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 12 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.
Cheri
Can you freeze this?
Kate
I didn’t have luck freezing this recipe, but others haven’t minded the outcome. It got a little watery for me.
Tim
Excellent recipe! We’re not vegetarians but are trying to eat less red meat. This was perfect
A Lash
Good day
This recipe was my base. I had to make lasegna for about 80 people. I used asparagus, butternut squash, carrots, spinach (frozen), peppers, and zucchini. I used half cottage and ricotta. Fat free. Add some nutmeg to enhance. The cottage is great flavor. I will definitely use just cottage the next time. I did use oven ready noodles. They loved ot so much. Thank you
Kate
Thanks for sharing your variation!
Krista
Made it exactly as written and OMG, best dang lasagna ever! Even my teenage, meat loving boys went back for seconds. Amazing. The flavors, spice level, texture, all perfect. Next time I’m doubling the batch so I’ll actually have some leftovers. I look forward to playing around with different types of veggies, I think this will quickly become a weekly “clean out the veggie drawer” meal. Thank you!
Kate
YOu’re welcome, Krista!
Nicole
This was really an awesome lasagna! And so much easier than other recipes that call for sautéing each veggie individually before assembly. That with the no-bake noodles made this a relative breeze for a veggie lasagna. I loved the cottage cheese trick! I used a full-fat cottage cheese from Kalona SuperNatural, and it was a worthy indulgence.
After enjoying this recipe so much I went straight out and bought the cookbook as I absolutely had to try the eggplant lasagne that you mentioned. It did not disappoint! It was so ridiculously good that I felt adding eggplant lasagne to my repertoire was worth the price of the cookbook, notwithstanding the other little gems in there!
Kate
Thank you, Nicole! I’m glad this recipe inspired your purchase of my cookbook! :)
Shylo
I just served this lasagna to my boyfriend who only wants to eat dishes with meat. I didn’t tell him that this lasagna was different. He ended up going back for seconds. I finally told him that the lasagna had no meat. He actually said he liked it and would never have guessed. This recipe is a KEEPER! Thank you!
Kate
Love that! Thank you, Shylo!
Holly
Delicious and so easy to make! Even my non-vego family love it and have asked for the recipe – they now prefer this over the classic meat lasagna which is amazing!! Thank you so much Kate
Suz
Double thumbs up from my husband and our critical palate teen son! Adapted the recipe to what we had in the kitchen so only used carrots, spinache and onions. Plus substituted greek yogurt for half the cottage cheese. Delicious, thanks for the recipe Cookieandkate!
Kate
Thank you for sharing, Suz! I’m happy you were able to make it suit your family.
Daniel
Is there a way to make the tomato sauce without a food processor?
Kate
Hi Daniel! You could just sub a store-bought marinara sauce.
Kayla Roessler
I don’t have a food processor but my Ninja Blender worked perfectly on pulse mode. I would think any blender would work just fine as long as you don’t allow it to run for too long
Annie K
Hi Kate, I love your website and when my husband raves about a meal I say “guess where I got the recipe?” He knows. Cookie and Kate. :)
Have you tried doing a crockpot lasagna? Could this lasagna be modified to be made in the crockpot?
Thanks,
Annie
Kate
Hi Annie! I haven’t tried a crockpot lasagna, but I love the idea! You could possibly try this one, although I don’t have any suggestions without trying it myself.
Holly
Any tips for regular (boil) lasagna noodles. I realized I got the wrong ones when I got home
Kate
Make to package directions, with slight stiffness to them. That should work!
Lizzie
Hey :) Looks lovely! Is it suitable to make 1 day ahead?
Thanks
Kate
Sure! this makes great leftovers.
Kelly
Super recipe! The meat-loving members of my family were very enthusiastic. (I used mushrooms instead of zucchini, because that’s what I had on hand.)
Shylo
Just an FYI to address the question of regular lasagna noodles: I used regular “boil” whole grain lasagna noodles. Boiled them according to the package instructions and placed them into the recipe. I’ve made this recipe 4 times and it always turns out PERFECT!
Kate
Thanks for sharing!
Susan Azam
My fiancé made this and it was OUT OF THIS WORLD!!! Making it again for the 2nd time this week.
Kate
That’s great! Thanks, Susan.
Jenny
Way, way, way too complicated. I will not be using this recipe again.
Kate
I’m sorry you didn’t love it! Thanks for your feedback, Jenny.
