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
- Author: Cookie and Kate
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour (plus 15 minutes cooling time)
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Entree
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Italian
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.
Annette
Thanks for the inspiration! Came home from vacation to find that the teenager hadn’t eaten any of the fresh vegetables that had been left for him. Tossed them into this vegetable lasagna with great success. I had some plain skyr that had to be used as well so I added it in with the cottage cheese mixture – the result is worth repeating.
Kate
Happy to hear that, Annette!
Carle
Making this for Easter! How can I convert to a 9×13? I’m nervous about the no-boil noodles, I’ve never used them before!
Gina
I just converted to a 9×13 yesterday for our Earth Day dinner! I needed 4 noodles per layer instead of three, and used 1 cup of sauce each time the recipe called for sauce and it was awesome! I baked mine, covered, 20 minutes and uncovered 20 mins. Let it sit 15 mins before serving. I didn’t change proportions of veggies or cheeses. Our 5 year old didn’t pick a single veggie out of it.
Amber
This recipe has become part of our weekend rotation. We usually cook it up on Sunday and enjoy the leftovers for lunch. Our 3-year old and 1-year old absolutely love it! I was skeptical about the cottage cheese, but now I am a complete convert and tell everyone I know about this swap for ricotta. Thanks for the deliciousness!!
Kate
Sounds like a great meal prep! Thank you, Amber.
Brian
I have made this recipe three times now and last night I told my wife to never let me make it again. It has great flavor, but the consistency is like soup, even after cooking veggies exact amount, waiting to cool etc. In my estimation… this will not be the lasagna recipe that convinces meat-eating relatives veg is just as good because it ends up having a consistency that is nothing like lasagna. However, it’s very light. If that’s what you’re going for, this recipe is fine.
Kate
I’m sorry to hear that, Brian. Thank you for your feedback! I’m not quite sure your is so watery if you are following the directions.
Laura
It probably depends on the water content sauce, canned tomatoes, and cottage cheese that are used (and can vary quite a bit). That’s easy to adjust, Brian, by using different brands, straining the cottage cheese, draining the canned tomatoes, or cooking the sauce down more. All is not lost.
Cara Norris
I had a similar issue with the consistency. I wondered if it had anything to do with using cooked noodles instead of no-boil and using a canned sauce instead of making this one. Regardless, the taste on this is 5 stars. I will most definitely make again and use a thicker sauce, or as Laura said, maybe strain the cottage cheese. Or I’ll just eat it with a spoon with a big hunk of bread cuz that works too. :)
Maxi
Did you drain the tomatoes properly? I don’t even mind the liquid that much. Maybe don’t cover it for the first 18minutes to let some water evaporate? I put it on broil for the last 5min to get that extra golden cheese crust.
Maxine
My husband is shifting to a vegetarian diet so I wanted super healthy alternatives to some of his favorites. He LOVED this one.
My carnivore 11-year old LOVED this dish.
This was delicious!
Thank you for this one.
Kate
Wonderful, Maxine! Thanks for your review.
AJ
I followed the recipe exactly as it says (and using the no-boil lasagna sheets), but after cooking, the lasagna sheets came out hard while the veggie mixture was amazing. I’m wondering what I can do next time to make sure this doesn’t happen again (or perhaps I missed something in the recipe). Should we be soaking the no-boil sheets before layering? Thanks for your help
Kate
I’m sorry to hear that, AJ! What brand/type of noodle did you use?
Dita
AJ I had the same issue. I used gluten-free no-boil noodles (Jovial brand from Whole Foods). I cooked it at 375, covered, for another 30 minutes and that saved the noodles. But the dish was very watery and mushy at that point. I’m a big fan but didn’t have luck with this one!
Jeanne
Made it for the firts time tonight AMAZING
Kate
I’m glad you loved it!
Jackie Bastyr Cooper
This is SO worth the effort (and dirty dishes! lol). Even the meat eaters loved it. The cottage cheese “hack” is genius :)
Kate
Thank you, Jackie! I’m glad you enjoyed another one.
Kristen
I loved the ease and healthiness of this recipe! I followed the directions but took two shortcuts: using the Mediterranean blend of frozen veggies from Whole Foods to avoid chopping and a jar of Rao’s marinara sauce. The lasagna was perfect after it sat for 15 minutes. Mixing the veggies in the cottage cheese is brilliant. My sneaky kids couldn’t pick out a particular veg to remove! Love it!
Kate
I love it! Hooray for delicious vegetable lasagna. Thanks for your review, Kristen.
