Cheesy and full of fresh veggies, this quick and easy vegetable lasagna is comfort food at its best. With just 20 minutes of prep, it’s a hearty meal the whole crew will devour!
Everyone Loves this Quick and Easy Vegetable Lasagna
This easy vegetarian lasagna recipe comes together with just 20 minutes of prep, thanks to shortcuts like no-boil noodles, jarred sauce, and shredded cheese. It’s a wholesome, satisfying way to enjoy a variety of fresh veggies (like mushrooms, zucchini, peppers, and onions), in a cozy, cheesy casserole. Plus, it just tastes lighter and fresher than a classic lasagna. Even meat-lovers and picky eaters approve, making it a crowd-pleasing option for any family dinner or holiday gathering.
If you love vegetarian pasta recipes, be sure to try this dump-and-bake sundried tomato pasta, roasted vegetable pasta, and 4-ingredient ravioli casserole, too!
This lasagna is amazing! Will be making it a regular! I chopped up everything in the food processor because it is so easy and the kids didn’t even know it had vegetables! All 4 kids loved it! Thanks!
– Shannon
Ingredient Notes and Tips for Success
- We love a combination of sweet bell pepper, sliced mushrooms, diced onion, diced zucchini, and minced garlic. The good news is that you can mix it up and modify the recipe to include any of your family’s favorites. Corn, yellow squash, shredded carrots, diced eggplant, roasted red peppers, spinach, and kale are all great additions. In the fall, we go for a butternut squash lasagna.
- Egg helps bind the ricotta cheese layer so that it doesn’t ooze out when you slice the casserole.
- Ricotta cheese adds a thick, creamy, cheesy layer to the dish. For a lighter option, use small curd (or “whipped”) cottage cheese in lieu of the ricotta. You will need a 16 ounce container of small-curd cottage cheese (about 2 cups). Strain off any excess liquid before adding the cottage cheese to your lasagna.
- Pick a high-quality store-bought jar of spaghetti sauce (such as Rao’s marinara) or use homemade marinara sauce when time allows.
- No-boil (“oven-ready”) lasagna noodles are par-boiled noodles that do not require boiling before you assemble the casserole. If you prefer to use whole wheat no-boil lasagna noodles, check the cooking instructions on your package. Most whole wheat pasta requires a slightly different cooking temperature and time (usually about 450°F for 40 minutes covered, then 5-10 more minutes uncovered).
How to Make the Best Veggie Lasagna Recipe
- Sauté vegetables in a large skillet or Dutch oven, then add marinara sauce.
- Stir together the egg and ricotta mixture.
- Assemble the casserole by layering the sauce, noodles, and cheese.
- Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake in a 400°F oven for 35 minutes. Remove the cover and continue baking for about 5-10 more minutes. You’ll know it’s done when the filling is hot and bubbling and the cheese on top is lightly browned.
- Let the lasagna rest for at least 10 minutes before slicing. This will help the cheese set so that it slices cleanly and doesn’t ooze out.
Serving Suggestions
Serve the veggie lasagna with a Caesar salad or a simple green salad dressed in balsamic vinaigrette. You might also like to offer a side of garlic bread or no-knead cast iron focaccia bread to soak up any extra sauce and cheese.
Did you make this recipe?
If you enjoyed this recipe, please leave a comment with a 5-star review at the bottom of the post. Thank you!
Watch How to Make It
Easy Vegetable Lasagna
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 45 minutes
Resting Time 10 minutes
Total: 1 hour 15 minutes
A light and fresh, comforting casserole that's ready with just 20 minutes of prep!