Debrah
This particular recipe is incredibly easy to prepare and make. What’s so difficult about cutting up vegetables, layering ingredients, and tossing a pan into the oven??? I guess some people enjoy cooking more than others. Don’t let this comment discourage you. It’s a very good, very simple recipe that’s well worth the minimal effort to make.
Erin McDade
FYI Jenny I made this using store bought tomato sauce (trader joe’s vodka sauce because it’s what I had in the pantry) and didn’t do any of the food processor parts – I just mixed the sautéed veggies with cottage cheese then layered the lasagna. It was pretty simple and tasted amazing!
Kate
Yes! You can use store bough sauce too, just make sure you have enough. Thanks for sharing your feedback, Erin!
PETER SCHMIEMANN
Always made a meat lovers Lasagna until now. Family loved it!
Making it again today for friends.
Warren
First time trying out vegetarian lasagne and it was rather good. One thing I’ll change is to make my marinara sauce separately and not put it “raw” into the lasagne, but that’s more an issur with the canned tomato taste than the recipe.
Another thing that didn’t work out correct though was my veggie cottage cheese filling seemed to become a bit separated, the cheese became “spotty” withing the mixture. Not sure if this is normal or if there are any tips?
Kate
Hi Warren! The cottage cheese should have spread out some as it baked. What fat percentage did you use? You could try spreading it out more next time.
Lydia
I made this lasagne for a party of 8 … I had to use ricotta because my grocery didn’t sell cottage cheese.
Altought the portion were generous and we had lot’s of food, there were not much left which, I assume, means it was good :-)
I used fresh pasta.
I will make this recipe again and get some cottage this time.
Kate
I assume you’re right, too! Thanks for sharing and for your review, Lydia.
Erin
This tastes awesome! Followed the directions. (Only changes were our grocery store did not carry whole wheat no-boil noodles so just use regular no-boils, and used jarred sauce.) Outstanding. Will make again. All the kids ages 6-16 loved it.
Kate
Hooray! Thanks for your comment, Erin.
Steven Haworth
I made this!!! Well with some dietary modifications…
We have a family member who has been sick, and I offered to make then a meal. He’s glutin free and mostly lactose free. And he requested lasagne with veggies and meat. I’m lactose intolerant.
This recipe read so incredible that I decide to use it and modify as needed. I tripled the recipe to make one for him and his family to eat, one to freeze and one for my wife and I to eat.
I cooked all the veggies and processed them as per the recipe, it took a few processes to get it all done. I used an extra large mixing bowl to get everything ready. I used Lactaid cottage cheese and only two containers, 32 oz.
Since he wanted meat, I cooked about 1.25 lbs of bulk sweet Italian sausage, browned, drained and crumbled into the veggie cottage cheese mixture. I used name brand jarred marinara sauce.
Assembly; I started with three pans, two deep dish aluminum pans in one regular glass 13 by 9 casserole. In the glass casserole dish I used regular cooked lasagna noodles. And in the two aluminum casseroles I used gluten-free lasagne sheets, uncooked. 1 layer I used 1 pound of fresh buffalo mozzarella, which I drained, pressed to remove moisture (wrapped in paper towels and pressed under a cast iron skillet for an hour or so) and chopped up. I layer got pecorino Romano, and raw milk white cheddar was used in one layer and as the top cheese.
I’m sorry, not sorry, to mess up the vegetarian aspect of this recipe, BUT it was INCREDIBLE! This is my new go to lasagne recipe…!!!
Kate
Thanks for sharing your variation!
Jenna
I love this recipe! Can I make it a day ahead? Should I leave it unbaked or baked in the fridge then warm it up?
Kate
I recommend baking it as it reheats nicely!
Aimee
Do you mind sharing how you reheat the full lasagna? I’m planning to make two lasagnas for Christmas Day but don’t want to do the work on actual Christmas – thank you!
Stacy
Aimee (or Kate), how did you do the reheat? I too would like to make this a day ahead of Christmas, but am nervous to try this out for the first time.
Thanks
Stacy
Dimitri
Kate
This lasagna was awesome! I made it last night.
I stopped eating meat about a month ago for health concerns. Figured out it is hard to have a variety menu. Rice and beans gets old quick. Subscribed to your site. Looking forward to more great recipes!
Dimitri
Kate
I’m happy to hear that! Thank you for your review!
Meridee M
This recipe is amazing, simply delicious. One recommendation is o ensure that your pan is deep–I ended up making a one-layer personal pan lasagna and almost overflowing my main dish! It took my noodles about 10 – 15 extra minutes to cook as well. Love the veggies, makes it feel hearty, not just like noodles and sauce.
