The Best Vegetarian Lasagna Recipe Ever
I originally shared this recipe back in 2009, about two months into my food blogging career. Have I really been doing this for seven years?! Crazy!
Anyway, I’ve been making this simple vegetarian lasagna recipe for much longer than even that. It’s adapted from a recipe that was in my very first vegetarian cookbook, The Moosewood Cookbook. And if I remember correctly, it’s one of the recipes that convinced me, when I decided to become a vegetarian in my 20’s, that it was all going to be okay. Because, hello, recipes like this vegetarian lasagna are amazzzzzing just the way they are – absolutely no meat needed!
When I blogged this recipe the first time, I called it “Vegetarian Lasagna – Even Hardcore Carnivores Love This Stuff.” Which is totally true! I’ve fed this to many, many meat-eaters over the years and every single one has loved it.
Now that I’m rebooting and resharing the recipe, however, I’ve decided to go a bit bolder and claim it The Best Vegetarian Lasagna Recipe Ever.
I know, I totally know, that calling something the best ever is a bit over-the-top and could never really be true because there’s no way you one can really try every single recipe out there for comparison. But seriously, to me, this is truly the best vegetarian lasagna recipe ever.
So why do I think it’s the best ever?
- Everyone I’ve served it to or made it for loves it. LOVES it.
- I love it best (until I couldn’t eat cheese anymore, and now I mourn it, but I still make it for my carnivorous loved ones so that I can live vicariously).
- It’s simple. Super simple! No fancy extras. Not needed! Pasta, ricotta, mozzarella, parm, and sauce. The SAUCE.
- Seriously, the sauce.
If you want guaranteed success, make this lasagna with the homemade Italian Tomato Sauce that is a part of this recipe. (I’ve also blogged about it separately here – it’s my fave.) Vegetarian lasagna made with the homemade Italian Tomato Sauce is victorious lasagna.
The Best Vegetarian Lasagna Recipe Ever
Layered pasta cradles a trio of cheeses and sweet Italian tomato sauce. Baked up until it’s bubbling and gooey. Hearty vegetarian comfort food at its best! Hint: Make the sauce ahead of time for a much faster assembly and cooking time. This vegetarian lasagna is also VERY freezer-friendly!
Ingredients:
Italian Tomato Sauce
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large onion, diced small (about 3 cups)
- 1 green bell pepper, diced small (about 1 1/2 cups)
- 4 teaspoons Italian herb seasoning
- 6 medium cloves garlic, minced (about 2 tablespoons)
- 1 (28-ounce) can whole fire-roasted tomatoes (diced fire-roasted tomatoes will work too)
- 1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1-1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup minced fresh parsley
Vegetarian Lasagna
- 1 batch Italian Tomato Sauce (about 4 cups, or 32 ounces, sauce)
- 1 pound (16 ounces) lasagna noodles, uncooked*
- 1 15-ounce tub (about 1 3/4 cups) whole milk ricotta cheese
- 1 pound (about 4 cups) whole milk mozzarella cheese, grated
- 1/2 cup (2 ounces) freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Directions:
Make the Italian Tomato Sauce
- Add the olive oil to a large pan over medium heat. When hot, add the onion, bell pepper, and Italian seasoning. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft and translucent and the pepper is tender, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring frequently, for one more minute.
- Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, honey or sugar, salt, and pepper. If you’re using whole tomatoes, break up the tomatoes with a spoon. To save time, I will sometimes give whole tomatoes a quick spin in the blender to break them down a bit, then add them to the pot. (This is also a good method if you’re serving people who don’t like tomato chunks in their sauce).
- Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, over medium heat, until the sauce comes to a boil. Turn the heat to low, partially cover, and simmer for 30 minutes.
- Add the parsley, then remove from the heat.
Make the lasagna
- Heat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Grab a 9-inch by 13-inch baking pan. Smear a little of the sauce on the bottom of the pan. Add a single layer of pasta, breaking to fit as needed. Using a couple of spoons (one to scoop and one to scrape it off), plop half the ricotta all over the noodles in little mounds. Top with 1/3 of the remaining sauce. Sprinkle on half of the mozzarella.
- Repeat with a layer of pasta, then the rest of the ricotta, then another third of the sauce, then the remaining mozzarella.
- Add a last layer of pasta and spread the remaining sauce over the top. Sprinkle with Parmesan.
- Bake until bubbly and melty and the pasta is tender, about 45 minutes. If the top begins to get brown, cover with foil during the last 10 minutes or so of baking.
- Remove from oven and let rest for 5-10 minutes. Cut into squares and serve.
- Keeps refrigerated covered or in an airtight container for about 3 days. It also keeps frozen for several months. I have also frozen single-portion leftovers in individual freezer bags for quick and easy lunches.
* Whole wheat is a great option, but I recommend cooking to a very al dente state first. With every other pasta, in my experience, uncooked works just fine. It cooks up perfectly in the oven!
Nutrition Information
Yield: Serves about 8, Serving Size: 1/8 of recipe
- Amount Per Serving:
- Calories: 347 Calories
- Total Fat: 10.6g
- Saturated Fat: 4.2g
- Cholesterol: 40mg
- Sodium: 455mg
- Carbohydrates: 48.1g
- Fiber: 2.9g
- Sugar: 9.1g
- Protein: 17.4g
Adapted from The Moosewood Cookbook
// All images and text © for Kitchen Treaty.
