This vegetarian lasagna recipe is my favorite dish to make for family and friends! Filled with savory roasted vegetables, it's healthy and delicious.
Vegetarian lasagna was the first big dinner that I learned to make. Even way back in college, veggie lasagna would always be the main event when I made a meal for a group. Nowadays, I still make it anytime I’m serving a crowd, and I love it as a Sunday supper because I can put that day’s farmers market haul to good use. It’s easy, foolproof, and fun to make, and who doesn’t love to share stories at the table over red sauce and pasta?!
I’m not sure why it took me so long to get a great vegetarian lasagna recipe on the site, but now that it’s here, we’re obsessed! This veggie lasagna recipe is savory and satisfying, filled with loads of roasted veggies, a creamy tofu-basil ricotta, noodles, and plenty of marinara sauce. I think you’re going to love it!
Vegetarian Lasagna Recipe Components
My veggie lasagna recipe includes these essential components:
- Roasted vegetables – The caramelized roasted veggies really amp up the flavor in this hearty vegetarian dish. The vegetables cook down as they roast, so a LOT of them can fit in this recipe. I start with over 5 cups of chopped vegetables, and I sprinkle in some chopped kale for good measure! Feel free to swap in whatever veggies you have on hand. I used mushrooms, zucchini, cherry tomatoes, fennel, and carrots, but yellow squash, broccoli, eggplant, and/or bell pepper would also be delicious.
- Tofu-basil ricotta – This dairy-free substitute for ricotta cheese is so yummy that no one will know that they’re eating tofu – promise! I layer the ricotta mixture in between the lasagna noodles, and I top the whole thing with grated mozzarella. Of course, a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese would be fantastic here as well.
- Lasagna noodles – Don’t use no-boil lasagna noodles in this recipe. Because the veggies are cooked ahead of time and the tofu mixture takes the place of cheese, there’s no need to bake this dish for as long as you would a traditional lasagna recipe. As a result, no-boil noodles won’t cook through.
- Marinara sauce – I like to make mine from scratch or use jarred Bertolli® Organic Fire Roasted Garlic Marinara. Yum!
How to Make Vegetarian Lasagna
Making this vegetarian lasagna is easy! Here’s what you need to do:
First, roast the vegetables. Toss them with olive oil, salt, and pepper, and bake until they’re golden brown and tender.
While the vegetables roast, make the tofu ricotta. Crumble the tofu into a food processor along with the nutritional yeast, lemon zest and juice, red pepper flakes, oregano, olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper. Process until creamy, and then pulse in a big handful of fresh basil leaves.
Then, cook the noodles in a large pot of salted boiling water until they’re al dente.
When these components are ready, layer everything together! Spread a layer of tomato sauce at the bottom of a large baking dish. Top it with a layer of noodles, followed by the ricotta mixture, roasted vegetables, chopped kale, and more sauce. Repeat the layers, finishing with a final layer of noodles and sauce. Sprinkle the whole thing with grated mozzarella cheese, and bake!
Bake the lasagna until the cheese on top is browned and bubbling, 25 to 30 minutes. Check the lasagna halfway through the cooking time. If the cheese is too brown, cover it with foil and bake it for the remaining time.
Then, remove it from the oven and let it rest for 20 minutes before slicing and serving. Enjoy!
What to Serve with Veggie Lasagna
This vegetarian lasagna is delicious on its own, but it also pairs well with all sorts of healthy side dishes. Serve it with a Caesar, kale, or green salad or a veggie side dish like roasted Brussels sprouts, roasted cauliflower, or lemon green beans. It would also be fantastic with a slice of homemade focaccia bread.
Store any leftovers in the fridge for up to 4 days, or freeze them for up to a month! I like to freeze individual slices for quick lunches during the week.
