Packed with fresh, seasonal vegetables, cheese, and marinara sauce, this delicious and easy Veggie Lasagna will make even the most die-hard meat-lover ask for seconds.
If you’re vegetarian or have vegetarian guests to feed, you have seen all the pasta salads and strange ensembles of veggies thrown into recipes they don’t really belong in. Well, if you’ve been around here, you know that is not what I do.
This Veggie Lasagna recipe is one that I made several times a year growing up. Holidays, family gatherings, weeknight meals, you name it – this was a go-to. Even meat lovers that are usually on the fence about veggie-only dishes are going to want to sneak away with seconds!
Being able to use fresh, seasonal vegetables is such a great way to liven up any recipe. So, the fact that you can swap out any of the veggies in this lasagna is a huge pro, especially when you’re cooking for a crowd that may have varying dietary restrictions or preferences.
I made this for Thanksgiving a couple of years ago, and my husband’s side of the family LOVED IT. They were shocked that this was a completely vegetarian lasagna recipe because of how filling and great it tasted!
Although this isn’t the quickest weeknight dinner recipe, it is so worth it. Plus, you can actually make some of it ahead of time! If you’re meal prepping or expecting guests, you can do a few things to save time when making your Veggie Lasagna:
If you don’t have fresh spinach, frozen spinach works just fine. Make sure you completely thaw and drain and squeeze out any remaining liquids. You don’t want the added moisture in your filling!
You can easily make this recipe a day before and just add the toppings (such as the sauce and cheese) before you pop it in the oven.
Make sure you use lasagna sheets that you have to boil. The no-boil lasagna sheets will not work with this recipe.
If you don’t have any lasagna noodles on hand, don’t worry. You can basically make this exact recipe using Stuffed Shells!
I use full-fat ricotta cheese in this recipe, but you can use fat-free for a healthier version.
1 cup each:mozzarella, Colby jack and sharp yellow cheddar cheese
24ozpasta sauce – Rao’s spicy arrabbiata sauce or homemade
2cupsbroccoli florets finely chopped
1bagfresh spinachfinely chopped
1medbell pepperfinely chopped
1medonion finely chopped
⅓cupfrozen peas
1–2jalapenos finely chopped
5clovesgarlicfinely minced
2tbspItalian seasoning
3tbspolive oil
2 tspcrushed red pepper
salt and pepper to taste
1 box lasagna sheets
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 350°F, cook pasta according to package instructions and drain well.
In a large pan heat some olive oil and add the onions, garlic and jalapeños. Cook for 2-3 mins and add the bell peppers, broccoli and peas along with all the all the seasonings. Stir and cover pan with lid so broccoli and pea’s can fully cook. About 4-5 mins on med – low heat.
Add the spinach and cover the pan with a lid for 3 mins. Let the spinach wilt down. Once this mixture is cooked and cooled off, mix in the ricotta cheese in.
Assemble the lasagna: Pour ⅓ of the sauce into the bottom of the baking pan/dish. Layer on 3-4 lasagna sheets. Top with veggie mixture, cheese. Repeat this: sauce, lasagna sheets, veggie filling and cheese. Top with another layer of lasagna sheets. Top with the additional 1 cup of sauce & the cheese.
Cover the baking dish with foil and bake at 350°F for 20 mins. Serve while hot and enjoy with a side of garlic bread, salad or just as!
Notes
If you don’t have fresh spinach, frozen works just fine. Make sure you completely thaw and drain and squeeze out any remaining liquids. You don’t want the added moisture in your filling.
Make this a day before the party or event and just leave the toppings such as the sauce and cheese before you pop it in the oven.
Just an East/West coast girl living the southern life. I love sharing all my tested and perfected recipes here, along with some travel guides and a little bit of my lifestyle
