This vegetarian lasagna is layered with ricotta, spinach, and loads of veggies. It’s cozy, hearty, and excellent for make-ahead dinners or weeknights.
With regards to lasagna recipes, right here’s the one I’ve made time and again: my favourite vegetarian lasagna with ricotta. I’ve been honing meatless lasagna recipes for years, and this one is the fruits of all of my analysis (I’ve executed the laborious be just right for you!).
The tomato sauce has simply the appropriate zing and garlic nuance, and the spinach ricotta cheese filling is hearty and creamy. It’s scented with contemporary thyme and somewhat lemon zest, which takes it excessive. Whether or not you’re meal prepping for the week forward or want a crowd-pleasing dish to feed a crowd, that is your recipe!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Satisfying and hearty: The creamy ricotta cheese filling and layers of greens make this vegetable lasagna simply as filling as any meat-based model!
- Crowd-pleasing: I’ve served this to vegetarians and meat-eaters alike, and it at all times will get rave opinions
- Works for make-ahead meals: Assemble this veggie lasagna forward of time and refrigerate or freeze it for busy weeknights
- Nice for entertaining: The lasagne bakes when you prep facet dishes and makes sufficient for a crowd
Substances You’ll Want
The spinach ricotta filling on this vegetarian lasagna recipe is elegantly easy, without having to cut an extended record of substances. You might be welcome so as to add additional greens if you happen to like, like sauteed mushrooms, bell peppers, or zucchini. Right here’s what you want for this vegetarian lasagna:
- Tomato sauce: I like making a home made sauce with crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, garlic, and herbs for finest taste: however you need to use store-bought, too.
- Lasagna noodles: Common dried noodles work completely: boil them to simply earlier than al dente. Recent lasagna noodles are another choice and don’t require boiling.
- Child spinach: Recent child spinach wilts down shortly, or you need to use chopped common spinach. You too can substitute frozen spinach (1 cup, thawed and squeezed dry).
- Recent thyme, lemon zest, and floor nutmeg: These flavors take the filling to an entire new stage
- Ricotta cheese: I like to recommend complete milk ricotta for the creamiest texture. You’ll be able to substitute cottage cheese (mix it easy first)
- Parmesan cheese: Provides salty, nutty taste. You’ll be able to omit it for absolutely vegetarian however add a couple of pinches additional salt (and if you happen to like dietary yeast, a couple of shakes).
- Mozzarella cheese: Makes these melty cheese layers
- Olive oil, salt and pepper: Rounds out the substances
Learn how to Make Vegetarian Lasagna
1. Put together your noodles and sauce first. Deliver a big pot of well-salted water to a boil for the lasagna noodles. Whereas that’s heating, make the tomato sauce by sauteing garlic till aromatic, then including crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, herbs, salt, and pepper. A little bit of cornstarch combined with a little bit of the sauce helps thicken it.
When the water is prepared, boil the noodles simply till they’re barely underdone (a minute or two lower than al dente), then drain and lay them flat on a baking sheet drizzled with olive oil. This prevents sticking.
2. Prep the spinach. This step is essential for avoiding watery vegetable lasagna! Add the newborn spinach to a big skillet and cook dinner it down. After it cools barely, squeeze out each drop of liquid then roughly chopped it (or thaw and squeeze dry the frozen spinach).
3. Combine the spinach ricotta filling. Mix the substances for the filling in a medium bowl.
4. Layer your baking dish. Use a 9×13-inch baking dish and begin with a skinny layer of tomato sauce on the underside (this prevents sticking). Then I construct layers of noodles, ricotta combination, chopped spinach, and sauce.
5. Bake coated, then uncovered. Cowl the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake for 40 minutes at 375°F. Then fastidiously take away the foil and bake for one more 10 minutes till the cheese is golden and bubbly.
6. Relaxation. Let the vegetarian lasagna relaxation for quarter-hour earlier than slicing: this enables the layers to set.
Variations to Attempt
Listed here are some further filling concepts that may go properly with spinach and ricotta:
- Spinach mushroom lasagna: Make the spinach and mushroom filling from Vegan Lasagna and substitute it for the spinach (with or with out the cashews).
- Swap in several greens: Make the spicy kale filling as a substitute of spinach from Spicy Kale Lasagna, or substitute rainbow chard for the spinach.
- Use walnut taco meat: Use walnut taco meat as stand in for floor beef on this vegetarian pasta.
- Roasted greens: Roast mushrooms, pink bell pepper, or butternut squash with olive oil, salt, and pepper till caramelized, then layer them in together with the spinach.
- Half-skim cheeses or cottage cheese: Make it lighter by swapping the entire milk ricotta for part-skim or low-fat ricotta, or use cottage cheese as a substitute.
