Homemade Vegetable Lasagna with Roasted Veggies
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This vegetable lasagna recipe will satisfy everyone at the dinner table! Layered with roasted zucchini, eggplant, greens, colorful bell peppers, and three different kinds of cheese, this baked lasagna is a standout. The roasted fresh cherry tomato sauce adds a bright and tangy burst of flavor to every bite.
This is hands down the best vegetable lasagna recipe for a vegetarian feast, or when you’re craving a wholesome, lightened-up version of an iconic cheese lasagna.
My vegetable lasagna is layered with a colorful assortment of fresh vegetables roasted in the oven, ricotta cheese, Parmesan, gooey melted cheese, and a fresh tomato sauce made with sweet cherry tomatoes.
As a personal chef, vegetable lasagna was one of my most requested vegetarian meals (the other was the cheesiest baked ziti). With the combination of cheese, pasta sheets, colorful vegetables and sauce, it tastes satisfying and comforting all at once.
Vegetable lasagna ingredients
For this lasagna, I used a mixture of Mediterranean vegetables and three different cheeses to layer between sheets of no-boil lasagna.
- Bell peppers: Use sweet red peppers, or a colorful variety including orange or yellow ones.
- Zucchini: This green squash is a must in Mediterranean-style dishes.
- Eggplant: Choose small eggplants — they have less seeds and taste sweeter. Look for baby Italian eggplants or long Japanese ones.
- Red onion: I find red onions a little sweeter than yellow ones, but any type of onion will work.
- Leafy greens: You’ll need 2 cups of greens. Use whatever you have on hand, such as spinach, kale or chard.
- Parmesan cheese: Freshly grated or shredded.
- Melting cheese: Fontina, havarti cheese or mozzarella cheeses are soft-textured cheeses that melt beautifully — all good options. Chef tip: to easily grate a chunk of soft-textured cheese, put it in the freezer for about 20 minutes.
- Ricotta cheese: To make the ricotta cheese mixture combine ricotta with Parmesan cheese and chopped fresh parsley. Seek out whole milk ricotta, rather than skim, for the best creamy texture.
- 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 marinara sauce.
- No-boil lasagna pasta: These convenient noodles are made with pasta sheets that are cut thinner than standard lasagna. They’re pre-cooked, dried and packaged. They soften right in the pan in the heat of the oven, soaking up all the juices from the vegetables and sauce.
Make the tomato sauce:
- The tangy-sweet tomato sauce really sets this vegetable lasagna apart from the rest, and it’s super easy to make. The tomatoes roast in the oven alongside the vegetables (see below).
- You can skip this step and use about 2 cups of simple jarred tomato sauce instead, or cook a batch of my homemade marinara.
1. Put the whole tomatoes and whole, peeled garlic cloves on a rimmed sheet pan or in a baking dish. Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper. 2. Roast at 425 degrees about 20 minutes, until the tomatoes are juicy and soft.
3. Transfer the roasted tomatoes, garlic, and pan juices to a blender or food processor. 4. Blend until the sauce is smooth.
Roast the veggies:
5. Chop the veggies into 1-inch pieces. Combine on a baking sheet. 6. Add olive oil, salt and pepper and toss to combine. Roast alongside the tomatoes 20-25 minutes.
7. Scatter the spinach (or other leafy greens) over the roasted vegetables. 8. Stir the spinach around with tongs, until the hot veggies wilt the leaves.
Assemble the lasagna:
9. Smear some of the tomato sauce over the bottom of an 8 x 8-inch baking pan. 10. Arrange three lasagna sheets on top of the sauce, slightly overlapping.
11. Spread 1/3 of the roasted vegetables on top of the noodles. 12. Spoon 1/3 of the ricotta mixture on top of the vegetables.
13. Sprinkle 1/3 of the shredded cheese over the ricotta. 14. Spoon 1/3 cup more sauce over the cheese. Repeat the layers twice more.
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. 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.
Homemade Vegetable Lasagna with Roasted Veggies
This vegetable lasagna recipe will satisfy everyone at the dinner table! Layered with roasted zucchini, eggplant, greens, colorful bell peppers, and three different kinds of cheese, this baked lasagna is packed with flavor. The cherry tomatoes for the sauce roast at the same as the vegetables.
Equipment
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
Instructions
- Heat oven to 425 ( 220C) degrees, with the rack positioned in the center.
Make the sauce:
- Put the tomatoes on a large rimmed baking sheet with the garlic, olive oil and 1 teaspoon salt. Roast until the tomatoes are very soft, about 20-25 minutes.
- 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
- 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.
- 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
- Reduce the oven temperature to 400 (200C) degrees.
- Lightly coat an 8×8-inch baking pan with olive oil.
- Combine the ricotta, ¼ cup of Parmesan and the parsley in a small bowl.
- 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.
- 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.