Julie
Can this made ahead and reheated?
Elisa
Great Recipe!!
Made this with Brown Rice Lasagna noodles and only used 1 TBSP oil in the tomatoe sauce, and sautéed vegetables in vegetable broth. So enjoyable.
Thank you!
Kate
You’re welcome! Thank you for your review, Elisa.
Maria
The veggie lasagna was amazing !!!!!!
Do you know if it freezes well ?
Kate
I’m glad you loved it! I believe others have tried it, but I’m hesitant to say as it could get watery.
Heather
Does this lasagna freeze well? If so how did you freeze it in single servings or as a whole lasagna?
Kate
Hi Heather! I believe others have froze this recipe. I would see what readers recommend by searching the comments. I’m hesitant to say it will do well as I think it may become more watery.
Rachael Saunders
Where did you get your lasagna 9″x9″ baking dish?
Kate
I got it at Crate & Barrel!
Hilary Jenkinson
I’ve tried a few Veggie lasagne recipes and this one is definitely my favourite! Everyone in the family loves it too which is a real bonus!
Kate
Thanks for sharing, Hilary!
Elizabeth
Amazing! I prepped and put everything together the night before and baked it the next day- still delicious!! I used Rao’s marinara sauce to make a little less prep for myself. Thank you for sharing such a yummy recipe!
Kate
You’re welcome, Elizabeth!
Virginia
Really tasty and easy to make, I have added eggplants because I had them and it was very nice.
Greetings from Spain
Kate
Thank you for sharing, Virginia!
Adalheidur Snaebjarnardottir
This is the best lasagne anyone in my family has ever had, that includes my meat loving husband and my 11 month old daughter who literally licked her plate clean the first time she had it for dinner.
This has become my go-to dish for when we have company over for dinner, I recommend this for anyone and I’m very thankful for the detailed instructions.
Kate
You’re welcome!
Gayathri
We have made this twice now and absolutely love it. My 9 year old daughter eats 4 pieces and the whole family loves it. I add a little more cheese and sauce than the recipe calls for. The veggie mixture along with the cottage cheese is so yummy. It’ll be a regular at our household, thanks for this recipe!
Kate
You’re welcome, Gayathri! I’m glad it’s a hit.
genie nakano
It had sooo many steps and my family thought it was good but liked my other veggie lasagna better. They didn’t like the cottage cheese and thought it too bland.
Kate
I’m sorry you weren’t a fan. Thanks for trying it, though!
Anna
Best lasagna I have ever had! I changed the vegetables up and used zucchini, yellow squash, onion, mushrooms, and spinach. I also stirred in a can of drained and rinsed cannellini beans to the vegetable mixture. I used noodles that I had to boil before baking and they worked just fine. Anyway- this was really good and will be my go-to lasagna recipe from now on! Thank you for such delicious recipes!!
Kate
Hooray! Thank you, Anna. I appreciate the review and sharing what you used.
Mariel
Hiya! Do you know how this would do if a froze it? Making freezer meals for baby coming soon. Just wondering about the no cook pasta….not sure how that would do. Thanks!
Kate
I didn’t have luck when freezing it, but I believe others found it ok. I suggest taking a look at the comments to see what others say. Congrats on the baby, too!
Ashley W.
Oh. My. Goodness!!!!! I made this for dinner last night and I cannot believe just how amazing it truly was! Hands down the best lasagna I have ever made! We eat more vegetarian meals since my picky toddler will not eat anything with meat and I think I found a dish that will regularly be in our rotation. Thank you for an amazing dish packed full of veggies and deliciousness – I truly cannot wait to eat the leftovers! You have a serious talent and I cannot wait to try some of your other recipes! Thank you again :)
Kate
I’m glad it was a hit with your family and found something your toddler will eat. Thanks for your review, Ashley!
Gosia
Hi. I love your blog and I have tried several recipes from it with a great success! However this lasagna recipe turned out very soupy and it fell apart as soon as I put it on the plate. I followed all of the directions, except I used fresh tomatoes instead of canned. But I used the same exact amount of it as in your recipe. The taste was great, but the consistency was soupy….. Is there something you can recommend I should do? I don’t want to give up on this yet lol. Cook it longer? Les veggie sauce? I used Trader Joes noodles and they were fine.
Kate
Hi Gosia, I’m sorry to hear that! You used no-boil noodles, right? It must be due to the fresh tomatoes. The recipe is designed to limit the amount of moisture added from the tomatoes. I hope it set up better as it cooled!
