A family favorite: Fresh, healthy roasted vegetable lasagna loaded with colorful roasted vegetables and three different cheeses.
Roasted vegetable lasagna was one of my most requested recipes when I was a personal chef.
Some of my clients were long-term regulars, and each time I cooked for them I’d take care to change their menus.
I wanted to offer families variety while trying to stick to their dietary needs – whether the menu was vegetarian, gluten-free, low-carb or keto.
But, it turns out they would often ask for the same favorite dishes over and over again, and comfort food like vegetarian lasagna was always a hit.
Ingredients for vegetable lasagna
For this lasagna, I used a mix of Mediterranean vegetables:
- Colorful red and orange bell peppers
- Zucchini (green squash)
- Eggplant
- Sweet red onion
- Leafy greens (spinach, kale or chard)
The chopped vegetables are tossed together on a baking sheet with olive oil and salt, then roasted for about 25 minutes.
Besides the abundance of roasted vegetables, what makes this lasagna a standout is the nice balance of pasta, cheese, vegetables and light sauce.
You can eat a serving without needing to take a nap afterward!
This roasted vegetable lasagna was a recipe I made on repeat for one of my vegetarian clients, and now I can say that I know why she liked it so much.
This roasted vegetable lasagne is beautifully loaded with colorful vegetables, satisfying and comforting all at once.
How to make roasted vegetable lasagna
- You can make the fresh cherry tomatoes sauce as directed in the recipe, but feel free to use your favorite sauce instead. You’ll need one quart of sauce to layer with the noodles.
- Mix up the variety of vegetables in the filling according to what you like and have on hand, just be sure you have about four cups total bite-size vegetables that are roasted or cooked until tender.
- Other vegetables to try: mushrooms, leeks, butternut squash, kale or other greens.
- Cool the lasagna for up to an hour before serving. This helps the layers to set, making it much less messy to cut and serve. But if you just can’t wait to dig right in, shorten the cooling time to 15 minutes and enjoy the gooey slices!
- This recipe uses fontina instead of mozzarella. It’s a soft mild cheese that melts beautifully. If you don’t have fontina, use an equal amount of whole milk mozzarella or havarti cheese instead.
Best pan to use for making roasted vegetable lasagna
This recipe makes a square lasagna that serves about 6 – 8 people, baked in an 8 x 8-inch pan.
Depending on what’s handy, I alternate between using a few different pans when I make lasagna:
My favorite ceramic baking dish and a simple square cake pan.
If you want to double this lasagna recipe for a larger crowd, a rectangular baking pan or glass/ceramic dish that’s 13 x 9 inches will do the trick.
For more vegetable recipes and ideas, check out the seasonal vegetable planner.
How to freeze vegetable lasagna
- Cool the lasagna completely – this helps prevent freezer burn from condensation.
- Transfer to a sturdy freezer-proof container and wrap securely with aluminum foil.
- Label and date the lasagna and freeze for 1-2 months.
- Defrost overnight in the refrigerator. Bake as directed.
- If you’re freezing and defrosting a baked lasagna, heat at 350 degrees (covered) for about 20 minutes, until heated through.
Related recipes to try
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Roasted Vegetable Lasagna
Ingredients
Roasted Cherry Tomato Sauce:
- 2 pounds cherry tomatoes
- 2 whole garlic cloves, peeled
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- Salt
For Lasagna:
- 1 medium eggplant, peeled if desired, diced
- 2 bell peppers red, orange or yellow, diced
- 2 small zucchini less than 6-inches long, diced
- 1 red onion, thinly sliced
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 cups baby spinach, kale or chopped Swiss chard leaves
- 1 pound whole milk ricotta
- 1/2 pound fontina or soft havarti cheese, coarsely grated
- 12 sheets no-boil lasagna noodles
- 1/2 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese, plus additional for serving
Instructions
To make the sauce:
- Heat oven to 425 ( 220C) degrees. Toss the tomatoes on a large rimmed baking sheet with the garlic, oil and 1 teaspoon salt. Roast until the tomatoes are very soft and slightly browned, about 25 minutes.
- Cool the tomatoes 10 minutes then scrape into a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.
To make the lasagna:
- Put the eggplant, bell peppers, zucchini, and red onion in a large bowl. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, ground pepper to taste and 1/4 cup olive oil and toss to coat.
- Transfer to a large rimmed baking sheet and roast until the vegetables are soft and slightly browned, about 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and immediately add the spinach. Toss with tongs to mix together and wilt the greens.