Kate
Thanks for trying another recipe, Meridee!
Gaye
Hi Kate,
This Lasagna recipe looks awesome!!.
I tried your vegan Queso recipe last week and loved it.
Could this be used in this vegetable lasagna instead of the mozzarella and cottage cheese. As I noticed you recommended your vegan sour cream as a replacement. Just wondered how your vegan Queso would go
Kate
Hi Gaye! It’s a different flavor profile, but you could try it!
Gaye Hatfield
Thankyou. Ok, would the Queso tolerate the cooking process without drying out?
I was thinking of adding oregano and thyme to it and omitting the coriander. I would leave in the chilli though as I love it!!!
Kate
I think it should be fine. Let me know what you think!
Kel
This recipe is fabulous. I put all of the cottage cheese in the blender as my kids don’t like chunks. I also used a plain organic marinara to save time. Everyone loved it!
Kate
Great to hear! Thanks for sharing, Kel.
Claudia Rodriguez
Hi,
I’m so excited to try this recipe!!! I would like to double the recipe and would like to know what size pan to use and if you would suggest any other modifications.
Thanks so much!
Kate
Hi Claudia! I believe others have tried a 9×13. But I’m not sure without trying it. Let me know how it works for you!
Claudia Rodriguez
Thank you for the quick reply, Cookie and Kate!
Claudia Rodriguez
Doubling the recipe was perfect in a
9” x 13” pan. I substituted ricotta for cottage which worked out just fine. Absolutely delicious.
Kate
Thank you for sharing, Claudia!
Cindy Lamas
I am 73 years old and have made meat lazagna but this recipe beats any I have ever tried! You won’t miss the meat. With cottage cheese and shredded mosserella cheese there is plenty of protein. The sauted vegetables were so delicious and basil the extra highlight that can’t be missed. Yummy. All 6 guests loved it. Cindy from Atascadero, Ca
Kate
Thanks for sharing, Cindy!
Adrienne Borkowski
Was really craving a hearty veggie lasagna. Found your recipe and it was a MAJOR hit! All worth the veggie chopping and getting out the food processor for. I was a little skeptical about only using cottage cheese, but you said “trust me” and I did. Did not miss ricotta at all. I did sprinkle some Parmesan cheese in with the cheese and threw some sun dried tomatoes on top, which give a little kick of flavor. I used Rao’s marinara because I already had it at home. I also missed the added noodle layer (because I was speed reading, but didn’t miss them at all). It was fabulous; relatively guilt free and I will definitely be making this again!
Kate
Thank you for trusting me, Adrienne! I appreciate your comment and review.
Lori
Where do you get a 9 x 9 baking pan? What size can I safely substitute?
Kate
I got mine from Crate & Barrel. I know some haven’t tried 9×13. It’s a little thinner, but they said it worked well. I haven’t tried it though.
Amanda Smith
I made this yesterday and it is absolutely delicious! I just started eating vegetarian and this will be a go to recipe for me. I used premade sauce and added parmesan cheese (and forgot to put the cheese in the middle layer) but otherwise followed the recipe. I meal prep so I portioned it into 6 pieces and it came out to 451 calories with 41% carbs, 33% fat, and 26% protein. It can be hard getting enough protein eating vegetarian so this was perfect! Thanks for the recipe!
Kate
I love to hear that! Thanks for sharing, Amanda.
Christina
This was WONDERFUL! If you are like me, you might be wondering whether to follow Kate’s recipe exactly, or to follow the directions on the box of your noodles and add extra water to the dish before baking. I am glad that last night when I made this that I trusted Kate (as one always should) and followed her recipe exactly — did NOT add extra water. Turned out perfect, there was enough moisture for the noodles from the veggies & sauce. YUM YUM YUM can’t wait to enjoy leftovers at lunch!
Kate
Thanks for the confidence, Christina! I appreciate your review.
Jane Landis
This recipe was so good! I had some time saving variations and I don’t feel they changed the deliciousness at all. They included:
-frozen spinach defrosted, drained water slightly by squeezing out in a paper towel
-6 frozen basil cubes thawed (Trader Joe’s)
-2 frozen crushed garlic cubes thawed (Trader Joe’s)
I used Trader Joe’s no-boil lasagna noodles. These are great! They are a different size (short and wide) so you just arrange them differently in the pan. I also added 1/4 t. nutmeg.
Love love love the parchment idea!!
Loved the suggestion to rotate halfway while cooking.
