Easy Veggie Lovers Lasagna

You will not miss the meat in this easy Veggie lovers lasagna. With chunks of zucchini and pepper, layers of flavorful spinach and cheese, you will enjoy every bite. To top it all off we add freshly sliced tomatoes and stringy mozzarella. You and your family will definitely be coming back for more.

Why veggie lovers lasagna?

I call this lasagna the true veggie lovers lasagna, and this is why. Once, several months ago, I was at the grocery store looking at the frozen lasagna options. My husband always complains that frozen lasagna is just meat and cheese. Sure enough looking at the options at the grocery store I looked through shelf after shelf of extra meat and extra cheese options. I thought for sure that there would be at least one option with more vegetables. Finally on the very bottom shelf, I found it! A veggie lovers lasagna. Wait a second, this lasagna didn’t even have tomato sauce, lasagnas signature vegetable! Instead it had Alfredo sauce with broccoli and carrots. I was sorely disappointed. This lasagna was not for true veggie lovers.

Instead of buying a frozen lasagna that day I decided to go home and make my tried and true vegetarian lasagna. This lasagna is for true veggie lovers. It is full of zucchini chunks and bell peppers with flavorful cheese layers. This is the best vegetarian lasagna, and even omnivores will be asking for more.

What vegetables go best in lasagna?

Traditionally lasagna has very few vegetables. Tomatoes do make up the majority of the sauce and often garlic and onions are used to add flavor and aromatics, but that is it. If you are looking to include more vegetables to your lasagna the options are nearly endless. I have come across recipes that use any of the following vegetable ingredients: carrots, zucchini, peppers, cauliflower, broccoli, spinach, and even pumpkin.

In this recipe I’ve chosen to stick with a hand full of vegetables that add to the texture and enhance the flavors of the lasagna, where I feel others distract or diminish the lasagna experience.

• Zucchini
• Peppers
• Spinach
• Onions

Easy veggie lovers lasagna ingredients

1 Onion The essential start to any home-cooked recipe.

1-2 Bell Peppers What ever color you have on hand. I like to use a variety of red, yellow, green. I often will use half of each and use the other halves in another recipe such as (enchiladas)(Sweet and sour chicken)

1 Large or 2 Small Zucchini or Yellow Squash again just use what you have on hand.

15 oz Can Diced Tomatoes

2, 15oz Cans Tomato Sauce you can also use a can of pre-flavored marinara sauce if that is what you have on hand, just lower the amount of the other seasonings in the sauce by at least half.

16 oz Cottage Cheese you can also use ricotta, but I prefer the texture of cottage cheese and it is generally cheaper.

1 Egg

2-4 Cups of Shredded Mozzarella Cheese depending on how cheesy you like your lasagna.

5 oz Fresh Spinach This is the lasagna’s secret ingredient. Even if you don’t like spinach add it, trust me it takes the flavor to the next level while packing in a bunch of extra nutrients.

2-3 Fresh Tomatoes sliced to top the lasagna.

1 Box of Lasagna Noodles I most often use oven ready, but you can also use regular or home made and boil them before assembling the lasagna.

2 Tbsp Italian Seasoning split between the cheese mixture and the sauce.

1 tsp Garlic Powder split between the cheese mixture and the sauce.

1 tsp Salt split between the cheese mixture and the sauce.

1 tsp Pepper split between the cheese mixture and the sauce.

Easy veggie lovers lasagna instructions

I make this recipe in a 10×15 pan. You can also split it into 2 pans (I recommend a 9×13 and a 9×9) if you do this you can freeze one after baking and cooling, then warm it up later.

Begin by dicing the onion and pepper and adding to a large pan. Saute over medium heat for 2-3 minutes.

Meanwhile dice the zucchini then add to the pan along with half the garlic powder, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper.

Continue cooking for 5-10 minutes until the vegetables are nearly cooked through. Add the diced tomatoes for the last couple minutes of cooking.

Once the vegetables are done cooking add the tomato sauce and remove from heat.

While the vegetables cook you can put the together the cheese mixture by adding the cottage cheese, half the mozzarella, and the egg to a bowl. Mix until the egg is completely combined. Then season with the remaining garlic powder, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper.

Preheat oven to 375° F.

Begin layering the lasagna starting with a layer of the sauce on bottom, then topping with pasta, a layer of the cheese mixture, and then spinach. Continue layering, in that pattern until you run out of ingredients. In a 10×15 pan I usually do 3 layers ending in the sauce and vegetables.

Top the lasagna with sliced tomatoes and the remaining mozzarella cheese.

Cover with foil and bake lasagna for 45 minutes, remove the foil and bake for 15 more minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool before serving.

Easy Veggie Lovers Lasagna

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 45 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr

Total Time 1 hour hr 45 minutes mins

Servings 16

Equipment

• 1 10"x15" pan Alternatively can split recipe into two pans a 9×13 and a 9×9.

Ingredients

  

• 1 onion
• 1-2 bell peppers
• 1-2 zucchini or yellow squash
• 1 15oz can diced tomatoes
• 2 15oz cans tomato sauce
• 1 16oz box oven ready lasagna
• 16 oz cottage cheese
• 1 egg
• 2-4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 2 tbsp Italian seasoning
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper

Instructions

 

• Begin by dicing the onion and pepper and adding to a large pan. Saute over medium heat for 2-3 minutes.
• Meanwhile dice the zucchini then add to the pan along with half the garlic powder, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper.
• Continue cooking for 5-10 minutes until the vegetables are nearly cooked through. Add the canned diced tomatoes for the last couple minutes of cooking.
• Once the vegetables are done cooking add the tomato sauce and remove from heat.
• While the vegetables cook put together the cheese mixture by adding the cottage cheese, half the mozzarella, and the egg to a bowl. Mix until the egg is completely combined. Then season with the remaining garlic powder, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper.
• Preheat oven to 375° F.
• Begin layering the lasagna starting with the sauce on bottom, then topping with pasta, a layer of the cheese mixture, and then spinach. Continue layering in that pattern until you run out of ingredients. In a 10×15 pan I usually do 3 sets of layers ending in the sauce and vegetables.
• Top the lasagna with sliced tomatoes and the remaining mozzarella cheese.
• Cover with foil and bake lasagna for 45 minutes, remove the foil and bake for 15 more minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool before serving.