Roasted vegetable lasagna layers oven-caramelized vegetables, pasta and creamy cheese for a rich, satisfying baked pasta. I pack it with zucchini, eggplant, leafy greens and sweet bell peppers, along with three kinds of cheese. A tangy sweet cherry tomato sauce ties it all together.

A slice of lasagna, showing layers of cheese, vegetables and tomato sauce, on a plate with a fork and fresh basil leaves.

When I was working as a personal chef, vegetable lasagna was one of my most requested meals (the other was a very cheesy baked ziti with sausage). Once it’s assembled, you can slide it into the oven whenever you’re ready for dinner — which is exactly why it works so well for both weeknights and casual entertaining.

  • Why roast the vegetables first? Roasting the vegetables removes excess moisture and concentrates their flavor — which equals tasty, not-soggy lasagna.
  • Why use no-boil lasagna sheets? They absorb the juices from the sauce as the lasagna bakes — this saves time and the pasta turns out perfectly al dente.

What I put in vegetable lasagna

Ingredients for preparing vegetable lasagna, including fresh spinach, eggplant, bell peppers, zucchini, red onion, ricotta cheese and grated parmesan.
  • The veggies: Bell peppers, which means sweet red peppers, or a colorful variety including orange or yellow ones (I avoid green ones because I find them intolerably bitter). Zucchini: I always shop for the smallest green zucchini in the store because they are sweeter-tasting, with less seeds. Eggplant: Look for small purple eggplants or long Japanese ones, and make sure they feel firm. Fresh tomatoes: Roasted cherry tomatoes make a delicious sauce that tastes sweet and fresh. You can use quartered vine tomatoes, or skip the sauce-making step and substitute with 2 cups of prepared sauce (I’m partial to my 20-minute homemade marinara recipe).
  • Cheese: Mozzarella, fontina, or havarti cheese cheeses are soft-textured and melt beautifully — all are good options. Ricotta cheese: To make the ricotta cheese mixture, I combine whole milk ricotta with Parmesan cheese and chopped fresh parsley. Some readers have substituted mascarpone with good results.
  • Roasted cherry tomatoes and garlic in a sheet pan.
    2. Make the sauce: Roast cherry tomatoes about 20 minutes, until the tomatoes are juicy and soft.
  • Roasted cherry tomatoes, olive oil and garlic cloves in a food processor workbowl.
    3. Transfer the tomatoes, garlic, and pan juices to a blender or food processor.
  • Pureed tomato sauce in a food processor workbowl.
    4. Blend until the sauce is smooth.
  • Chopped eggplant, bell peppers, zucchini, and red onion tossed with olive oil on a rimmed baking sheet.
    6. Roast the vegetables: Chop them into chunks. Combine on a baking sheet with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast alongside the tomatoes 20-25 minutes.
  • Roasted vegetables on a sheet pan, with fresh spinach leaves on top.
    7. Scatter the spinach (or other leafy greens) over the roasted vegetables.
  • Roasted vegetables and wilted spinach on a baking sheet, with a pair of tongs on the side.
    8. Stir the spinach around with tongs, until the hot veggies wilt the leaves.

Assemble the lasagna:

  • Tomato sauce spread on the bottom of a baking pan.
    9. Smear some of the tomato sauce over the bottom of an 8 x 8-inch baking pan.
  • Three lasagna noodles layered on top of tomato sauce in a baking pan.
    10. Arrange three lasagna sheets on top of the sauce, slightly overlapping.
  • Roasted vegetables, including spinach, eggplant, zucchini, bell pepper and red onion, on top of lasagna noodles in a pan.
    11. Spread 1/3 of the roasted vegetables on top of the noodles.
  • Ricotta layer of a lasagna, shown in a square baking pan.
    12. Spoon 1/3 of the ricotta mixture on top of the vegetables.
  • Ricotta and grated cheese layer of an assembled lasagna.
    13. Sprinkle 1/3 of the shredded cheese over the ricotta.
  • A layer of ricotta, grated cheese and tomato in a baking pan.
    14. Spoon 1/3 cup more sauce over the cheese. Repeat the layers twice more.
  • Unbaked lasagna topped with tomato sauce and grated cheese in a square baking pan.
    15. Top the last layer of lasagna noodles with the remaining sauce and Parmesan cheese. At this point, you can bake or stick in the fridge up to a day ahead.
  • A square baking pan covered with foil on top of a sheet pan.
    16. Cover the pan with foil and place on a baking sheet to catch any drips. Bake 30-35 minutes at 400 degrees, or until the noodles are tender and the sauce is bubbly.

