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Casserole dish with ricotta and vegetable lasagna sliced into pieces with parmesan cheese, basil, tea towel, spatula, plate and fork on the side.

Ricotta and Vegetable Lasagna

Author: Stephanie Kay

This is the best veggie lasagna! With a creamy ricotta spinach filling and lots of vegetables, it’s a healthy and delicious casserole that’s perfect for a hearty vegetarian meal.

  • Author: Stephanie Kay
  • Prep Time: 30 minutes
  • Cook Time: 50 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
  • Yield: 9 slices 1x
  • Category: Dinner
  • Method: Baked
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Ingredients

Vegetable Sauce:

Spinach Ricotta Filling:

Lasagna:

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400°F and grab a 9×13-inch baking dish.
  2. In a large pot on medium-high heat, warm the olive oil, add diced onion, and cook them for 3-4 minutes until they begin to soften.
  3. Add the diced zucchini, bell pepper, and mushrooms and cook for another 4-5 minutes until all of the vegetables are tender.
  4. Add the minced garlic, oregano, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper to the pot, stir to coat the vegetable mixture, and cook for an additional minute until fragrant.
  5. Add the crushed tomatoes and ½ cup of water to the pot, and stir to combine with the vegetables, taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper as needed. Bring the sauce to a bubble, then reduce it to a simmer and allow to continue cooking while you prepare the other ingredients. 
  6. In a large bowl, add the ricotta cheese, thawed and chopped spinach, parmesan cheese, egg, nutmeg, salt, and black pepper, and stir until well combined.
  7. Once all of your ingredients are ready, begin to assemble the lasagna. (If you are using oven-ready lasagna noodles they can be added directly to the lasagna, if you are using dried noodles refer to the package directions to prepare them before adding them to the lasagna. See note below.)
  8. Add ½ cup of the sauce to the bottom of the baking dish, spreading it out evenly, then layer the bottom of the dish with lasagna noodles, snapping off their ends to fit and/or overlap their edges as needed.
  9. Spread the vegetable sauce over the first layer of lasagna noodles, reserving  1 ½ cups for the top layer, and spread it out evenly to cover the noodles. Then top the sauce with a second layer of lasagna noodles.
  10. Dollop the spinach and ricotta mixture over the second layer of lasagna noodles, spreading it out evenly to ensure all of the noodles are covered. Then top the ricotta mixture with a third layer of lasagna noodles.
  11. Spread the reserved vegetable sauce over the third layer of lasagna noodles, spreading it out evenly across the noodles, and then sprinkle the top with shredded mozzarella cheese.
  12. Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil, transfer to the oven, and bake for 40 minutes. Then remove the foil and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes until the cheese is bubbly and the top is golden brown.
  13. Once cooked, remove the lasagna from the oven and allow it to cool for 5-10 minutes, then slice and serve with freshly grated parmesan cheese and basil and slice to serve.
  14. Any leftovers can be cooled and stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days or the freezer for up to 3 months.

Notes

To Use Onion Powder: Swap the onion for 1 teaspoon of onion powder. Skip step #2 and add it step #4.

To Use Garlic Powder: Swap the garlic cloves for 2 teaspoons of garlic powder and add it in step #4.

To Use Cottage Cheese: Swap the ricotta cheese for 2 cups of cottage cheese. Add it to a food processor and blend until smooth before adding it to the recipe in step #6.

To Use Fresh Spinach: Swap the frozen spinach for 8 cups of fresh spinach. Warm a teaspoon of olive oil in a pan, add the fresh spinach, and cook, stirring regularly, until wilted, and add it to the ricotta mixture as per step #6.

To Use Regular Lasagna Noodles: Swap the no-boil lasagna noodles for 12 regular lasagna noodles, and cook them as per package directions before adding them to the lasagna beginning in step #8.

Nutrition

Find it online: https://kaynutrition.com/easy-vegetable-lasagna-recipe/