Jeanne Nakano
It’s a good recipe but a little bland. I think ricotta cheese would amp it up.
Kate
I’m sorry you didn’t love this one. Thanks for sharing, Jeanne!
John
OK, so I made it today, and the noodles weren’t quite done, so I just put it back in the over while it cooled, and it was fine. Really good because I added some Italian sausage to one side (for me). My wife was amazed at how good it was with Cottage cheese.
Kate
Thank you for sharing, John!
Jonny
Excellent recipe. I had a bunch of dehydrated tomatoes to use up, so I tossed a handful into the blender along with the (undrained) tomatoes and then warmed the sauce on the stove while I prepared the other veggies. Also added parmesan cheese. Great lasagna!
Kate
I’m glad it worked well for you, Jonny! I appreciate your review.
Evie
Thank you so much for this recipe!! It came out amazing I used the no boil noodles from Aldi’s, Reggano Pasta, it worked well. Maybe next time will buy shredded carrots to save some time in chopping veggies (I’m a lazy cooker lol). But either way it was super good!! Family (including children) really enjoyed. Thanks again!!
Kate
You’re welcome, Evie! I’m happy you all loved it.
steph
yummmy
Patricia Costantinidis
This is by far the best recipe I have used. I do not like cottage cheese so I did use Ricotta. The no bake noodles did not cook all the way so I will be partially cooking them next time. This is absolutely delicious, thank you so much!
Kate
Thanks for sharing!
Jenny Smith
Yum! Thank you, Kate (and Cookie). Very, very nice lasagna. I discovered your website only yesterday and I’ll be sure to try more of your recipes.
Regards
Jenny Smith
Kate
Hooray and welcome, Jenny! Thanks for stopping to say you loved this one.
Karin Kaufman
I don’t have good experience with no boil lasagna noodles. How would you change the baking time using the other noodles?
Kate
I would recommend following the note I provided for the gluten free noodles. Cook partially before assembling. I hope this helps!
Karin
Thank you for your advice. It came out great and when reheated the tiny piece that was left the next day it was even tastier. So i think from now on I’ll leave it for few hours in the fridge before serving it. It was absolutely delicious
Ruben
I wish I could click a button to automatically convert ounces into grams and Fahrenheit in Celsius. I’m sure all your non-USA fans would also appreciate.
Kate
Thank you for your feedback, Ruben!
Bronwyn Pote
This recipe is absolutely divine and so easy to make. Thank you so much for a healthier option. The cottage cheese is ingenious and works so well. This will definitely be a regular in our house.
Thank you
Kate
I’m glad you loved it, Brownyn! Thanks so much for your review!
Irene Templeton
Thanks for this easy vegetarian lasagna! We loved it! So easy to make too!
Kate
Thanks for your comment, Irene!
Fiona
I made this recipe for dinner tonight and while I love the flavour it turned out very runny. Maybe I didn’t drain enough, maybe I blitzed too much?I’m left with many an unanswered question. I’m going to try again and tweak a few things to see if I can get it right. Thanks a million for the recipe!
Kate
You’re welcome! Did you allow your vegetables to cook long enough? That helps to get water out of them.
Kasandra
I’m trying this recipe for the first time and am very excited!
Is it possible to put the lasagna together ahead of time and bake later? For example, 20 hours or even 8 hours before baking?
Thanks!
Kate
I haven’t tried it, but I believe others have. I would worry it would get watery. Let me know if you try it!
Nina
I found this recipe through google, and WOW what a delicious surprise! We all loved it, even my extremely unsure husband ( I did add a portobello and small handful of parsley to it, since we all love that)
New fan!
Kate
I’m so glad you loved it, Nina!
Donnie
I made this yesterday for my book club ladies and it was awesome! Turned out that I had over 5 cups of veggies, so changed up to a 9 x 13 pan, used all the tomato sauce and added some shredded parmesan cheese to the cottage cheese mix and it was perfect! Thanks for a great recipe that was enjoyed by all!
Kate
Thanks for sharing, Donnie!
Dona
Can I make this without a food processor?
Would really like to try it. It looks and sounds delicious.
Kate
Hi Dona, yes, you could! I would just chop the spinach before cooking, and dice the vegetables as small as you reasonably can.
arlene wong
Great lasagna recipe. Made it tonight for the family dinner of 6. Son brought his girlfriend to dinner who is vegetarian. Entire dinner crowd thought the lasagna was superb and asked for the recipe. When my critical/opinionated son said it was good then you know it’s good!!
