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!
Is the nutritional yeast an essential ingredient or can I make the tofu ricotta without it? I’ve not familiar with nutritional yeast and i feel a little uncertain.
Hi Danielle, it adds a wonderful cheesy flavor to the tofu – I wouldn’t be afraid, it’s pretty subtle. Here’s more about what it is: https://www.loveandlemons.com/nutritional-yeast/
I was skeptical about this recipe but it is fantastic! Or as a friend said, phenomenal!! If I didn’t know the “ricotta” was actually tofu, I wouldn’t have noticed. I’m so happy I found this recipe-I’ll be making it on a regular basis.
This is OFF-THE-CHAIN good !! This is totally going in the rotation ! I am making some freezer stock ups for our daughter who is about to deliver our next grandchild. I am very excited to be leaving a pan of this behind in her freezer. ! And Im even more excited to nake a bunch for us ! YUM !
Super delicious. But FYI if you only printed out the recipe and read the comments for tips like I did… COOK the noodles before adding them to the dish. I put the noodles in uncooked *face palm*. Surprisingly though, most of the noodles did actually come out al dente, but there were a few crispy bits.
Seems like a great recipe but I’m noticing a lot of people saying that it’s vegan which it is not. I’m assuming they used a plant based cheese in place of the smoked mozzarella. At least that’s the hope if they are feeding vegans.
This lasagna is great, my carnivore husband went back for seconds. My vegan friends loved it. The tofu ricotta is rich and creamy.
I’m so glad you all loved it!
Perfect!
I would like to make this a day ahead… should I construct it, refrigerate it and bake it day of or should I bake it, refrigerate and warm it day of? Any suggestion or advice would be greatly appreciated!
BTW, I had made this previously and it was a crowd pleaser! Thank you for an easy peasy yummy veggie dish!
Hi Patty, I think you could probably assemble it, keep it in the fridge, and bake it the next day. You might have to bake it a little longer since everything will have started out cold. Let me know how it goes!
This was my first ever, vegan meal made for my family… over a year ago. This was the meal that convinced them all that vegan could be super flavorful and delicious. I’m making it again today and got the veggies roasting in the oven before realizing that I was out of lasagna noodles! Fortunately, I have a marrow (way way overly large zucchini that was missed in my garden)… so I’m slicing it thin with my mandoline to create zoodles of my own 😉 Did this once last year and they are terrific! BEST lasagna ever!
Hands down the best vegetarian lasagna I’ve ever tried !!! If I ever want to cook it during winter or fall what vegetables do you think I can put instead of zucchini and cherry tomatoes ?
Hi Floriane, I’m sorry for my slow reply here! I’m so glad you’ve enjoyed the lasagna. In the winter, I would add some extra mushrooms and/or roasted butternut squash.
Made this was disappointed way to much tofu ricotta, could’ve been half the amount overwhelmed the lasgna couldn’t taste the veggies just pasty tofu. When I make this again will half ricotta and double veggies.
Instead of halving the ricotta, you may want to just flavor it up a bit more with the amounts of ingredients other than the tofu. My son loves basil and garlic, so I double (or triple…. I never measure these ingredients, I just add until the sould of my ancestors tell me “enough my child” and carry on). I also double the nutritional yeast and instead of measuring the lemon zest, I zest an entire lemon for the ricotta. It adds SOOOO much flavor to the lasagna. I also make double the ricotta to save for other recipes and salads.
This is seriously the best lasagna I’ve ever had!! I added eggplant to mine (I recommend keeping it separate in the pan because it might need an extra 5 minutes to fully roast). The tofu ricotta was divine. My mom said it was better than real ricotta and my meat-eating brother in law said he would have never noticed it was vegan. I will come back to this recipe (and site) time and time again! Delicious!
Loved this recipe!! I 3/4-ed it because I was making it just for me and it turned out fantastic. The roasted veggies are a hearty addition and I LOVE the tofu ricotta. I’m lactose intolerant and had a hard time finding a vegetarian recipe that was also dairy free and looked this good. I used eggplant and bell pepper instead of fennel and zucchini and oh man was it good.
Hi Frances, I’m so glad you loved it!
I am not a vegetarian, but love vegetables and great tasting food. This recipe was very tasty and satisfying. I was hesitant about using the tofu, but was pleasantly surprised. It was also easier to make than it appeared! I will definitely make this again!
Has anyone tried freezing the pan and thawing it prior to baking it for the first time?
Thanks!
Hi Katie, that will work – I’d thaw it overnight in the fridge before you bake it.
Katie, when I’m making this, I always make a second one to freeze. It takes some time to prep all those veggies and since I’ve got all the tools out, making a second one for a quick meal on down the road saves time in the long run. As Jeanine said, defrost in the fridge overnight. I have also baked it and frozen it after baking and cooling. Works both ways
What can I substitute tofu for? Or could I just not add anything extra?
Hi Tajah, you could use regular ricotta cheese instead.
I never ever leave reviews on things but I am coming here to tell you to MAKE THIS LASAGNA. I loooove tofu but my partner…not so much. He ate 3/4 of the tray and thought it was cheese. If you are weary about the tofu ricotta… I promise it tastes like regular creamy lasagna filling once it’s baked.
I used cherry tomatoes, zucchini, white onion, a mushroom blend and whole roasted garlic cloves for the veggies. Added spinach and a layer of chilli flakes because I like my heat. Was a bit more heavy handed with the salt and lemon in the ricotta filling but W O W. Thank you for this recipe!!! I will be having a passionate love affair with it for the rest of the week 🙂
Hi Danielle, ha ha, I’m glad it was such a hit!
I want to make this with Banza chickpea lasagna noodles so it’s lower in grains – but the package for those says they are no-boil. Should I try it? Or boil the no-boil noodles first? For how long?
Hi Emily, I would cook them first – no-boil noodles haven’t worked for others in this recipe, it doesn’t bake as long as a traditional very cheesy lasagnas.
Loved this! I did a quick broil at the end to add a crust to the cheese.
I’ve made this recipe before and made it again for the cooking club! My husband is vegan and lasagna has been one of the dishes I miss most about eating together. But once we found this recipe, it satisfied all the cravings! I love the versatility of adding any veggie combo from our fridge, plus a lot of leafy greens. The tofu ricotta, though, it what makes it irresistible (we ate half the pan on Christmas)!