Here's an easy vegetable lasagna recipe that can be enjoyed any day of the week. This vegetarian lasagna is cheesy, packed with veggies and absolutely delicious!
It's always good to have some go-to vegetarian recipes at hand. Some of our favorites are easy Mediterranean green lentil soup and Mediterranean pizza. This vegetable lasagna is another dish that we enjoy eating because it's made with lots of vegetables such as zucchini and eggplant. It's a great way to add some vegetables to your regular diet.
This post is sponsored by our friends at La San Marzano. All opinions are mine.
Why this hearty vegetable lasagna is a winner
This vegetarian lasagna recipe is an excellent choice because:
- It's so easy, simple and comforting.
- It's perfect for days when you want to have a meal packed with veggies that also qualifies as comfort food.
- Vegetarian lasagna is full of nutrients and can be modified easily with your favorite vegetables.
- You can make this dish vegan, gluten free and dairy free if needed.
- It's also a great addition to your dinner table for when you have vegetarian guests.
What are the ingredients for vegetable lasagna?
For this recipe you need the following ingredients:
- Onion
- Garlic
- Eggplant
- Zucchini
- Red bell pepper
- Yellow bell pepper
- La San Marzano Tomato Basil Sauce
- Ricotta cheese
- Shredded mozzarella cheese
- Lasagna Noodles
To make this lasagna, I used La San Marzano Tomato Basil Sauce, which is always on hand in my pantry. This pasta sauce is so fresh and packed with flavor that it tastes like the tomatoes were just picked.
What vegetables can you use?
The best thing about this vegetarian lasagna is that you can use any kind of vegetable you please. In this lasagna I used eggplants, zucchini, bell peppers, onion and garlic. You can also use celery, carrots, squash, mushrooms and spinach.
How to make this recipe
I should mention that this is the best vegetable lasagna because is easy and simple to make from scratch. You can use any leftover veggies and herbs that you have in the fridge and it will still be delicious! Here's how to make a delicious vegetable lasagna:
- Saute onion and garlic in a large pan.
- Add the veggies and cook for a few minutes until they soften a bit.
- Add in tomato basil sauce and stir well. You don't need to cook the veggies completely as they will cook in the oven along with the lasagna noodles.
- Spread some of the veggie sauce at the bottom of the pan.
- Place a layer of lasagna noodles on the sauce and spread ricotta cheese on them.
- Top with more of the veggie sauce and some shredded mozzarella. Add more layers until you run out of sauce!
- Finish with a layer of vegetables, ricotta, and mozzarella cheese.
- Bake in the oven at 350ºF for 45 minutes.
- Once the lasagna is cooked, let it cool for 20 minutes. Slice with a sharp knife and serve.
How can I make roasted vegetable lasagna?
Roasted vegetable lasagna recipe is pretty simple and straightforward:
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and coat with non stick spray.
- Slice all the vegetables you need for the lasagna. Place them on the baking sheet and lightly drizzle with olive oil.
- Sprinkle salt and pepper on the vegetables.
- Roast in the oven for 20-25 minutes until they're cooked. Please check out this Mediterranean Oven Roasted Vegetables recipe for notes and tips about roasting vegetables.
- Mix the roasted vegetables with tomato basil sauce.
- Layer the lasagna noodles with vegetables and ricotta cheese.
- Top with mozzarella cheese.
- Bake in the oven at 350°F for 45 minutes until your lasagna noodles are cooked.
What goes well with this lasagna?
This recipe gives us a complete meal on its own. However, you can serve it with a small side salad such as Mediterranean salad. Turn it into a nice vegetarian Italian dinner by serving this garlic bread as a warm and buttery side.
Can I make this lasagna ahead of time?
There are three ways to prepare this recipe ahead of time:
- Cook in advance: prepare the lasagna and cook it completely. Let the lasagna cool completely, then cover it with aluminum foil and refrigerate for up to three days.
- Refrigerate uncooked lasagna: Prepare the vegetables and layer the lasagna noodles with cooked vegetables and cheese. Cover with aluminum foil and refrigerate for up to two days. When you're ready to cook the lasagna, preheat the oven to 350°F and bake the lasagna in the oven for about 50 minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbly and the lasagna noodles are cooked.
- Freeze uncooked lasagna: Prepare the lasagna as instructed but don't cook it in the oven. Cover the uncooked prepared lasagna with aluminum foil and freeze for up to one month. To bake, thaw the lasagna in the fridge and then preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake the vegetable lasagna in the oven for 50 minutes until golden, bubbly and fully cooked.
Notes and tips for making this healthy vegetable lasagna recipe
- You can make this vegetarian lasagna recipe gluten free by using gluten free lasagna noodles.
- For dairy-free vegetable lasagna, please use vegan ricotta and vegan mozzarella: both are available at supermarkets.
- I use no boil lasagna noodles which makes this lasagna recipe even easier because you can simply stack them.
- To store the leftovers, place them in an airtight container and refrigerate up to 3 days.
- I like to slice the vegetables so we get a little bit of chunkiness in each bite. However, you can slice the veggies as thinly as you desire.
- If you know your kids won't like the texture of veggies, place all the vegetables in a food processor and chop them as small as possible. Heat some olive oil in a large pan. Saute the chopped vegetables for a few minutes until the water evaporates. Add the tomato basil sauce and proceed with the recipe as instructed.
Looking for more pasta recipes?
Easy vegetable Lasagna Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
- 1 large onion chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 large eggplant sliced
- 1 zucchini sliced
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 1 yellow bell pepper diced
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 jar La San Marzano Tomato Basil Sauce 1 lb
- 1 lb Lasagna noodles
- 15 oz ricotta cheese
- 1 lb shredded mozzarella
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F and coat a 9x9 baking dish with non stick spray.
- Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium heat.
- Saute onion and garlic for about 5 minutes until golden brown.
- Add in sliced eggplants, cover and cook for about 10 minutes until semi soft.
- Next, add in zucchini and bell peppers, cook for 10 more minutes.
- Then add La San Marzano Tomato Basil Sauce, stir and cook for ten minutes.
- Pour ⅓ cup vegetable sauce at the bottom of the baking dish.
- Top with Lasagna noodles. Spread ricotta on the lasagna noodles.
- Top with vegetable sauce and shredded mozzarella.
- Repeat the layers of noodles and vegetables until the last layer is vegetables topped with mozzarella cheese.
- Top with some basil leaves and cover with aluminum foil.
- Bake in the oven for 45 minutes until the lasagna noodles are fully cooked.
- Uncover and cook for another 10 minutes.
- Let cool for 20 minutes and then slice and serve.