- Remove the pan from the oven and cool 30-60 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with chopped parsley. Slice into pieces and serve.
Karen’s Notes and Tips
- 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 instead. 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.
- 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
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.
Hey, I’m Karen
Creator of Familystyle Food
I’m a food obsessed super-taster and professionally trained cook ALL about creating elevated dinners with everyday ingredients. Find simplified recipes made from scratch and enjoy incredibly tasty food! Read more about me here.
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This lasagna was delicious and was a fantastic way to use a ton of veggies I had. It came out so savory and delicious. I am trying to eat more vegetarian and mediterranean-inspired dishes and this hit the spot. The roasted cherry tomato sauce was to die for! It was so good that I’m going to make this sauce on its own when I need marinara. Wonderful in every way!
I’m so happy to hear that! It’s one of my favorite ways to turn a pile of veggies into dinner. I totally agree that the roasted cherry tomato sauce has a way of stealing the show! Love that you’ll be making it as your go-to marinara. Thanks so much for taking the time to share your feedback!
Hi Karen, you can’t call this a vegetarian lasagne if it includes Parmesan cheese. Parmesan IS NOT Vegetarian as it’s made with rennet. Please amend this in your recipe. Newer vegetarian’s will look to you for guidance on the diet so it’s misleading to name this vegetarian when it isn’t. Please amend to be without Parmesan, or a negation cheese alternative instead. Many thanks 🙂
Hi Jessica – I appreciate your comment. The good news is that you can easily find Parmesan made with vegetable rennet. The brands I recommend are Whole Foods 365, Sartori, Stella, Belgioso and Good and Gather by Target. Check the labels of the brands local to you.
Hi! I’m on 45 min and the noodles are not yet soft. I followed everything to a T except used a little more sauce. Is it okay to cook it this long? Will it affect the other veggies?
Hi Audrey – Yes, it’s fine to bake a bit longer. I hope it turned out they way you wanted!
First time making vegetable lasagna, and it was delicious. Not sure how all this fits into an 8X8 pan, but it was really good.
Im sure this is wonderful as is, but wondering what it would be like with shrimp added to it. Any thoughts would be appreciated.
Hi Kiki – I’m not sure how well this would turn out with shrimp added. My concern would be that they would be very overcooked. I suggest cooking some shrimp separately (saute, steam or use your favorite method) then serve them alongside the lasagna. You can try this recipe for garlic butter shrimp and omit the pasta. https://familystylefood.com/garlic-butter-shrimp-pasta/#wprm-recipe-container-14660
Thanks! Btw, how deep is the 8×8 square pan you used?
You’re welcome! I use a 2-inch deep pan, but you can also use a 3-inch deep pan. I hope you enjoy.
Made this vegetable lasagna for a lady recently having health problems. She wanted something healthy. She loved it and said it was delicious. This one is a keeper.
My daughter is vegetarian and we try alot of new recipes. This lasagna was excellent- everyone loved it.
What’s the best way to freeze – to bake first or not bake? Can I cook regular noodles, assemble & then freeze, rather than the no bake?
Christine – Yes you can use regular cooked lasagna noodles instead of no-cook. I recommend assembling the lasagna then freezing it unbaked — be sure to use a container that can go from freezer to oven. Let it defrost overnight in the refrigerator then bake according to the recipe directions.
I made a double batch of it with eggplant, zucchini, onion, mushrooms, kale and bits of carrot, broccoli. It filled a deep 9×13 pan and I baked it for an hour at 400 but i wouldn’t say it got boiling hot. I prepped it two days early so the noodles had soaking time but i await the moment of truth to see if it actually cooked. Temp probe went in easily enough, but i’d love more guidance on cooking a double batch if you have done that.
Cooked this recipe exactly as per Karen’s instructions and it has been a hit every time. Thank you for this recipe Karen. I really think its worth the effort to make the tomato sauce rather than buy sauce. Its so fresh and delicious.
It takes time to roast the veggies but well worth the extra burst of flavor!! Definitely adding this recipe to my collection. First time using no-boil lasagna noodles and couldn’t believe how easy it was.
Am dying to make thi today, but i can’t find where you make the cheese sauce?
Hi Samantha – You don’t have to make a cheese sauce. The ricotta and fontina are layered in the pan with the tomato sauce and vegetables.
Sorry, but a bit confused- you are
Making this in an 8×8, but it serves 8? So you’re cutting it into 2” by 4” slices? Doesn’t sound like very much, has anyone doubled this?
Hi Kim – The lasagna can be sliced into 8 servings or as large or small as you like. You can also double it if you want to serve a crowd, either in 2 8×8 pans or 1 9×13-inch pan. Click on Print — there’s an option at the top to adjust the serving size.
I’ve made this recipe twice now and it was absolutely delicious- I’m a meat eater but I think this is the best veggie lasagna –