Description
This easy homemade vegetable lasagna is full of delicious roasted veggies, yummy marinara, and a flavorful ricotta cheese mixture. It’s easier to make than you might think and absolutely delicious!
Ingredients
Scale
- 12 lasagna noodles
- 4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
For the Roasted Vegetables
- 8 oz sliced baby Bella mushrooms
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 large carrot, peeled and diced
- 1 large zucchini, diced
- 1 large yellow squash, diced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
For the Sauce
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 sweet onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 2 – 25oz jars marinara sauce
- 1 parmesan rind
- 1 dried bay leaf
- salt and pepper, to taste
For the Spinach Ricotta Filling
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 5 oz spinach, chopped
- 15 oz whole-milk ricotta
- 1 egg
- juice of half lemon
- 1/4 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
- 1 cup grated parmesan
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves, chopped
- 1/4 cup basil, chopped
Instructions
- Roast the vegetables: Add the mushrooms, bell pepper, carrot, zucchini, squash, olive oil, salt, and pepper to a large mixing bowl. Stir until well the vegetables are well coated in oil. Transfer the vegetables to a large sheet pan lined with parchment paper, in a single layer. Roast at 400 degrees for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.
- Make the Sauce: Heat a large pot over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the olive oil and sweet onion. Sauté for 2-3 minutes until the onion starts to become translucent. Next add the garlic and Italian seasoning and sauté for one more minute. Add the marinara sauce, parmesan rind, dried bay leaf, salt, and pepper. Stir until well combined, lower to low heat, and simmer the sauce, covered, for 10-15 minutes. After the sauce has simmered, discard the bay leaf and parmesan rind. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Make the Ricotta Filling: Add one teaspoon of olive oil to a medium skillet. Next add the chopped spinach and sauté for 1-2 minutes until the spinach is lightly wilted. Transfer the spinach to a mixing bowl. Next, add the ricotta, egg, lemon juice, black pepper, parmesan, parsley, and chopped basil to the mixing bowl. Stir until well combined.
- Boil the Pasta: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the lasagna noodles to the boiling hot water and cook for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent them from sticking. Remove the noodles from the water and drain.
- Assemble the Lasagna: Pour roughly 1 cup of sauce into the casserole dish and spread it out to coat the bottom of the dish. Add 4 lasagna noodles, lengthwise, to the casserole dish (it’s ok if the edges overlap a little bit), then spread a heaping 1/2 cup of the ricotta mixture over the noodles, next sprinkle over 1 1/4 cups of mozzarella cheese, next sprinkle 1/3 of the roasted vegetables over the cheese, and then pour around 2 cups of marinara sauce. Repeat for the second layer. For the third and final layer, you will skip the mozzarella cheese. Instead add a layer of noodles, the ricotta mixture, roasted veggies, and then pour over any remaining marinara sauce.
- Bake the lasagna uncovered at 400 degrees for 25 minutes.
- Remove the lasagna from the oven and top with the remaining mozzarella cheese. Return to the oven and bake for another 15-20 minutes or the edges of the lasagna are bubbly and the cheese is fully melted and starts to become golden brown.
- Let the lasagna sit for 15-20 minutes and garnish with grated Parmesan cheese and chopped fresh basil before serving.