Equipment
- 9 x 13-Inch Baking Dish (this is my favorite option with a lid)
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 8 ounces sliced mushrooms
- 1 medium zucchini, diced
- 1 sweet bell pepper (any color), seeded and diced
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic (about 3 cloves)
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (or 2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes)
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil (or 2 teaspoons dried basil)
- 15 ounces ricotta cheese (or sub with 16 ounces small curd cottage cheese)
- 2 ¼ cups grated mozzarella cheese, divided
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
- 24 ounces (2 ½ cups) store-bought (or homemade) marinara sauce
- 9 oven-ready, no-boil lasagna noodles (or as many noodles as needed to fit your dish)
- Kosher salt and ground black pepper, to taste
- Optional garnish: chopped fresh herbs such as parsley or basil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Spray a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray and set aside. In a large skillet or Dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, zucchini, bell pepper, onion, and garlic. Cook and stir the veggies just until tender (about 3-5 minutes). Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- While the veggies cook, use a separate bowl to stir together egg, parsley, basil, ricotta cheese, 1 ¼ cups mozzarella, and ¼ cup Parmesan.
- When the vegetables are done cooking, stir the marinara sauce into the skillet. Spread ¼ of the marinara-vegetable sauce mixture in a thin layer in the bottom of the prepared baking dish.
- Top with 3 no-boil lasagna noodles (or as many as you need to cover a single layer in the dish), ⅓ of the ricotta mixture, and another ¼ of the sauce mixture.
- Repeat layers two more times. Finish with remaining 1 cup of mozzarella and ¼ cup of Parmesan cheese on top.
- Cover with a piece of greased foil. Bake for 35 minutes. Remove foil, and bake for another 5-10 minutes (or until heated through and cheese on top is browned). Let stand for about 10 minutes before slicing and serving. Garnish with chopped fresh herbs if desired.
Notes
No-boil (“oven-ready”) lasagna noodles are par-boiled noodles that do not require boiling before you assemble the casserole. If you prefer to use whole wheat no-boil lasagna noodles, check the cooking instructions on your package. Most whole wheat pasta requires a slightly different cooking temperature and time (usually about 450°F for 40 minutes covered, then 5-10 more minutes uncovered).
Nutrition
Serving: 1/8 of recipeCalories: 273kcalCarbohydrates: 12gProtein: 20gFat: 17gSaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 70mgSodium: 806mgPotassium: 589mgFiber: 2gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 1095IUVitamin C: 26mgCalcium: 438mgIron: 2mg
Preparation and Storage Tips
- Make Ahead: Assemble the lasagna in advance, but do not bake. Wrap tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to 48 hours before baking, or freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to bake, allow the refrigerated lasagna to sit on the counter and come to room temperature for at least 30-60 minutes before baking.
- How to Bake from Frozen: If you’re baking the casserole frozen (directly from the freezer), bake the dish covered in a 400°F oven for 1 hour. Then remove the cover and bake for an additional 10 minutes, or until the pasta is tender and the dish is heated through.
- How to Store: Leftover lasagna will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. You can also freeze the leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
- How to Reheat: Cover the lasagna loosely with foil. Warm the dish in a 350°F oven just until heated through, about 30 minutes. You can also reheat individual slices of lasagna in the microwave until warm, about 1 minute.
Recipe Variations
- Cooking for Two? Divide the full recipe between two smaller 8-inch square baking dishes. That way you get two meals with the same amount of effort, and you can freeze one for a later date. Alternatively, you can cut all of the ingredients in half and prepare one lasagna in an 8-inch square dish. The baking instructions remain the same.
- Add meat to this veggie-packed lasagna by stirring 1 pound of cooked ground beef or Italian sausage into the sauce.
- Make it spicy by adding crushed red pepper flakes to the veggies and marinara.
- White Vegetarian Lasagna: substitute a jar of store-bought Alfredo sauce or 2 ½ cups of homemade Alfredo sauce for the marinara sauce.
- Make vegetable lasagna with spinach by adding a few cups of fresh baby spinach leaves to the warm sauce, just until the leaves wilt. Alternatively, you can use a 10-ounce package of chopped, frozen spinach. Just thaw the spinach and squeeze it really dry before adding to the lasagna.
I needed an easy recipe for our student’s potluck dinner, I chose this one since a few of my students are vegetarian. It was a HUGE hit with a whole lot of college kids, not just the vegetarians!