I hadn’t ever used cottage cheese in lasagna which is so good and glad I didn’t substitute with ricotta. And whipped cottage cheese?!? Oh my that is delicious! Cheesecake like! Wondering if you know of other recipes that use that process/ingredient?
There was the perfect amount of crunchiness in the veggies and it was a healthy meal for my toddler, and he ate it! So double stars for that. Thank you!!
Kate
Thank you for sharing your approach, Jane!
Linda Bonine
I have never reviewed a recipe online before but i thought this was especially warranted. This without a doubt was the best vegetable lasagna i have ever tried. I made it for our girls weekend. Yes there is a little time needed for prepping the vegetables but if you take it a step a time it is worth the final product. I used a prepared 4 cheese sauce instead of making the one in the recipe and i made it in a 9×13 pan. I increased most items by 1/2 to accommodate the additional size. I processed the cup of cottage cheese which gives it a creamer texture and added a cup of regular later in recipe. I did not process vegetables since i cut them small during prep and cooking in fry pan. I made it 2 days ahead and cooked it for 20 minutes covered with parchment paper. When i served it 2 days later i reheated in oven but also added additional cheese on top and some sliced tomatoes which kept it moist. I waited 10-15 minutes before cutting it. All i can say is was extremely well received. Thank you for a great recipe. Ps i also added red wine to lift fond off bottom of fry pan when cooking veggies and added that in as well. And no it was not watering at all. Veggies were onion zucchini yellow squash red and green peppers fresh mushrooms onions….i forgot the spinach!
Kate
Thank you for reviewing, Linda!
Susan
Hi Linda, I am trying to figure out how to make this a couple of days ahead of serving at a party (and for the first time). So if you baked yours the day you made it, do you remember how long you reheated it in the oven the day you served it? Do you think that worked better than waiting to do all of the baking just prior to serving? I will be using a 9×9 pan. Thanks!
Rebecca
Outstanding!
Subbed zucchini for mushrooms.
Huge hit with my family!!
Kate
Mushrooms would be delicious! Thank you for your review, Rebecca.
Kate
Tried this today with red onion, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, and spinach because it’s what I needed to use up. It was delicious! Loved using cottage cheese and pulsing the veggies in the food processor. I ended up having a lot of veggie and cottage cheese mixture so made an additional layer. I also made in my crockpot cooking on low for 4 hours. It was very tasty! Thanks for the recipe!
Dayna
Made it tonight. Added a bit of grated Parmesan to the cheesy vegetable layer otherwise followed as written. Really good. My new favourite vegetarian lasagna.
Kate
Parmesan would be delicious too! Thank you for sharing, Dayna.
Alison Walton
Seriously… the best lasagna I have had. I followed it exactly, and it was fabulous. I did use smooth cottage cheese because I had it, which was a bonus time saver, but otherwise I wouldn’t change a thing.I will make this many more times, I’m sure. Thank you for another delicious dish!
Kyree
Yum! I enjoyed making everything myself and it tasted great. Even my carnivore boyfriend enjoyed it! Looking forward to trying more of your recipes :)
Kate
I’m glad you think it’s the best, Alison. I appreciate your review!
Christian H
This is a family favorite, and actually what it states in the title BEST! We always double the recipe because we can never have enough, and we have even grown a basil plant in a small pot to chop fresh basil over the lasagna every time we make it! Thank you for sharing this with the web!
Erin McDade
Lasagna is my husband’s favorite comfort food and he was in need of some serious comforting, so I made this for him today. He said it was one of the best meals I’ve made in the over 10 years we’ve been together.
For other’s reference, we don’t have a food processor so I skipped all of those steps and it is still fantastic.
Kate
You’re so sweet, Erin! I’m glad this did the trick for him.
P
OMG this was so good! I never comment on recipes but this was a true winner. I am vegetarian but don’t like carrots or zucchini . With all of these reviews I thought why not try it ♀️. IT WAS AMAZING!!!
I doubled it for guests and it still worked out great!
Kate
I’m so glad you loved it!
L
So so good! I did butternut squash instead of carrots, used full-fat cottage cheese, and increased the ingredients x1.5 for a 9×13 pan. Otherwise followed recipe exactly. It was delicious. A group of mostly meat-eaters loved it and polished it off.
Kate
Thank you for sharing!
Mary beth munro
Hi was getting ready to make the vegetarian lasagna but wanted to freeze it and then bake it on Saturday. What do you think? Lots of family coming in for the holiday and trying to already be prepared
Kate
Hi Mary! I personally don’t like this frozen and thawed as it got watery for me. But, I know other readers didn’t mind the results.