A slice of lasagna, showing layers of cheese, vegetables and tomato sauce, on a plate with a fork and fresh basil leaves.
4.82 from 207 ratings

Roasted Vegetable Lasagna

Karen Tedesco
Roasted vegetable lasagna layers oven-caramelized vegetables, pasta and creamy cheese for a rich, satisfying baked pasta. I pack it with zucchini, eggplant, leafy greens and sweet bell peppers, along with three kinds of cheese. A tangy sweet cherry tomato sauce ties it all together.
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Yield: 8 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Resting Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes

Ingredients
 

Cherry Tomato Sauce:

  • 2 pounds (900 g) whole cherry tomatoes, or vine tomatoes cut into quarters
  • 2 whole garlic cloves, peeled
  • 2 tablespoons (30 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
  • Salt

Lasagna:

  • 1 medium eggplant, peeled if desired, cut into 1-inch cubes
  • 2 bell peppers, red, orange or yellow, cut into 1-inch cubes
  • 1 medium zucchini, cut into 1-inch cubes
  • 1 red onion, thinly sliced
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 3 tablespoons (45 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 cups baby spinach leaves, or other leafy greens
  • 1 pound (450 g) whole milk ricotta
  • ¾ cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese
  • 2 tablespoons chopped parsley, or fresh basil, plus more for garnish
  • ½ pound (225 g) fontina, low-moisture mozzarella or havarti cheese, coarsely grated or shredded Chef tip: to easily grate a chunk of soft-textured cheese, put it in the freezer for about 20 minutes.
  • 12 (250 g) no-boil lasagna pasta sheets

Equipment

Instructions
 

  1. Heat oven to 425 ( 220C) degrees, with the rack positioned in the center.

Make the sauce:

  1. Put 2 pounds whole cherry tomatoes on a rimmed baking sheet with 2 whole garlic cloves, 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oiland 1 teaspoon salt. Roast until the tomatoes are very soft, about 20-25 minutes.
  2. Transfer the tomatoes and all the pan juices to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. The sauce can be made up to one week ahead and stored in the refrigerator.

Roast the vegetables

  1. Toss the eggplant, bell peppers, zucchini, and red onion on a rimmed baking sheet. Add 1 ½ teaspoons salt, black pepper and the olive oil and toss everything to coat.
  2. Roast the vegetables alongside the tomatoes 20-25 minutes, stirring halfway through, until they're are soft and slightly browned. Remove from the oven and immediately add the spinach. Toss with tongs to mix and wilt the greens.

Assemble and bake the lasagna

  1. Reduce the oven temperature to 400 (200C) degrees. Lightly coat an 8×8-inch baking pan with olive oil.
  2. Combine the ricotta, ¼ cup of Parmesan and the parsley in a small bowl.
  3. Ladle ⅓-cup tomato sauce evenly over the bottom of the pan. Arrange 3 pasta sheets, slightly overlapping, over the sauce. Spread ⅓ of the vegetables, ⅓ of the ricotta mixture, ⅓ of the grated fontina and ⅓ cup sauce over the noodles. Repeat twice more, gently pressing the noodles down each time. Make the final top layer with all the remaining sauce and ½ cup of the Parmesan cheese.
  4. Cover the pan with foil and place on a baking sheet to avoid spills in the oven. Bake 30 minutes. Take a peek under the foil — if the sauce is bubbling, the cheese melted and the noodles are tender, it's done. If not, cover and bake an additional 5 to 10 minutes.
  5. Remove the pan from the oven and cool 30-60 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with chopped parsley. Slice into pieces and serve.

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.
  • Make the fresh cherry tomato sauce as directed in the recipe, or feel free to use your favorite sauce or my homemade marinara sauce. You’ll need one quart of sauce (about 2 cups) to layer with the noodles.
  • 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 work. The baking time will be the same.
  • 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!
  • 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 of bite-size vegetables that are roasted or cooked until tender. Try mushrooms, leeks, butternut squash, kale, or other greens.
To freeze an un-baked lasagna:
  • Assemble the lasagna in the pan according to the steps. Wrap the pan securely with heavy-duty aluminum foil. Label and date the lasagna and freeze for 1-2 months.
  • Defrost overnight in the refrigerator. Bake as directed in the recipe.
  • If you’re freezing and defrosting a baked lasagna, first cool the lasagna completely — this helps prevent freezer burn from condensation. To reheat, place in a 350 degrees (covered) for about 15 minutes, until it’s heated through.

Nutrition per serving

Calories: 481kcal Carbohydrates: 36g Protein: 24g Fat: 28g Sodium: 448mg Fiber: 5g Sugar: 8g

Nutrition facts are calculated by third-party software. If you have specific dietary needs, please refer to your favorite calculator.

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