Kate
Dinner win! Thank you, Arlene for stopping to comment and review.
Brad
I needed a meatless option for lent, so I tried this last night. It turned out fantastic. I boiled the noodles very al dente, also added a couple eggs to the cottage cheese mixture. I forgot to add the spinach to the veggie saute, so I just added a layer of raw spinach as I put it together. Nothing but rave reviews. The key to a firm lasagna is to let it sit at least 30 min before cutting into it, an hour works better.
Kate
I’m happy it still turned out so well for you, Brad! Thanks for the review.
Pen
Tastes really good and very light compared to other recipes, but mine came out quite watery. I’m probably not going to use the exact recipe again, but definitely loving the cottage cheese swap.
Kate
I’m sorry you didn’t love this one, Pen! Make sure you cook the vegetables enough to get out more moisture. That may help next time. I appreciate the feedback!
Talita
This was super delicious and easy to make. Thanks for the recipe.
Anh
This is the best vegetarian lagsana. It turned out peeeerfect. I used all veggie except spinach cause I didnt have any. It tasted like meat in a very good way. I used Raos tomato sauce to make my life easier and use fresh homemade noodles. My picky husband loves it and its my togo recipe for vegetarian lagsana from now on. Thank you!!
Kate
You’re welcome, Talita!
Carle
So I made this for Easter and it was legitimately the best lasagna I’ve ever had. My meat eating friend who’s favorite meal is lasagna said she preferred it to meat lasagna!!! I made mine in a 9×13. I used 5 carrots, two zucchini, one bell pepper, and two big handfuls of spinach. I still only used 3 per layer. They fit all the way across perfectly. I used our favorite store bought sauce (Wegmans pomodoro) bc I was making so much already. We feel very strongly about ricotta, and used a boatload of that. We also used an entire bag of mozzarella. We will be making this for every holiday!
Kate
A great dish to have on Easter! I’m glad you loved it. Thanks for sharing, Carle!
Karen
delicious, best veggie lasagna I’ve ever made, I did add lots more tomato sauce, I froze it for 4 days, defrosted and it turned out great. It was a little dry so added at least double the amount of tomato sauce.
Kate
I’m glad it worked out when you froze it! Thanks, Karen!
Ann
This was, without question, the best vegetarian lasagna I have ever had. Both my meat eating family and vegetarian family members love it and have requested I make multiple times. Thank you for this awesome recipe!
Ronny
My sauce is a brownie colour after blending. Is that right?
Kate
You don’t want to blend it completely, just enough to blitz the mixture. You should still see the colors.
Ronny
Ok thanks Kate. I’ll try again. :)
Madison Powell
An amazing veggie lasagna that the husband loved as well!
Susan Keil White
Loved the lasagne recipe! Will make again!
Judy Marchessault
Delicious!!! My family loved it. Thanks for recipe:-)
Betsy
Pretty tasty! I added about 1/2 c. Frozen, cooked edamame
Deidre Albritton
Girl, I made this recipe last night. Omstars, so, so good!! Thanks for sharing. This will be added to our dinner menu plan.
Jordan
For anybody wondering about freezing the lasagna, I did and it was successful but I made a few alterations below…
– Used a glass 7×11 pan (I just don’t have a 9×9)
– Omitted the zucchini and did extra carrots & bell pepper instead
– Used jarred marinara and ended up using the whole jar
– I used the no-boil noodles and did four layers of noodles (dividing the veggie/cottage cheese filling by thirds instead of halves)
– To defrost, I put the frozen lasagna in the fridge the morning of the day I baked it. I baked it that evening starting with a cold oven at 375 for about an hour. I covered with parchment for the first 45 min or so, then took it off.
It turned out really well! Everyone loved it and I’m already thinking about making it again next week!
Clare
My friend made this delicious recipe last Saturday. It was gorgeous!
Just wondered if you have calorie content per portion?
Sara
Absolutely fantastic. I have IBS and follow a Low FODMAP diet and this recipe was easily adaptable and was so delicious! My whole family agreed that they prefer this over the traditional lasagna.
Matthew Eccleston
This was the best lasagna my boyfriend and I have ever eaten. We followed the recipe precisely except we added 1/2 cup dry white wine to the tomato sauce. We also didn’t bother trying to use all the sauce which, coupled with the no boil noodles, probably prevented it from becoming too soggy. The noodles were a perfect al dente and absorbed the wine from the tomato sauce and was frankly superb.
Thanks for this great recipe!