- Add basil pesto. Dollop or drizzle pesto between the layers for an additional burst of herby, garlicky taste.
What to Serve With It
This hearty vegetable lasagna is great rounded out with some contemporary, vegetable-centric sides:
- Easy inexperienced salads are my go-to. My favourite Simple Arugula Salad pairs with the richness completely, or attempt a basic Caesar Salad or Chopped Salad.
- Garlic bread or focaccia are a enjoyable facet concept; attempt my household’s favourite Garlic Bread.
- Sautéed greens add vitamin and coloration to the plate. I like Sauteed Inexperienced Beans, Final Sauteed Greens, or Pan Fried Broccoli.
- For a cocktail party, begin with appetizers like bruschetta or antipasto skewers, serve the lasagne as the principle course with salad and bread, and end with a lightweight dessert. A glass of Italian pink desk wine or glowing water with lemon is nice alongside.
For extra concepts, try my full information Finest Sides to Go With Lasagna.
Storage & Freezing Ideas
Listed here are a couple of pointers for this recipe:
- Make forward ideas: Make the vegetarian lasagna previous to baking, then refrigerate in a single day. Improve the bake time as wanted to cook dinner till it’s warmed via and the cheese has melted.
- Leftover storage: Refrigerate leftovers for as much as 2 days. Or freeze: it’s best to chop it into single servings and freeze every in separate containers. To reheat, defrost the vegetarian lasagna the fridge, then place in a baking dish, cowl with foil and reheat at 400F for about quarter-hour, till warmed via.
- Freezing unbaked lasagna: Assemble the lasagna utterly in a freezer-safe baking dish, wrap tightly with plastic wrap and foil, and freeze for as much as 3 months. You’ll be able to bake from frozen (add about 30-40 minutes to the bake time) or thaw in a single day within the fridge first.
Dietary Notes
This vegetarian lasagna recipe is vegetarian. For gluten-free, use gluten-free lasagna noodles. For vegan, go to my Vegan Lasagna Recipe.
Ceaselessly Requested Questions
The largest mistake is just not eradicating sufficient water from the spinach or different greens. At all times squeeze cooked spinach utterly dry utilizing your palms or a clear kitchen towel. If including zucchini or different watery greens, sauté them first to cook dinner off moisture. Different frequent errors embrace utilizing an excessive amount of sauce, not letting the lasagna relaxation earlier than slicing, and overcooking the noodles through the boil step.
Each work properly, however I choose freezing unbaked lasagna as a result of the greens and noodles maintain their texture higher. Once you freeze baked lasagna, the noodles can generally grow to be softer upon reheating.
To freeze unbaked, assemble utterly, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and foil, and freeze for as much as 3 months. You’ll be able to bake from frozen (simply add additional time) or thaw within the fridge in a single day. Should you do freeze baked lasagna, let it cool utterly first and reheat gently coated with foil.
Begin by seasoning every element properly—salt and pepper within the ricotta combination, well-seasoned tomato sauce, and herbs. Recent thyme and lemon zest within the ricotta combination add brightness.
Utilizing fire-roasted tomatoes within the sauce provides a refined smokiness. Don’t skip the garlic within the sauce, and take into account including pink pepper flakes for a mild warmth. Recent basil or contemporary basil pesto between layers can improve the flavour.
At all times squeeze cooked spinach bone-dry: that is the #1 wrongdoer for watery lasagna. Should you’re including zucchini, mushrooms, or different high-moisture greens, sauté them first to cook dinner off the water, then allow them to cool earlier than layering.
Use a thick tomato sauce slightly than a skinny, watery one (the cornstarch in my home made model helps with this). Don’t oversauce: you need sufficient to maintain it moist however not swimming.
Lastly, let the baked lasagna relaxation for quarter-hour earlier than chopping, which permits the layers to set and take up any extra liquid.
Completely! Merely substitute gluten-free lasagna noodles for normal noodles. Comply with the bundle instructions for whether or not they have to be boiled first (some gluten-free noodles are extra delicate). The remainder of the recipe stays precisely the identical.
You too can make my Zucchini Lasagna or Eggplant Lasagna, which change the usual noodles with vegetable strips!
Vegetarian Lasagna
This vegetarian lasagna is layered with ricotta, spinach, and loads of veggies. It’s cozy, hearty, and excellent for make-ahead dinners or weeknights.