More Favorite Pasta Recipes
If you love this vegetarian lasagna, try one of these favorite pasta recipes next:
- Easy Baked Ziti
- Homemade Mac and Cheese
- Linguine with Lemon and Tomatoes
- Creamy Vegan Pasta
- Roasted Vegetable Pasta
- Fettuccine Alfredo with Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce
Best Vegetarian Lasagna
Ingredients
Roasted Vegetables (yield 5 heaping cups raw veggies)
- 1 large leek, white and light green parts, chopped
- ½ medium red onion, chopped into ½-inch pieces
- 1 fennel bulb, chopped into ½-inch pieces
- 2 carrots, slice into thin rounds
- 8 ounces cremini mushrooms, stemmed and halved
- 1 zucchini, sliced into ¼-inch thick half moons
- 12 cherry tomatoes, left whole
- extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
"Ricotta" Filling
- 23 ounces extra firm tofu, drained and patted dry
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- juice and zest of 1 lemon
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- ½ cup loose-packed fresh basil
For the lasagna
- 12 lasagna noodles*
- 24 ounces store-bought or Homemade Marinara
- 1 packed cup chopped kale
- 2 cups grated smoked mozzarella cheese
- sliced basil, for garnish
Instructions
- Roast the vegetables: Preheat the oven to 425°F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the vegetables on the baking sheet and toss with a drizzle of olive oil and pinches of salt and pepper. Roast for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown and soft. Remove the vegetables from the oven and reduce the oven heat to 375°F.
- Make the "ricotta": Break the tofu apart and place it in a food processor along with the nutritional yeast, lemon juice and zest, olive oil, garlic, oregano, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper and process until creamy. Add the basil and pulse until incorporated.
- In a large pot of salted boiling water, prepare the noodles according to the package directions, cooking until al dente.
- Assemble the lasagna: Drizzle the bottom of an 8x12 or 9x13 pan with olive oil. Spread 1 cup of the marinara sauce into the bottom of the baking dish and layer with 4 lasagna noodles. Spread with half of the ricotta mixture, half of the roasted vegetables, half of the chopped kale, and 2/3 cup of sauce. Add the next layer of 4 noodles and top with the remaining ricotta, the remaining roasted vegetables, remaining kale, and 2/3 cup of sauce. Top with the last layer of noodles, the remaining sauce, and the shredded cheese. Drizzle with olive oil.
- Bake at 375° for 25 to 30 minutes or until browned and bubbly. Check half way through the cooking time and if the cheese is becoming too browned, cover it loosely with foil. Remove the lasagna from the oven and let it sit for 20 minutes before slicing. Garnish with sliced basil.
Notes
This post is in partnership with Bertolli®, thanks for supporting the sponsors that keep us cooking!
Hi ! Re: the vegan ricotta – great recipe love it. I am using it for your baked pasta recipe (easy baked ziti).
If I have leftover vegan ricotta – how long does it keep? Can I freeze it?
Hi Jane, so glad you love the ricotta! It will keep for about 5 days in the fridge. I think freezing it might work, but I haven’t tried it, so I’m not 100% sure.
What is the reason for saying don’t use no-bake noodles?
Hi Sarah, no-boil lasagna noodles typically require a longer bake time than what we call for in this lasagna recipe.
Can this dish be assembled, refrigerated and baked later – like a day or two later?
Hi, you can assemble and refrigerate the lasagna up to a day in advance.
Would it be a problem if I put the lasagna together, put it in the fridge overnight and put it in the oven the following day or would that ruin the texture etc.
Hi Paul, that will work just fine – it might just need to bake a little longer since it’s starting out cold.
This was amazing! I loved the tofu ricotta – really delicious. Even my husband who is an omnivore loved it. I made it with the veggies as described and added red peppers. The roasted fennel was especially delicious. I only had oven-ready green lentil lasagne noodles, so I used those but boiled them for ~4 minutes before layering the dish.
As you mentioned, you could definitely serve this as a main dish to omnivores. Thanks for so many great recipes!
Hi Marsha, I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
This was very good – not sure I would make it the day ahead again. I did as suggested and took it out for well over an hour before going into the oven on the day but when I followed the suggested cook time and temp of 30mins it didn’t seem cooked thru when served. I also let it rest the 20mins as suggested – but for someone who likes food served piping hot it didn’t quite do it. The leftovers were GREAT and reheated well.