Michael
Packed with flavour, easy to make and most of all very healthy! Great recipe.
Kate
Thank you, Michael!
Shelly
My husband and I are not vegetarians, but I can see us becoming vegetarians if it tastes this good. When I made this for the first time my hubby was so not looking forward to it. He asks for me to make this…. he says it’s better than any meat lasagna he’s ever had.
Kate
I love that! Thanks, Shelly.
Maritza
This was delicious! I’m trying to get more vegetables in my meals, so this was perfect. One of the best lasagnas I’ve tried in a while. I used zucchini and two bell peppers and it was just right. Do try this recipe. You won’t regret it!
Kate
Sounds delicious, Maritza! Thanks for recommending this recipe!
Clair
My husband HATES cottage cheese, if he even saw it in the fridge he’d reject this recipe (yes I know – eye roll!). I used cream cheese and crème fraiche instead but got a wet mix, I thickened it up with Hellman’s and a teaspoon of xanthum gum – worked really well!
Kate
Thanks for sharing, Clair! I’m glad you were able to get creative to make it work.
Brooke
This recipe is AMAZING. I’m not even a vegetarian and I would take this over regular lasagna any day.
Anecdote: I made the recipe one time following the exact guidelines (which was fantastic), and then I made it a second time with 1 cup ricotta and 1 cup cottage cheese; however, I accidentally under-sauteed the veggies, so I cannot accurately report back on how I liked the part ricotta/cottage mixture vs the original because the whole texture of the lasagna was thrown off (sad) – all this to say, make sure you fully cook the veggies!
Another anecdote: I may be a salt-a-holic, but I did find that I needed to add more salt.
Kate
I love that! Thank you for sharing your variation too, Brooke.
David Noel
Kate, I love your recipes! I never have to change a thing. I made your vegetable lasagna tonight. My husband raved about it! So much flavor and so easy to put together. Thank you!
Kate
Thank you, David!
Sophie
Made this yesterday and it was a hit. We are trying to significantly reduce our meat consumption so finding really tasty vegetarian recipes is super important to me. I need my family to be on board with this long-term.
Husband hates capsicum so I subbed in butternut pumpkin – it came out great. He declared it as delicious as (if not more so than) our go-to meat lasagne recipe, and the 3-year-old tucked in and ate a plateful. Didn’t even try and pick around the spinach. Thank for this recipe. We’ll be making it regularly!
Kate
Thank you for sharing!
Rathina
Hi, I made this yesterday and followed the recipe exactly. It turned out perfectly and was just delicious! The leftovers warm up really well so now we are eating it again for work lunches!
It was actually my first time making a lasagna ever. I’m not a big fan of mince meat, so when I saw this recipe, I was excited! Thank you!
Kate
This makes great leftovers! Thanks, Rathina!
Rachel T
This is a delicious, regular meal in our house. I usually double the vegetables and freeze half of the cooked veggies for an easy defrost and assemble meal later on! I prefer to substitute baby portobellos for the red pepper, and ricotta for the cottage cheese, and it comes out delicious. Even my veggie-hating toddler eats it!
Kate
That’s a great idea! Thank you for sharing, Rachel.
Mark L Fairbotham
I am a meat and potatoes kind of guy but had a request for a vegetarian lasagna. Not for me. I have a catering business and that is what the customer wanted, I will make again this weekend and see what they think.
Kate
I hope your customers like it!
Margie
Does this lasagna freeze well if you want to do lots of prep ahead meals??
Kate
I didn’t have luck with it when I froze this one. It got watery. But, I know others have froze it and liked the result!
Rachel
I LOVE this recipe! I use cottage cheese in so much of my cooking I can’t believe I never thought to swap it into my lasagna! Brilliant! What a great way to make one of my family’s favorite comfort foods healthier! I also use explore cuisine’s green lentil no boil noodles for even more added protein. The flexibility in the recipe makes it a great nutritious meal all year long. Thank you so much for this!
Kate
I’m glad you found a lentil noodle you like! Thanks for sharing, Rachel.
Olivia
first time ever making lasagna solo! what a yummy recipe :) ours did have some water at the bottom of the baking dish, we probably did not drain the tomatoes well enough and im also thinking maybe moisture from the zucchini!? was very tasty though and will be making this again :)
Kate
The key is to make sure you cook the vegetables long enough to make sure some moisture cooks out. I’m happy you still enjoyed it though!
Lance
I recent went no meat… with exceptions like special occasions. I made this today and it is amazing. It worked perfectly. It is a little watery so I may drain the veggies next time I make this.