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Cook dinner Time: 50 minutes
- Whole Time: 1 hour 35 minutes
- Yield: 9 1x
- Class: Foremost Dish
- Technique: Bake
- Delicacies: Italian impressed
- Eating regimen: Vegetarian
Substances
For the tomato sauce (or substitute 4 cups of your favourite marinara sauce)
- 4 massive garlic cloves
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes, fireplace roasted if doable
- 1 15-ounce can tomato sauce, fireplace roasted if doable
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried tarragon (or oregano)
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch (or arrowroot starch)
For the lasagna
- 10 to 12 lasagna noodles (8 ounces, gluten-free as crucial)*
- 5 ounces child spinach** (or 8 cups chopped spinach)
- 2 tablespoons chopped contemporary thyme
- Zest of 1/2 lemon (about 2 teaspoons)
- ¼ teaspoon floor nutmeg
- 16 ounce (2 cups) ricotta cheese
- 1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese, divided
- 3 cups (12 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- Recent floor black pepper
Directions
- Preheat: Preheat the oven to 375 levels Fahrenheit.
- Boil the noodles*: Deliver a big pot of properly salted water to a boil. Boil the noodles till simply earlier than al dente, in accordance with the bundle directions, stirring usually. Drain the noodles, then drizzle a baking sheet with a little bit of olive oil. Lay the noodles flat onto the sheet, then flip them over so that they grow to be coated with olive oil to forestall sticking.
- Put together the tomato sauce (or skip with bought marinara): Mince the garlic. Soften the butter in a saucepan over medium warmth. Add the garlic and sauté, stirring ceaselessly. As soon as the garlic is aromatic after about 1 or 2 minutes, flip down the warmth and thoroughly add the tomatoes (keep away from any momentary spitting), tomato sauce, basil, tarragon or oregano, kosher salt, and several other grinds of black pepper. Take away ¼ cup of the sauce and stir it with the cornstarch, then add it again to the pan (this helps to thicken the sauce). Simmer on low warmth whereas making the rest of the recipe, at the least quarter-hour. When prepared to make use of, take away the pan from the warmth.
- Wilt the spinach: In a big skillet, mound the greens and ¼ cup water within the skillet and cook dinner, stirring usually, till utterly wilted and diminished, about 3 minutes (the greens considerably cut back when cooking; if crucial, sauté in batches.) Sprinkle with 2 pinches of kosher salt and stir, then take away from the warmth and permit to chill barely. As soon as cooled, use your palms to squeeze out all extra liquid and discard. Roughly chop the spinach.
- Put together the cheese filling: Destem the thyme, then roughly chop the leaves. Add 1 ½ tablespoons thyme to a medium bowl and reserve about ½ tablespoon for topping the lasagna. To the bowl, add the lemon zest, nutmeg, ricotta cheese, ¾ cup Parmesan cheese, 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, kosher salt, and several other grinds of black pepper. Stir to mix.
- Layer the lasagna: In a 9” x 13” baking dish, unfold ½ cup tomato sauce on the underside of the pan. Then high with 1 layer of noodles, half of the cheese combination (in dollops then unfold it out), half of the greens, and about 1 cup of the tomato sauce. Repeat once more: 1 layer of noodles (you could want to chop a noodle in half for the facet, relying in your pan), the remaining cheese combination, the remaining greens, and 1 cup of the tomato sauce. Lastly, high with noodles (once more, you could want to chop a noodle in half for the highest layer), then the remaining 1 ½ cups of the tomato sauce. Sprinkle the complete high with the remaining 1 cup mozzarella cheese, ¼ cup Parmesan cheese, and ½ tablespoon thyme.
- Bake the lasagna: Cowl the pan with aluminum foil and bake for 40 minutes. Rigorously take away the foil and bake one other 10 minutes, till bubbly and browned. Let stand for quarter-hour earlier than serving (this enables the lasagna to set). Leftovers will be refrigerated for two to three days and reheated in a 375°F oven. (You too can freeze leftovers: it’s best to chop it into single servings and freeze every in separate containers. To reheat, defrost the vegetarian lasagna the fridge, then place in a baking dish, cowl with foil and reheat at 400 levels for about quarter-hour, till warmed via.)
Notes
*Should you use contemporary lasagna noodles, they don’t have to be boiled.
**You’ll be able to substitute ¾ cup frozen spinach. Defrost it and squeeze out all extra liquid; you possibly can skip the cooking step.
For a mushroom or veggie-packed model, sauté sliced mushrooms, diced zucchini, diced bell pepper, or different greens till tender and any liquid has cooked off, then layer them in together with the spinach.
Leftovers will be refrigerated for two to three days and reheated in a 375°F oven. You too can freeze leftovers: it’s best to chop it into single servings and freeze every in separate containers. To reheat, defrost the vegetarian lasagna within the fridge, then place in a baking dish, cowl with foil and reheat at 400 levels for about quarter-hour, till warmed via.
To freeze unbaked lasagna: See the Storage part above.