Jeannine my tofu mix (followed exactly) didn’t come out as creamy looking as your pic. You indicated extra firm… maybe it was the brand I bought??? Next time, I would make in two 1/2 batches because I don’t think my food processor was large enough to mix the quantity and I ended up needed to stir it and continue a number of times. Thoughts?
Hi Lainey,
I should have indicated that reheating it from the fridge (since it’s cold), could take a bit longer. I use a knife to check a little bit from the middle to make sure it’s hot before taking it out of the oven. Thank you for pointing that out.
I think blending the tofu in half batches is a great idea, the lesser quantity should help things combine better. You could also try using firm tofu instead of extra firm tofu.
I hope that helps!
This was so delicious! The lemon and red pepper, the gentle crunch of the veggies and the top layer of pasta…and you would never know it was tofu in place of ricotta! I did make one substitution because I could not find smoked mozzarella cheese. Very strange. I used regular mozzarella and then just sprinkled some smoked paprika over the top. Thank you for this in so many fantastic recipes.
I’m so glad you loved the dish (and the tofu)!
Hi Jeanine.
Excited to be finally trying this recipe for a dinner party next week. I wanted to ask you if this could be put together the day before – rest in the fridge and then baked the day of?
Thoughts? Can’t wait to serve this, and then share my review.
Lainey
Hi Lainey, I think that would work fine! I’d let the lasagna sit at room temperature for 20-30 minutes before baking so that the cold pan isn’t going straight into the hot oven. I hope you enjoy the recipe!
Had anyone made this with riccotta instead of tofu? Same amount??
I was wondering the same thing, did you try it Becky? Let me know how it turned out!
Ricotta works great here! Skip the nutritional yeast, basil, olive oil, and lemon juice, and just stir 3 cups ricotta, the lemon zest, garlic, oregano, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper together in a bowl. Use in place of the tofu filling when you assemble the lasagna. Hope you enjoy!
Hi there! I love this recipe and make it all the time! I was just wondering if you have ever made this, but frozen prior to baking, so it could be fully cooked at a later time? I want to try doing that, but am a bit nervous! Also, not sure if the bake times and temps would stay the same going this route?
Hi Kass,
You can – cover and freeze it. Move it to the fridge the day before you want to bake it. Then bake (same temp as listed) covered for 20 minutes, uncover and bake about 20 to 25 or until the middle is warmed through. Hope that helps!
This is fantastic! I really love the faux ricotta although I was as skeptical as most (based on the reviews). I made this exactly as the recipe states, using gluten-free lasagna noodles. It was just for my husband and I since I wanted to try it before serving it to company so I had alot left over. I froze leftovers slices in single servings for future lunches. I did have some leftovers for lunch the next day and agree that it’s even better Day 2. I would happily serve this to friends/family and will do so in the future.
Hi Kim, I’m so glad you both enjoyed it – even the tofu 🙂
Are you able to tell me how many calories per serve this is?
I’m sorry, we don’t calculate nutrition facts but you can plug the ingredients into a site like my fitness pal.
Honestly, the best veg lasagna I’ve ever had. Made it along side a meat lasagna for a group of meat eaters and this recipe overshadowed the meat one (a big win for us vegetarians!) Everyone loved it.
I too was skeptical about the ‘ricotta’ layer but it is AMAZING. I have never reviewed a recipe before but I felt that others needed to know what a gem this is!! Thank you Love & Lemons!
To make this vegan (vs. vegetarian) what would be a good substitute for the 2 cup of grated smoked mozzarella cheese?
HI Joan, I just skip the cheese and bake the whole thing covered with foil for less time (about 20 minutes). This keeps the top saucey without the noodles drying out. Just be sure to use regular cooked lasagna noodles and not no-bake ones.
Alternatively, you could use grated vegan cheese, but I prefer it this way. Hope that helps!
I saved a bit of the ricotta substitute and tomato sauce and grated over some vegan cheese.