Kate
I’m sorry it was a little watery for you! Make sure they cook long enough, that will take out the extra water.
Dita
Let me start by saying I’m a long-time fan. Usually your recipes are perfect as written, so I thought I’d post my difficult experience for other readers to avoid my mishaps. First, I thought I’d try an 8×8 pan, since I don’t have 9×9 pans. Fail!! The recipe actually filled a traditional 9×12 lasagna pan (adding few noodles & tiny bit more tomato sauce), so I’d use that next time. Secondly, the cooking time/instructions DO NOT WORK with gluten-free, no-bake noodles (I didn’t see Kate’s fine print mentioning that disclaimer above). After following the recipe, I had to cook it covered at 375 for another 30 minutes for the noodles to be soft enough to not crack a tooth. Needless to day, dinner was late tonight. And tons of pans were used. It was a ton of work, all things considered. Not sure I’d make this one again.
Kate
I’m sorry this one was difficult for you, Dita. I appreciate your feedback and thanks for making so many recipes!
Kim Ange
This is the best veggie lasagna ever! I’ve made it twice now and the last time was for a group of carnivores for the most part and they all loved it as well. Thanks for this great recipe Kate!
Kate
You’re welcome, Kim!!
Marina
Hi I love this lasagna! Is it possible to freeze?
Kate
I don’t typically recommend freezing recipes like this. I know others have, but it can be watery. I’m happy you love it!
Jess
This is by far the best meal i have ever found and cooked. it was super easy and i love that it doesn’t require animal protein, which is just what i was looking for. we demolished the whole lot and everyone was asking for more but sadly there wasn’t. Thanks so much for creating and sharing a beautiful meal.
Kate
Thank you for sharing, Jess!
Fee
Was looking for a veggie lasagna recipe and found this. I was sceptical about the cottage cheese, but I trusted you! Omg, so delicious!! I also used a 9×13 dish and just added a little extra tomato sauce. This will be a staple in my kitchen from now on. Thank you!
Kate
I’m glad it worked well for you, Fee!
YP
This was fantastic. My significant other does not eat red bell peppers so added an extra zucchini. Baked in 9×13 pan and followed recipe exactly. First time cooking with no boil lasagna. The lasagna came out perfect. Really happy to have found this recipe. Thanks Kate!
Kate
Extra zucchini works! Thanks for sharing you loved it, YP!
Kate
THE BEST THING EVER
Kate
I’m glad you loved it, Kate!
Lynn
My first try with this recipe and it didn’t work out so well with the substitution of regular lasagna noodles (I couldn’t find no-boil anywhere in my local markets, unfortunately.). It was very watery and lacked flavor likely because of this, and also maybe because of the diced tomatoes I used. Maybe also because I used pre-shredded mozzarella? I’m wondering if anyone else had similar issues with pre-shredded cheese and a particular brand of diced tomatoes. Or is it just the noodles that did me in?
Kate
I’m sorry you had a bad experience! Did you cook them part way? I have found that has worked well for others. I do recommend shredding your own cheese.
Lynn
Thanks for the tips! I will try again with partially cooked noodles and the right cheese. I have to say, though, that I’m eating leftovers today, and it has a much better consistency! Maybe patience is the key…
Evette Larsson
my daughter absolutely loves this recipe, thanks so much as she rarely eats. All gone first time, just for her, and now second time so she can share it with her work colleagues. She feels loved, thank you.
Kate
You’re welcome, Evette!
Karen Bennett
Hello Cookie and Kate! I have been transitioning into a vegetarian lifestyle, but i have not found any recipes that would help me make the full transition until i found your website. I have purchased the ingredients to make 3 separate recipes for breakfast, lunch and dinner next week. I prepare my meals over the weekend, so i am excited for next weekend!
Kate
Welcome! I’m so happy to hear the blog has been a resource. Thanks for sharing, Karen!
Amber
Can you freeze this recipe? I’ve been looking for the best freezable lasagna for my busy life!
Kate
Hi Amber, I haven’t loved this frozen. But, I know others have and didn’t mind it. It can get watery when thawed.
Blanche Powell
Can this be made ahead of time and frozen?
Kate
Hi Blanche, I didn’t have luck freezing this one as it became watery. However, I know others have froze it and didn’t mind the frozen result once baked.
Haleyc
Love the receipe! This is my 3rd time using it and is an easy & quick dinner recipe for potlucks, bbq’s, and family gatherings!