Joan
Can you put this together 2or 3 hours ahead of time and then bake?
Kate
Sure, that should be ok. It may get slightly watery as it sits(longer periods or being frozen/thawed), but I wouldn’t think that timeframe should impact that too much.
Emily B
Would it work if I put together the lasagna in the dish, and didn’t bake it until the day I plan on serving it? If so, how many days will it last in the fridge and if not, how should I reheat it?
Kate
Hi Emily, I don’t like this as a make ahead necessarily as I find it gets watery. However, if you need to make ahead of time, I suggest baking it all the way and then reheat in the oven.
Emily B
Could I replace the cottage cheese with Ricotta?
Kate
Sure! I prefer cottage cheese, but I know lots of readers who have used ricotta with success.
Sheryl
Hi Kate,
I made a double batch of your vegetarian lasagna for a big family get together that includes vegetarians. It was a smash for everyone. We cleaned up both 9 x 13 pans in no time flat. Everyone loved it! I will make this again!
Jim
Big hit with my family and a bit of a learning experience.
Veggies — I used a blender, as I don’t have a food processor. I took half to chop in the blender and they kind of pureed. Because of that, I decided to mix the puree-ish with the veggies that hadn’t been processed. It worked out.
Cheese — I used ricotta. It was great.
Lasagna noodles — I used regular (not non-bake). I read that cooking them for partial time would create a better, non mushy result in the lasagna. After boiling for 4 of the 8 minutes noted for al dente, I removed the noodles and laid them flat on a greased baking sheet while I prepared the lasagna.
Final learning for me… Just assemble the lasagna and don’t freak out. It isn’t a science. Put a little more or less cheese, sauce, filling…you aren’t building a watch :)
Provecho!
Jasmine Le Roux
Thank you for your amazing recipe. I made it for a Thanksgiving dinner and it was a hit with everyone!!! I added some garlic to the vegetables which gave it a bit more flavour. For the more adventurous I would add some chili.
Jodiy Timmerwilke
Made the lasagna today and OMG…..it was the best lasagna I have ever tasted. Made a second one for the freezer. Hope it tastes as good as the first one.
Sylvia
I used this recipe for my first vegetable lasagna. Personally, I think that it needs more cheese, so I doubled the cheese in mine. I also made my own sauce from scratch because that’s how I’ve made my lasagna. I’ve previously used ricotta cheese in my lasagna, but decided to try the cottage cheese. The flavor was lacking a bit of richness that I’m used to with ricotta cheese. I will try this recipe again but use ricotta cheese.
Also, for those who need a dairy free option: Whole Foods sells a nice dairy free ricotta cheese.
Todd Ruch
Fantastic! We are just starting to explore making vegetarian dishes, and this was a great example of a dish we have made in the past with meat, but that is just as good without the meat. We are looking forward to making the Black Bean Sweet Potato Enchiladas today.
Fanceeist
I made this as part of thanksgiving dinner because there were a few vegetarians in the house… It was SO GOOD! I made little tweaks, but basically stuck to the recipe. I will add this to my rotation. Thank you for the recipe!
Kayla Roessler
Just made this today. AMAZING! I used Muir Glen fire roasted diced tomatoes. I don’t have a food processor but everything came together real nice in my Ninja Blender on pulse mode. I added 3 large mushrooms to the veggie mixture. Also had a tiny bit of leftover parmesan cheese in the fridge so I threw that in as well. This recipe is a keeper for sure!
Jodi O
Fantastic! Made this for my vegetarian kiddo for thanksgiving. It was a hit. Leftovers fir lunch were amazingly mouthwatering. The flavors were fantastic and rich. Will definitely keep this as a favorite recipe and make again and again for our vegetarians and non vegetarians alike!
Kerri
Hi Kate,
I plan to make this veg lasagne in addition to a traditional meat lasagne for a progressive dinner tomorrow night. I’d like to do it today-please confirm that it is fine to make/bake a day ahead, then reheat prior to serving.
Kate
Hi Kerri, Sorry I can’t confirm it will work a day ahead. I would suggest bake the day ahead and then warm in the oven prior to serving. Let me know how it works!
Sam
This is my favorite recipe! My hubby is a total meat eater and he loves this too!
QUESTION? Can I make this ahead of time… assemble and have it ready to go a day or a few hours in advance?
Thanks!!
Kate
Hi Sam! I get this question a lot. I haven’t tried it, and don’t typically recommend with these types of recipes. But, I believe some other readers have tried it and didn’t mind the results. Let me know if you try it!