- Reduce oven temperature to 400 (200C) degrees.
- Lightly coat an 8 x 8-inch baking pan with olive oil. Ladle 1/4-cup tomato sauce evenly over the bottom of the pan.
- Make three layers in the pan as follows: 3 pasta sheets, slightly overlapping, topped evenly with 1/3 of the vegetables, ricotta, fontina and 1/4 cup sauce. Finish the final top layer with the remaining sauce and the Parmesan cheese.
- Cover the pan with foil and bake 35 minutes. Take a peek under the foil — if the sauce is bubbling, the cheese melted and the noodles tender, it's done. If not, cover and bake an additional 5 to 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and let cool 30-60 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with additional Parmesan cheese.
Notes
- The vegetables can be roasted the day before making the lasagna to save time. Or assemble the whole lasagna, cover and refrigerate up to a day ahead before baking.
- You can use your favorite tomato sauce instead of making the roasted cherry tomato sauce. You'll need 4 cups sauce (1 quart).
- If you can't wait to dig in and serve the lasagna, let it cool for 15 minutes (instead of an hour) - it won't be completely set but will still taste wonderful.
- The assembled unbaked lasagna can be frozen. Make sure to wrap securely to prevent freezer burn and freeze for 1 or 2 months. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator and continue to bake as directed.
Alicia says
Any thoughts on adding mushrooms? I worry that they might be too watery. Have you tried them at all in this?
Familystyle Food says
Hi Alicia – Yes, you can use mushrooms. Brown or portobellos are great! I would slice and saute or roast them separately to release their liquid before adding to the rest of the veggies.
Alicia says
Thank you so much! I’m making this Friday and am SO excited to try it!
Corinne says
This is such a great recipe! I had to modify it a little to suit what was in my fridge, but it was amazing and good and rich even though it’s vegetarian.
Ebony says
Absolutely love this recipe! I am here to make this again but I was having trouble viewing as the pale pink header with the socials links overtook the entire screen on phone, ipad and PC. It was only when I hit the print button that it all disappeared and I can view it. I’ve emailed it to myself just in case it doesn’t work in the future, because I just love this recipe! Thank you!
Familystyle Food says
Thanks for letting me know Ebony! I’m so glad you’re enjoying the lasagna and I will look into the viewing problem.
Melissa says
Wow! I can not believe how amazing this lasagna was. I followed the recipe exactly and it was a huge hit at my house! My 3 young kids all asked for a second serving–my family of 5 ate the entire 9 x 11 in pan in one night. This will become a regular in our dinner rotation. THANK YOU!
Familystyle Food says
Wow Melissa I’m so glad everyone loved it!!
Christianne says
Curious to know if you’ve ever played around with cheese substitutes in this recipe? To make it vegan?
Familystyle Food says
I have not tried a vegan version yet, but it’s totally worth a try!
Paula says
Why does it need to cool for an hour.
Familystyle Food says
Hi Paula, great question! The lasagna is best cooled so it’s easier to slice into. When it’s hot out of the oven, the layers can be very gooey and kind of messy to slice. But if you just can’t wait, dig right in!
Lauren says
Absolutely DELICIOUS!!!! I will be making this forever! I did make my own ricotta cheese ahead of time! I can’t wait to make this for my husband! A vegetarian meal he’ll be able to agree with ?
Familystyle Food says
Great!! I love that you made your own ricotta, too.
Alexis says
Making it right now and it smells amazing! Can you freeze it?
Familystyle Food says
Hi Alexis – Yes for sure! Let it cool completely and freeze in a covered Pyrex or other freezer-safe container. Enjoy!!
Shelly-Ann says
Try gouda
Karen/Familystyle Food says
Have you made this with gouda? That’s a great idea. A creamy havarti would be good too.
Theresa K. says
Hello…I would love to try this recipe…do you have a favorite cheese you recommend to replace the fontina? Thank you so much!!!
Karen says
Hi Theresa – Yes, you can use a whole milk mozzarella (but not fresh water-packed) instead of the fontina. Hope you enjoy!
Heather says
I’ve made this twice in the last week. SO. GOOD. The sauce if perfect. I subbed yellow squash for eggplant but otherwise followed it exactly. Thank you!
Karen says
Yay! So glad you liked it Heather.
Meredith Youngson | Earth & Oven says
This is the best looking veggie lasagna i have seen! Inspiration for my Christmas dinner this year, thanks! -Mere
Liza says
I want to make this right now (well, I wish I had made it yesterday so I could eat this right now!) XO Liza