This Vegetarian Lasagna is the best! It's loaded with fresh vegetables and topped with a mix of mozzarella and ricotta cheese—you'll love it.
Ingredients and substitutions
- Olive oil – or another neutral cooking oil like avocado or canola oil.
- Yellow onion – white onion or shallots would also be good.
- Mushrooms, zucchini and yellow pepper – use any combination of vegetables of your choice. It would be delicious with carrots, spinach, yellow squash, eggplant, kale, celery and more!
- Garlic – freshly minced garlic is best, but jarred minced garlic can be used in a pinch.
- Salt & pepper – to taste.
- Pasta sauce – use a store-bought marinara sauce or make your own.
- Oven-ready lasagna noodles – for a gluten-free lasagna, try using gluten-free lasagna sheets.
- Ricotta cheese – cottage cheese or vegan ricotta would also be good here.
- Mozzarella cheese – I recommend using fresh mozzarella for the best results. Pre-shredded mozzarella will work if it's all you have on hand.
- Parmesan cheese – nutritional yeast is the best dairy-free substitute.
- Chopped fresh basil – garnish with fresh parsley instead or leave this off altogether.
How to make vegetarian lasagna
Step 1: Sautee the veggies.
Sauté the onions, garlic, mushrooms, zucchini and yellow pepper. Season with salt and pepper.
Step 2: Make the sauce.
Stir in one of the jars of pasta sauce and bring the sauce to a boil.
Step 3: Add the first layer to the pan.
Grease the baking dish, then cover the bottom of the dish with pasta sauce. Add one layer of lasagna noodles over top.
Step 4: Top with cheese.
Spread a bit of ricotta over top, followed by the mozzarella and parmesan.
Step 5: Finish with the veggie mixture.
Add a bit of the veggie mixture, followed by more lasagna noodles and cheese. Continue layering until the lasagna has three layers total. Finish with the remaining pasta sauce and more mozzarella.
Step 6: Bake in the oven then serve.
Cover the baking dish with tinfoil, then bake in the oven. Garnish with fresh basil or parsley and serve!
What to serve with vegetable lasagna
When it comes to this vegetarian lasagna, you can't go wrong with the classics! Who doesn't love some warm garlic bread or a Caesar salad with their pasta?
If you're looking for more side dish ideas, I'd recommend keeping things light. Here are some suggestions:
Frequently Asked Questions
Sautéing the veggies before adding them to the lasagna should prevent them from getting soggy. I'd also recommend not adding too many vegetables with a higher water content, as this may lead to your lasagna being a bit too watery.
Yes, it's important to add a layer of pasta sauce to the bottom of the baking dish as it keeps the noodles from sticking to the bottom.
To make this lasagna gluten-free, swap out the noodles for your favourite gluten-free lasagna noodles. To make it dairy-free, use a vegan ricotta (like almond ricotta or tofu ricotta), vegan mozzarella and nutritional yeast instead or parmesan.
It's best to cover the lasagna with tinfoil before baking it in the oven. If you cook it uncovered, the lasagna noodles will likely dry out. The tinfoil will trap the moisture inside, ensuring that your lasagna has the perfect texture!
You can assemble this lasagna the night before, then cover it in tinfoil and store it in the fridge overnight before baking it the next day. Just keep in mind that you might need to increase the cooking time, as the lasagna will be cold from the fridge. You can also cook and freeze the lasagna for up to 3 months!
Storing and reheating
If you have any leftovers of this delicious vegetarian lasagna, you can store them in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can reheat it in the microwave for 1 to 2 minutes until warmed through, or pop it in an oven-safe dish covered in aluminum foil and reheat for 15 to 20 minutes in the oven at 350° Fahrenheit.
Freezing this recipe
This vegetarian lasagna recipe will freeze beautifully for up to 3 months. I recommend freezing individual portions in aluminum trays for easy reheating. To reheat, pull a tray out of the fridge and let it defrost overnight. The next day, cover the tray in aluminum foil and reheat in the oven for about 30 minutes at 350° Fahrenheit until the cheese is nice and bubbly and it's warmed through. Top with some fresh parmesan and dig in!
Wanna Learn How To Meal Prep?
My meal planning service, Dinner Prep Pro, removes the guesswork and helps you get dinner on the table in 15-20 minutes each night. My meal prep checklists only take 1 hour each week!
Meal Prep Tools
- Grab some glass meal prep bowls to pack up your weekly lunches.
- Freeze and refrigerate leftovers in round glass microwave-safe bowls with lids.
- Or these aluminum foil containers are perfect for re-heating straight from the freezer to oven.
- **Get my full list of tools here**
Easiest Vegetarian Lasagna {So Comforting!}
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil plus more for greasing
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 8 oz mushrooms sliced
- 1 zucchini chopped
- 1 yellow pepper diced; or any colour
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 tsp each salt & pepper
- 2 (650mL) jars pasta sauce
- 1 lb oven-ready lasagna noodles
- 1 (475g) tub ricotta cheese
- 3 cups mozzarella cheese
- 2 cups parmesan cheese
- Chopped fresh basil or parsley optional garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 F. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over med-high heat. Add onions, mushrooms, zucchini, yellow pepper and garlic, seasoning with salt & pepper and sauteeing for 5 minutes.
- Stir in 1 jar of the pasta sauce and bring to a boil. Remove from heat.
- Grease a 9×13 baking dish with a bit more olive oil, then pour some of the sauce from the second jar into the bottom until it covers the baking dish. Add one layer of lasagna noodles, breaking into pieces if necessary.
- Spread a bit of ricotta overtop, then add some grated mozzarella and parmesan cheese. Add a bit of veggie mixture overtop, then add more lasagna noodles and repeat this process of layering until the baking dish is full. It should be 3 layers total, finishing with the final layer of lasagna noodles. Save 1 cup mozzarella cheese for topping.
- Pour the rest of the remaining jar of pasta sauce overtop, then top with 1 cup mozzarella. Spray some foil with cooking spray to prevent the cheese from sticking, then cover the lasagna.
- Bake for 30 minutes, then remove foil and bake another 10-15 minutes. Wait to cool for 10 minutes, then garnish with basil and/or parsley. Cut into 8 squares, then serve and enjoy!
Share With Me!
Did you make this recipe or want to share your thoughts? Make sure to leave your review below and tag me on Instagram #thegirlonbloor so I can check it out!