Tess Adams
Is it possible to make this recipe without a food processor? I have a whisk.
Sol
This was so good and my 4 year old eats it up! Thank you so much!!!
Kate
That’s wonderful, Sol!
June Bowman
Can I assemble this the day before and let set in the refrigerators before baking? Will that make a difference. Third time making it. Love it. Thank you, June
Kate
Hi June! I believe others have tried it and didn’t mind the result. I personally haven’t tried it, sorry!
Stacey Tucker
This is absolutely delicious! I prepared it with butternut squash, spinach and onions, and added Rao’s tomato basil sauce. I can’t stop eating it and am sure my family will love it too. Thank you for such a great lasagna recipe!!
Kate
I like that combination and I do love Rao’s! Thank you for your review, Stacey.
Cindy
Hi, Do you think I can make this ahead and leave it for a few day then bake it?Will it still have the same consistency?
Kate
Hi Cindy, I don’t recommend it. But, I believe a few other readers have tried it and didn’t mind it. It’s best made right away.
Roz
I have followed you for quite some time and have made many of your delicious recipes. Thank you!
I ordered your beautiful, well organized cookbook. I always appreciate the tips. I have to tell you I am very disappointed that nutrition information was not included. This is one of the things I appreciate on your site as this is important information.
Karen
First off, I love your recipes! For the best vegetable lasagna, how far in advance can I prepare it ? I’d like to prepare it ahead and then bake it on Christmas Eve.
Samantha
Wonderful!! My one year old ate this for dinner for 3 days and wanted seconds each time. I did use less salt and bottled marinara, and this no boil lasagna noodle bake dish to make things easier and it was delish!
Margie
I want to make this ahead so should I freeze it then cook it or cook then freeze it?
I’ve made this a few times and love it! Yummy!
Thank you.
Margie
Paul Webb
Excellent recipe. I used regular lasagna pasta, doubled the garlic, and added portobello mushrooms as you recommended. I did not have fresh basil so I used four teaspoons of dried sweet basil, which worked well but agree that fresh basil would be best. Thank you so much.
Diane
Fantastic recipe! I more or less followed the recipe as written, except probably added even more basil than called for. I did drain the vegetables after sauteeing, as there was a fair amount of liquid in the pan. I also found that it needed longer in the oven, about fifteen minutes longer than indicated, and a good twenty-five minutes to firm up after taking it out of the oven.
Joanne Nassar
The BEST lasagna! This is on my list forever. Thank you so much!
Kate
You’re welcome, Joanne!
J Patterson
Need a health Christmas dinner. We are having Ham and one guest does not eat red meat or ham. Looking for something healthy to serve. Am I missing something: You said you make homemade tomato sauce, then you give instructions that include CANNED TOMATOs. Where can I find your “homemade” recipe? Judi
Kate
Hi J, yes I use canned tomatoes for this recipe. Sorry I don’t have one with fresh tomatoes.
kathleen Bartholomew
If I make this a day ahead, at what temp and for how long do I need to reheat it the next day? (Thanks – your recipes are always terrific!)
Kate
I haven’t tried it, sorry! I would search the comments to see what other readers may recommend.
Cheryl
Can I cook this at 375 instead of 425 to accommodate a meat lasagna?
Kate
I’m not sure, Cheryl! I’m not the expert with meat. I would assume higher temperature would be better since you would be adding more the the density?
Lori Whiteker
This was an amazing recipe. Thank you for all your work to develop this recipe. I made it and my family loved it! I did not have any noodles, so I used sliced zucchini. Do you know how omitting the noodles would change the nutritional values?
Kate
Hi Lori! I’m glad you love this one. Yes, changing the ingredients will change the nutrition.
Ginny
Can I make this ahead for Christmas?
Kate
Hi Ginny, I haven’t tried it, but I believe others have had luck. I recommend baking it and then reheating it. Letting it set unbaked it can get watery.
Hiluhilu
Can this be prepared and assembled a day ahead and stored, uncooked, in the fridge? I’m not sure how that this would work with no-boil noodles. Thanks!
Kate
Hi! I haven’t tried it, but I believe most readers have had luck with baking and reheating. It tends to get watery otherwise.
Tanya Marie JACO
If I cook this lasagana the day before – how long, and what temperature, should I heat it up at for the next day when I serve the dish??
