegetables
- Celery, Carrots, Bell Pepper, Onion, Broccoli, Zucchini, and Mushrooms – a nutrient dense and vibrant veggie blend that adds so much flavor and texture to this vegetarian lasagna.
- Garlic – gives that delicious nutty flavor.
- Olive Oil – used to roast the veggies.
- Salt and Pepper – enhances other flavors. Don’t be shy, nobody likes bland veggies!
Filling
- Cottage Cheese – the base of our filling. I love the extra protein and texture cottage cheese adds, but feel free to use ricotta for a more traditional filling!
- Mozzarella Cheese and Parmesan Cheese – used both in the filling AND on top of the dish — this is the classic lasagna cheese combo! Mozzarella adds a creamy, gooey texture while parmesan adds a sharp, salty flavor!
- Italian Seasoning, Dried Basil, Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, Nutmeg, Salt, and Black Pepper – a sweet and savory seasoning blend that gives classic lasagna flavor.
- Eggs – help bind the cheese filling mixture together.
Other Ingredients
- Marinara Sauce – feel free to use your favorite store-bought variety of marinara sauce or make it homemade.
- Lasagna Noodles – cooked 2 minutes less than al dente according to box directions for the perfect texture.
How to make
This vegetable lasagna is absolutely packed with veggies, seasonings, and cheeses.
- Place veggies on a prepared baking sheet with oil, salt, and pepper and roast for 20-45 minutes, stirring halfway through.
- Place cottage cheese, 8 ounces of mozzarella, 1/2 cup parmesan, seasonings, and eggs into a food processor and process until fully combined.
- Spread 1 cup marinara in the bottom of the baking dish.
- Layer on noodles, cottage cheese, veggies, pasta sauce, and parmesan. Repeat this order 4 times.
- Top with mozzarella cheese and bake for 40 minutes.
- Cool then serve and enjoy!
Do you need to cook the lasagna noodles first?
Yes! You will want to cook them just slightly less than al dente. I recommend 2 minutes less than the recommended cook time on the box. The noodles will continue to cook in the casserole as it bakes, so if they’re slightly undercooked to begin with, they will be perfect when the lasagna is done!
Do you need to cook the veggies first?
Yes! Roast the veggies until tender — anywhere from 25-40 minutes in a 425 degree F oven — before incorporating them into the lasagna.The veggies don’t really cook when the lasagna is baked, so make sure you’re happy with the texture before assembling the lasagna.
How to make gluten-free
For a gluten-free lasagna, you can use a gluten-free variety of lasagna noodle or omit the noodles altogether and sub in zucchini or eggplant. I’d suggest this recipe for no noodle zucchini lasagna (omit the ground beef or replace with meatless crumbles to keep it vegetarian).
Variations
- Add meat. Use a batch of my homemade bolognese or turkey bolognese in place of the marinara.
- Mix in more veggies. Try squash, peas, or even sweet potato.
- Add basil. Kick the flavor up a notch by blending some fresh basil leaves into the cheese mixture.
- Use other cheeses. Goat, feta, gruyere, ricotta, you name it.
What to serve with vegetarian lasagna
If you’re looking to bulk up your meal, here are some of my favorite dishes to serve with lasagna:
- Pear, Blue Cheese, and Candied Pecan Salad
- Caprese Salad
- Garlic Bread
- Breadsticks
How to store
Store leftover lasagna in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-5 days or in the freezer for 2-3 months.
To reheat, thaw in the fridge if frozen then microwave or bake to warm.
– Jennifer
Vegetarian Lasagna
Equipment for this recipe
Ingredients
Roasted Vegetables
- 2 large stalks celery finely diced
- 2 large carrots finely diced
- 1 bell pepper diced
- ½ large yellow onion diced
- 1 cup chopped broccoli
- 1 zucchini chopped
- 1 (8 oz) container sliced baby Bella mushrooms
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt plus more to taste, if desired
- ½ teaspoon pepper
Filling
- 1 (24 oz) container cottage cheese
- 1 (8 oz) block mozzarella cheese shredded
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 large eggs
Other Ingredients
- 2 (23 oz) jars marinara sauce
- 16 lasagna noodles cooked 2 minutes less than al dente according to package directions
- 1 (8 oz) block mozzarella cheese shredded
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Recipe Video
Instructions
Roasted Vegetables
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F and line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat. Set aside.
- Place prepped vegetables onto the prepared baking sheet and toss with oil, salt, and pepper.
- Roast in the preheated oven for 20-45 minutes, or until the veggies are cooked to your liking, stirring halfway through.
- Drain the veggies and keep them in a colander while you’re assembling the lasagna (this removes excess moisture).
Filling
- Place cottage cheese, 8 oz mozzarella, 1/2 cup parmesan, Italian seasoning, basil, garlic powder, onion powder, nutmeg, salt, pepper, and eggs into a food processor.
- Process until combined. It's okay if it's still a little chunky. Set aside.
Assembling and Baking
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and grease a deep 9x13 inch baking dish with cooking spray.
- Spread 1 cup marinara sauce into the bottom of the dish.
- To assemble: repeat the below steps (steps 4-8) 4 times.
- Arrange 4 noodles lengthwise over sauce.
- Spread with 1/4th of the cottage cheese mixture.
- Top with 1/4th of the veggies.
- Drizzle on (approx.) 1/2 jar pasta sauce.
- Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese.
- Once the layers are complete, top with remaining 8 oz mozzarella cheese.
- Bake in preheated oven, uncovered, for 40 minutes.
- Cool for 15 minutes before slicing and serving!
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Nutrition Information
*Note: Nutrition information is estimated and varies based on products used.
Pascale
Jennifer @ Show Me the Yummy