Enjoy this mixed veggie lasagna as a hearty, wholesome,comforting evening meal; perfect for meat-free Mondays (or any day of the week!). This vegetarian lasagna recipe is simple to make and can be made entirely from scratch or with a few cheats!
Finely dice all the vegetables (including the garlic).You can optionally salt the eggplant to release excess water – however, this will require you to wait for 30 minutes, so it isn't something I do every time– it's just a little waterier without salting.
In a large pan, add the olive oil and sauté the onion for a minute over medium-low heat for a minute or so before adding the garlic, remaining vegetables, spices, and the tomato puree and mix in well.
Step 2: Add the tomato sauce
Continue to sauté for 2-3 minutes before adding all the remaining tomato sauce ingredients and stirring well.
Mix, then reduce the heat to a low simmer and allow it to cook for around 20 minutes, covered. Or until the vegetables are tender.Once ready, you can leave the texture chunky or use an immersion blender to make a little (or all of it) smoother. This is based on personal preference.
Step 3: Prepare the remaining ingredients
If you don't already have bechamel sauce prepared, you can do this while the vegetables simmer.If you're using dried lasagna sheets, make sure to follow the instructions to pre-cook them if they're not a 'no boil' variety (that can be added straight to the lasagna to cook in the oven).Then prepare your lasagna assembling station; get the baking dish ready, your lasagna sheets, bechamel sauce, and cheese ready.
Step 4: Assemble the vegetable lasagna
Chef's note: After hours and hours in the kitchen, after a morning of recipe testing - I layered my lasagna differently to usual in the photo's so don't panic that my instructions for this step don't necessarily match the images.
First, spoon in 1/3 of the vegetable mixture to the bottom of the baking dish (I used one that's 9x13 inch/22x33 cm), then add a layer of lasagna sheets (cut to fit the container if using fresh pasta). Then spread 1/3 of the bechamel sauce, another 1/3 of the vegetable filling, and sprinkle with some of each cheese.
Repeat the process once more - lasagna sheets, bechamel, vegetables, cheese.
Finally, add one more layer of lasagna sheets with the remaining ¼ bechamel and the remaining cheese. For the top layer of the lasagna sheets, I used homemade laminated sheets with basil. But this is 100% optional.Note: This lasagna has 3 layers of pasta- many have four. Feel free to divide the bechamel and vegetables into ¼ for an extra layer.
Step 5: Bake the veggie lasagna
Bake the veggie lasagna in a preheated oven at 375ºF/190ºC for 25 covered with tin foil, followed by 25 minutes, uncovered.
Once ready, it should be golden and bubbly on top. Remove it from the oven and allow it to rest and cool for 10-15 minutes before serving!
Enjoy a slice of vegetable lasagna alone or serve alongside a leafy salad and/or some garlic bread (or garlic naan! – unconventional, but delicious!). Feel free to garnish with some basil!
How to Store and Reheat
Fridge: Allow the veggie lasagna to cool before covering well with plastic wrap (or beeswax wrap) and storing for between 4-5 days in the refrigerator.Freezer: Allow the baked lasagna to cool completely before wrapping well (with two layers) and freezing for between 4-6 weeks. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then bake in the oven, adding an extra few minutes to the baking time.Reheat: You can reheat vegetable lasagna either in slices in the microwave (cover the bowl with cling film and heat for 2 minutes on high, rest for 30 seconds, then heat for a further minute if needed) or sliced/whole in the oven. To bake in the oven, cover the lasagna with tin foil and bake at 350ºF/120ºC until the cheese is bubbling and it's warmed through. This can take as little as 15 minutes for 1-2 slices and up to 30 minutes for more.
Notes
Use seasonal vegetables: this easy vegetable lasagna recipe is super versatile. Feel free to swap out the vegetables based on the season and what you have in the kitchen.
Use no-boil lasagna sheets: if you're not making your own pasta, I recommend using no-boil lasagna noodles. It'll save an extra step and another pan from being used!
For a vegan vegetable lasagna: You can cut my vegan pasta into lasagna sheets, use the vegan bechamel I use in this pasta bake, and swap the cheese for your favorite MELTY vegan cheese plus this vegan mozzarella. You could also (alternatively) swap some of the bechamel for vegan almond ricotta.
For gluten-free vegetable lasagna: You could make lasagna sheets with one of my gluten-free pasta recipes like oat pasta, chickpea pasta, or red lentil pasta.
For vegetable lasagna with white sauce: Swap out all the tomatoes for alfredo sauce instead!
Read the blog post for more answers to FAQs (including how to make ahead!) and for optional add-ins to this veggie lasagna recipe!