This sounds great! Thanks for the inspiration. You may want to consider trying the vegan “ricotta” using tofu, miso, and nutritional yeast and the Daya mozzarella. I really like both these a lot and was a hardcore dairy lover.
Great ideas, thanks!
Well. What to say about this recipe?
I suppose two thoughts come immediately to mind: First, my partner LOVES lasagna, and he’s Italian, so he grew up on good lasagna. And second, I hate lasagna. Never have liked it.
I’m back to your site for the recipe which I am doubling because WE CAN’T GET ENOUGH OF THIS STUFF. And I’m STILL reeling over the fact that I don’t have to boil the d*mn noodles first. WHO’D’VE THOUGHT. I put a cup of thawed frozen spinach into the ricotta to give it a little more nutritional value (you really can’t taste the spinach), and as I mentioned I’m DOUBLING this recipe because one pan is not enough. NOT ENOUGH.
tl;dr This recipe made a believer out of me and I am unspeakably grateful to you for posting it.
I love hearing this! Thank you so much for giving it a whirl, and for the glowing review. 🙂
Just so you know, Parmesan cheese is not vegetarian… It’s made with animal-based rennet, which requires killing a calf to acquire. I believe I read that all parmesan is required to be made with animal based rennet, but don’t quote me on that. Ricotta’s usually fine. Either way, definitely check the packaging! If it doesn’t specify that the enzymes were microbial or plant-based, there’s a good chance they use animal-based. I’d definitely substitute vegan parmesan if you’re vegetarian.
On second glance, it looks like Kraft does not use animal-based rennet in their Parmesan cheese. The packaging doesn’t say it, but a Kraft representative confirmed it’s vegetarian. So at least that one’s safe.
Thanks, Nop. Yes, cheeses can be a minefield for strict vegetarians, especially Parmesan! When I write my recipes I trust that most vegetarians know this and shop for Parmesan w/o animal-based rennet (Whole Foods carries one too). You have me thinking that perhaps I should start adding a note to my recipes with Parmesan and other cheeses just in case someone doesn’t know. Thanks again for your comment!
Does the recipe requre oven-ready noodles?
Nope! It works for me with any kind of lasagna noodle. 🙂
I have made a lot of vegetarian lasagna recipes. Most of them haven’t been great. A few of them have been basically inedible. So in search of a good vegetarian lasagna recipe I tried this one and I’m really glad I did! It’s really delicious and it’s the only leftover that our son is willing to eat without complaint. I love it. my husband loves it and more importantly our 14 yr old son loves it (less complaining!).
Woo hoo! So glad you and your family love it as much as we do! 🙂
Hi, thanks for sharing this mouthwatering recipe. I love the way you represent it. I will definitely want to try this recipe. Keep up the great work.
I made this recipe and another meatless Lasagna for my Vegetarian daughter-in-laws birthday. Everyone (10 people) preferred the recipe with the Fire-roasted diced tomatoes. A hand chopper was used to make the green pepper and onion extra small cubes. Even my meat loving sons liked it.
Oh, a lasagna challenge! I love it! And I’m thrilled to hear this one was the winner. 😉 Great idea to use the hand chopper. Happy birthday to your daughter-in-law!
Does this recipe work well using gluten free lasagna noodles, cooked or uncooked?
I haven’t tried it with gluten-free pasta. If I recall correctly it can take a bit longer to cook than traditional pasta right? You might wish to cook it first and give it a try. If you do try please report back!
I recently found Barilla’s new no-cook gluten-free lasagna noodles at WalMart. I haven’t tried the lasagna recipe yet but plan to prepare it soon for my vegetarian son and gluten intolerant daughter-in-law. Thanks for your response.
Does it work better to freeze this before or after cooking? I am making it for Christmas so I would like to make ahead of time (just a couple days). Thanks!
We tried this and loved it. I baked it so my wife would not have to cook on Christmas Eve. I am a rudimentary cook, but this came out fantastic. My daughter is vegetarian, my son isn’t; both had 2-3 helpings.
Hi Ken, I’m so glad you all liked it! 🙂 Thanks so much for your review and Merry Christmas to you and your family!
Made this recipe for Christmas dinner and it was a hit. The sauce is delicious! We aren’t vegetarians but this is BETTER than any lasagnas with meat that I have tasted!! This recipe is a keeper, highly recommend it! Thank you for sharing.
I’m so glad you liked it! Thank you so much for the review. 🙂
Made this with whole wheat lasagna noodles (doubled the sauce and it cooked just fine) and homemade macadamia ricotta and homemade cashew mozzarella, and Follow Your Heart parmesan shreds. Also added a pound of frozen spinach. It was delicious! Even my husband loved it and he’s been difficult to satisfy with all my other attempts at making vegan lasagna. Thank you!
Oh my gosh I need to try this! Your homemade vegan cheeses sound incredible.
Busy wedding week coming up. I need freezer meals and to feed non-meat eaters.
My question is — can this be made ahead of time and freeze it? Or is it better to cook and
Then freeze?
Thank you!
Mary
I usually cook first then freeze. Bring to room temp and warm in the oven for about 20 minutes. Have fun!
Excellent! For those that do like meat – did not miss as this is very rich. I like better than many veggie lasagnas as it is not watery. I used a red bell pepper vs green and ww noodles (which I did pre-cook slightly) but other than that followed recipe and all liked. Making again tonight!
Thank you for sharing and for coming back and leaving a review! 🙂