Kate
Great to hear, Haleyc!
June Paterson
Absolutely must cook delicious
Kate
Great to hear, June!
Meg
Do you know if I could make this recipe ahead of time and keep in the frig and then bake it after 8 hours?? Thanks!
Kate
I believe some have, but I didn’t have much luck with it. It got watery for me.
Leslie King
This recipe was amazing! I made it for my whole family and they all loved it and demanded the recipe. My kids even ate it because they couldn’t see the vegetables. I did read the comments first and made sure I cooked the vegetables well so that it didn’t turn out soggy and the lasagna was the perfect consistency.
Kate
Great to hear, Leslie!
Lori
Love this lasagne. I followed the recipe as written, only substituting a shallot for the onion. It was delicious! My carnivorous husband asked me to be sure to make this one again. Next time I’ll add mushrooms, just because we put them in everything. But the recipe is perfect as it is.
Kate
Great to hear, Lori! Thanks for taking the time to review.
Robyn
Bit of a story–the only meat I have eaten in decades is ham, prosciutto, pancetta and bacon and because they are all salty, cured and generally used in small amounts, for some reason I didn’t think of them as meat.However recently I watched a documentary including an undercover film taken in a pig abattoir and it horrified me and I won’t be eating any of them EVER AGAIN so consequently had to find new recipes as almost all of our favourites contained one of those.Well lucky ,lucky me, as I found you online straight away and last night we had your vegetarian lasagne with the cottage cheese and it was delicious.I am so happy,as at age 74 and after 54 years of cooking, the thought of starting from scratch again was overwhelming,but it was such easy no fuss cooking and tasted fantastic that I’m now excited to try another one.Thank you so much.Robyn(Australia)
Kate
Thanks for sharing, Robyn!
Lisa
Perhaps you could drain the spinach after cooking it, especially for those saying the sauce was too thin.
Kate
I’m sorry you didn’t love this one, Lisa! Thanks for your feedback.
alison
Awesome recipe as always! I made a little extra & converted it to a 9×13 to take for lunch this week.
I also switched up the veggies – mushroom, zucchini, and eggplant. I think the eggplant worked really nicely. I also subbed dried chili for a habanero pepper to the sauce because I like a little spice.
The only thing I’d change is the pasta I used – the sauce didn’t stick, so I might try copper-cut pasta next time. (or should I reserve some pasta water and add to the sauce? Hmm…)
Thanks Kate!
Kate
That sounds like a great way to mix it up, Alison! I don’t think adding pasta water to this will get you what you want. Did you follow the cheese layering, too? It should all be nice layers, not necessarily sticking. Make sense?
Bavithra
Looks yummy. Is this baked in a convection microwave oven? If not, can the same timing and temperature be followed when using a convection microwave oven?
Kate
This is baked in a standard oven. You would not want to use a microwave to make the recipe. You can reheat leftovers in the microwave.
Bavithra
Thanks for the reply. I have an oven with both convection mode and microwave mode separately. Can I use convection mode for this recipe?
And, the max preheat temp is 374 Fahrenheit. Will this be sufficient?
Christina R
Just some tips for those of you who want to make a 9 x 13 pan. I make this monthly for the last 8 months, from her cook book. Use the whole can of tomatoes, undrained, add a large grated carrot to add substance and sweetness. I simmer it, but you don’t have to. For the noodles, use 5 for each layer. They will overlap a bit, the last one break to fit across the bottom. Also add an extra two layers where you can and you will have no issues with a soggy mess that others have reported. Also add 2 beaten eggs and 1/4 cup parmesan to the cottage cheese to make it a firm layer and more rich. Promise you will have a well defined lasagne that you can slice. I highly recommend sauted spinach added to the cottage cheese mixture too!
Kate
Thank you for sharing, Christina! I know others will find this really helpful.
Chef Frank
This recipe was great! Heres my story:
– 22 year old male little cooking experience never cooked a lasagna in my life
– Wanted to impress my girlfriend when I move in with her in 2 weeks so I cooked this for my mate
– Followed these instructions, put alittle to much basil in the mix so my tomato paste was green (worried at first but still tasted great)
– Oven wasn’t fully clean so it smoked alot but cooked the lasagna superbly
Lasagna turned out really nice although it looked alittle green. My mate that I was cooking for said he didnt like lasagna’s, he tried this one and said he liked lasagnas so its a success! Hopefully my girlfriend likes it this much.. wish me luck
Kate
Thank you for sharing your story, Chef Frank!