Kate
Hi Tanya! I haven’t made it ahead of time, sorry! I would try a warming function on your oven or possibly 325-350 and keep an eye on it. Likely help to let it sit on the counter for a little bit before putting it in the oven so it doesn’t take as long and likely want to cover it in the oven. Let me know what you do!
Stephanie Barbour
I just made this last night for company exactly like your receipe (with one exception of gluten free (GF) noodles) and it was GREAT! Now I’m making it again for Christmas day. On the gluten free noodle substitution, in which I used Jovial 100% Organic Brown Rice Noodles, I had trepidation about the “no boil” on the package, so I did boil them for 4 minutes in salted water to make sure that they’d be soft. One idea I had for a dairy free version, was to replace the cottage cheese and mozzarella with cauliflower cream (pureed steamed cauliflower with some salt and sauteed yellow onions). I’ll try this sometime in the future and see how it comes out. Have you tried this?
Kate
Thanks for sharing! For a dairy free version, my vegan sour cream works well. :)
Faith
This recipe was really good. I doubled the recipe and put it in a 9×13 and it fit perfectly. I made so many changes that it barely looked like the original version. I put in extra carrots and two green bell peppers and an yellow one, one small zucchini, one white onion and a few broccoli leaves from my garden since I didn’t have any spinach. I also used jarred pasta sauce and yogurt instead of cottage cheese or ricotta. I was very skeptical since I had meddled so much, but it turned out great! The pasta was a little al dente, but I don’t think I cooked it for long enough. Otherwise it was amazing! Any recipe that can survive broccoli leaves is worthy of five stars.
Kate
Thanks for sharing! I’m happy it still worked out well for you, Faith.
Marg
My first time making lasagne and it was a great success! Added mushrooms for some extra goodness. Thanks for the recipe, I’ll be making this one again.
Kate
You’re welcome, Marg!
Laura Benzel
I made this for Christmas and it was a big hit. I used three 14.5 cans of fire roasted diced tomatoes and 1/3 cup basil (everything else the same for the tomato sauce) and I had some extra veggie mixture so put another layer on top with a bit of tomato sauce I had left. I also added some Parmesan cheese to the veggie mixture. I baked in an aluminum 9 x 9” pan and immediately upon removing from the oven, I put a lid on it, threw into an insulated container and travelled 1 hour. It was perfect, still hot and not watery at all. My brother grabbed the leftovers to take home so I have to make again this weekend for me! Loved it….thanks and happy holidays.
Kate
Thanks for sharing!
Monica
Unfortunately this didn’t work for me, I ended up with a giant soupy wet mess. I had a hard time fitting all the chopped vegetables in the pan (I have a 10 in skillet I think) and it was so crowded they never browned. I doubled the cooking time and they were still releasing moisture. I should have kept going but thought I should trust the recipe more. I drained the canned tomatoes. But I think since the veg were still wet, the lasagne never firmed up during baking. I baked it for another 10 minutes but it was still a vegetable mush. Such a rare miss for C+K!
Kate
Hi Monica, I’m sorry to hear that! What vegetables did you use and how small did you cut them up?
Annie
This is one of the best lasagna recipes hands down! I made this for our Christmas dinner as my sister in law is a vegetarian. WOW! Everyone (meat eaters!) just ate it up. I used my own sauce recipe to go along with it. I will recommend this to everyone. Thank you for posting this.
Deana Fraser
This is a very good lasagna! We will add this to our meals we will repeat!
Gillian
I made your vegetarian lasagne recipe and it was delicious. However I did not caramalize the vegetable as I had overlooked that part. I was very careful pulsing the veg as I do not like baby food consistency – my pulsed veg outcome was excellent. I used NO salt and pepper (never do & pepper occasionally). I prefer to use Fire-Roasted tomatoes as it seems to add a more tastier taste. Next time I will cook longer than the first covered 18 mins you recommend as my noodles were a tad chewy not cooked taste. All over a good recipe I will do again.
Kate
Hi Gillian, thank you for your feedback! Ovens can vary so I hope it works out better for you next time.
Gillian
Thank you for the tip – oven variations didn’t occur to me. Cheers and Happy New Year
Kim
My sister is vegetarian and wanted to try this recipe. It was so good. It does take a little time to make but it was well worth the work. The flavors of everything mixed together were amazing. I will be making this as I watched her and I got what she was doing. I can’t wait to have this again. We used the Cottage cheese with chives in it from store and it was tasty. This recipe can be changed in so many ways so it can taste a little different every time. I give it two thumbs up! Happy Holidays.
Kate
I’m glad you thought it was worth it, Kim! I appreciate your review.
Diana
I really love your recipes! The only thing that it’s hard for me it’s transforming the measures in ml and Grams :(
Kate
I’m sorry, Diana! I know some people have used myrecipes.com or Allrecipes.com for conversions.
Catherine
Question: can I assemble the lasagne and cook the next day? Or if I cook it the day it’s assembled, what’s the best way to warm up the whole lasagne before serving?
Kate
Hi Catherine! I don’t typically have luck with that. I believe some have tried it and it’s been ok. I recommend cooking and then reheating, if needed.
Stacy
I do not often leave comments, but this was a Christmas hit enjoyed my all!!
Thanks!!
Valarie
This was really good. I had some of the vegetable and cottage cheese spread left over so I put it in the fridge and used it the next day on some ritz crackers for a snack. I also used it on a veggie naan pizza.
Lauri S.
I brought this to my daughter’s for Christmas–lots of kids and a vegans who agreed to break from tradition and eat dairy. Everyone loved it. I like chunky tomatoes so left the pieces big. Also used 1/2 stewed tomatoes. Added a lot more veggies, esp. zucchini and, finally, used 1/2 ricotta and 1/2 cottage cheese because I wasn’t sure of using all cottage cheese (will try it next time). I sure it would be just as good made as directed without my minor changes. My daughter just asked for the recipe because her children wanted to make it!
Kate
Thank you for sharing, Lauri! I appreciate your review.
Claire Moore
Wow, this is delicious! Even my husband, who loves meat said this was fabulous. Definitely a keeper. Thank you so much for sharing
Kate
That’s wonderful to hear, Claire! Thank you for your review.
Mary J
Very good!! Thanks so much :)
Kate
You’re welcome, Mary!
Shelly
2020 – made my first lasagna ever and it was the bomb! Thank you for the wonderful recipe. Since we don’t currently have a working stove top, I sautéed the chopped vegetables in my instant pot before assembling. I also used jarred marinara. Will definitely make this again.
Kate
You’re welcome! Thanks for sharing your method. I hope your stove top starts working soon!
Adele
Great recipe! I made it exactly as directed, to see how it would be the first time before making any adjustments. The adults loved it, my teen son was ‘okay’ with it – but he’s never a fan of vegetarian meals.
Next time I will use a bigger pan (9×13), as my smaller pan was quite full and splattered in the oven. Solved it mid-bake with a sheet pan underneath with parchment on it to catch the drips. Thanks Cookie and Kate!
Kate
Hi Adele! Thank you for sharing. What size pan did you use? 9×9?
Holly
Hi Kate,
Thanks so much for this recipe. Simple delicious! This is my first recipe from your blog and am excited to try more.
Kate
A great one to start with! I’m excited for you to try more, Holly. Thank you for your comment and review!
Adrian
I made this yesterday and I was so scared I was going to mess something up. It was the easiest recipe to follow and it was delicious. My husband is looking forward to me making it again!
Cornelia Hanhardt
I am an experienced and confident cook. But I underestimated the
Time it took to accomplish all the stepsthank goodness, my guests, all close friends, were quite patient.
The other issue I had, I found the dish a bit bland. Any suggestions
you might have for spicing ?
Overall the dish was enjoyed by all.
Cornelia Hanhardt
corneliakh@comcast.net
Nick
Superb lasagna recipe. Thanks!
Kate
You’re welcome, Nick!
Tammy
This lasagna is amazing! Delicious and super easy. This is for sure being added to my ‘go-to’ recipes! Thanks Kate.
Kate
Made your go-to list, that’s great! Thank you for your review, Tammy.
Venisha Brooks
Great recipe
Jacqueline
Hi Kate! I just finished assembling the lasagna and will put it in the oven later for supper (super excited to try it)! I didn’t have the no-boil noodles available, so I cooked my lasagna noodles according to the package instructions. Because of this, should I reduce the amount of time the lasagna cooks in the oven? Thanks for the help :)
Lianne byrne
Can’t wait to try this recipe but just wondering as I am dairy free what could I use instead of the cottage cheese?
Thanks
Kate
Hi Lianne! I have some dairy free recommendations below in the notes section. 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.
Cindy Impelmans
OMG I made this for my family last night and it really is the best lasagne ever. I have been making vegetarian lasagne for my family for years now but this takes it up a notch or 2 or 3 or 5! I won’t be going back to my original recipe. I can’t wait to make it for my friends. Thank you.
Stephanie
I loved this recipe!!
Kate
Wonderful, Stephanie!