Nadine
Wonderful recipe. We added a layer of baked peppers on top of the first vegetable layer and a layer of mushrooms on top of the second. Also added celery to the vegetables. Used ricotta.
It was a feast!
Kate
Thank you for sharing, Nadine!
Greg
This one is a keeper. Also fun to experiment with the recipe. Added ground turkey to the otherwise vegetarian dish which still kept it light and did not get that heavy feeling like you get with red meat. Also cut up 3 leaves of fresh basil and added to the second layer which gave it a little extra flavor. Mixed in some kale and broccoli along with the spinach and substituted sweet potato for carrots. Used whole grain noodles which you boil for 8 mins too. I think the rule of thumb is to keep whatever vegetable ingredients you add to 3 cups total. Additionally, read comments about “soupy” so kept an eye on moisture content and simmered store-bought low-sodium sauce uncovered for an hour and wilted spinach and kale separately which enable me to see evaporation. Maybe that will help others. Once done, the lasagna yielded 9 blocks which I froze. Just defrost in the frig the nite before and bake at 375 degrees for 15 mins for an easy and simple dinner. Just add wine! Perfect!
Kate
Thank you for your comment, Greg!
Liana
Just made this today. I too also used a 9 x 13 dish. It fit just fine for me with the 3 noodles across. Shared the tomato sauce maybe a bit differently to accommodate the bigger dish but otherwise didn’t change or add ingredients.
Yes, definitely drain the tin of tomatoes to reduce liquid.
I didn’t blend the cottage cheese. I just mixed it with the cooked and ‘pulsed’ vegetables. I just didn’t feel the need to have ‘smooth’ cottage cheese.
I didn’t find it too watery at all once fully cooked and cooled.
Will make again!
Kate
Thanks for sharing what worked for you, Liana!
Hong
Hi Kate, I made this recipe. I appreciate all the detailed directions you provided. Unfortunately, my lasagna came out a little too wet. I think it may be a combination of: (1) using enriched white noodles instead of whole wheat noodles like you recommended, (2) using whole tomatoes instead of diced, (3) maybe I should have tried to cook off the water from my vegetables more? I cooked them for 10-12 minutes on medium-high heat so that you could hear them sizzle as they were cooking. I used green and yellow squash, red bell pepper, carrot, onion, and spinach. I also think I should have pulsed the veggies a bit more because the vegetable layer tasted chunky. I do love many aspects of the recipe but I think I may have to figure out how to fine-tune a bit more to make it just right. I wonder if it needs more cheese and sauce to make the flavors enhance a bit more.
That said, thanks so much for having this blog and sharing with us all of your wonderful vegetarian recipes. I wish I could meet you in person to thank you for all of your work doing what you do. I love that I have solid vegetarian recipes with detailed step-by-step instructions within an arm’s reach (my cell phone). You are wonderful :)!
Hong
I used whole canned peeled tomatoes. I am reading some reviews right now. I used Daisy’s low-fat cottage cheese. Maybe I will strain the cottage cheese next time and cook the vegetables longer. Maybe even cook off the water from the marinara sauce or start off with a store-bought jar of it instead.
Kate
Hi Hong, I’m sorry this didn’t turn out well for you. I think you hit it on the head with why it likely didn’t turnout. I appreciate you sharing your experience!
Laura
This was really, really great. I am normally disappointed by veggie lasagna recipes but not this one. Combining the cottage cheese and the veg really helps to make the filling seem substantial. I did cook for longer than suggested as the cheese had not browned on top within 30 min, but that was not an issue. Thanks!
Kate
I agree! The filling really helps make this more than your average vegetable lasagna. Thank you for sharing, Laura!
Karen Rogers
It definitely deserves the title of “Best Vegetable Lasagna.” Sometimes vegetables lasagna can be wet and runny , but this holds together well. Great flavour! My sons vegetarian friends all gave it high praise! Thanks
Kate
You’re welcome, Karen!
Kei Moray
This recipe looks delicious. I am wondering if this can be made ahead and frozen. Has anyone had success with this?
Kate
I know others have frozen it. It got watery for me, but others didn’t seem to mind.
Alana
Best veggie lasagne is not an understatement, this was absolutely delicious. My husband even said he thought it was better than a meat lasagne which is great because we’ve only converted to veggie life recently. Only thing I changed was I used a vegan cream cheese instead of cottage cheese. Incredible and I’ve told so many people about it!
Kate
Hooray! Thank you for sharing. Great way to make it vegan.