– Shawn
More Lasagna Recipes to Try
Homemade Lasagna Recipe
2 hours hrs 5 minutes mins
Spinach Lasagna Recipe
1 hour hr 20 minutes mins
Dutch Oven Lasagna
1 hour hr 35 minutes mins
This recipe was originally published in July, 2017. It was updated in August, 2025.
Made this on Christmas day and it was absolutely delicious. I followed the baking directions and used no boil noodles and it came out perfect. Thank you!
Wonderful! Thanks, Julie!
So if we use regular noodles that have been boiled before layering, how does that affect the baking temperature or the time? Thank you!
Hi, Pam! Regular noodles won’t absorb quite as much liquid as the oven-ready noodles, so the dish may be a bit more liquidy than the original recipe (bake uncovered to help release some of the extra moisture). As far as the cooking time goes, I would bake the lasagna at 350 degrees F, uncovered, for about 35-45 minutes. Enjoy!
I made this lasagna last Sunday for dinner. It was an absolute hit in my house!! I did add spinach. I also sed lasagna noodles that required cooking and I baked mine on 350 degrees for about an hour and another 10 minutes uncovered for extra browning on the cheese. I did not experience extra liquid with mine. I will definitely be making this dish again. It was delish!!
Wonderful! Thanks, Nicole!
I want to make this tonight, but also add ground beef. Should I just brown the beef separately with some onion/garlic, then add to the veggies/sauce?
Hi, Chynna! Yep — I’d do it exactly as you suggested. Enjoy!
Hi, I want to try this recipe
Can I use a bachamel sauce instead of the cottage cheese?
Hi, Fernanda! Yes, I think that should be fine! The dish will have a little bit different texture, since you’re not including the egg to help the cheese mixture “set up,” but the white sauce will still be delicious. Enjoy!
So yummy! Much lighter and not so heavy as a meat version.
I changed up a few things just based on what I had/prefer.
Substitutions:
Squeeze basil (no fresh)
Ricotta (I prefer it over cottage cheese)
Added:
Drained/Diced artichoke hearts (1 jar)
3 cups fresh spinach, ribboned
Omitted:
Red bell (doesn’t like my belly)
Parsley (didn’t have)
Note: I needed 11 noodles bc mine were not long, but shorter.
Thanks, Stephanie! I’m so glad to hear that you enjoyed it, and I appreciate you taking the time to come back here and leave a note. Take care!
First time in a long time I have made lasagne. And I wanted a vegetable one as meat doesn’t always sit well as I’ve gotten older! Tried your 5 star recipe. It’s now a favorite! Thank you!
Thank you, Nancy!
This is the best vegetable lasagna i have tried! My husband said it was 5 stars! Very easy to make. I added more peppers and 2 small boxes of mushrooms. Perfect!
Awesome! Thank you, Robin!
Thanks for your recipe it was a hit. I used egg plant and spinach with everything else mostly the same. So easy my 3 year old granddaughter did most of the prep.
Sounds delicious! Thanks, Dana!
This was so easy to make and delicious! I followed the recipe exactly – used mushrooms, red pepper, zucchini, onion, garlic and fresh parsley and basil. My daughter and I are vegetarians and my husband and sons are not. I made this for Easter dinner along with a ham and the guys liked it more than the ham! This recipe is a keeper! Thank you!
This makes us so happy to hear, Michele! Happy Easter!
Amazing! I loved it. We had to cook it a little bit longer, but it was great and feeds a crew.
Wonderful! Thanks, Liz!
Hi Blair. Going to make this lasagna which looks so delicious. Can you use both ricotta cheese and cottage cheese w egg parsley basil mixture ? How about some Italian seasoning to sub for parsley if I don’t have? Thx so much.
Hi, Jeanne! Yes, a combo of ricotta and cottage cheese should work well. I prefer to use small curd (or “whipped”) cottage cheese, which tends to be less “watery” than regular larger curd cottage cheese. If you can’t find whipped cottage cheese or the small curd variety, I would strain off some of the extra liquid from the regular cottage cheese.
As for the seasoning, yes! The Italian seasoning should work as a fine substitute for the parsley and basil (you’ll need about 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon of the dried seasoning blend). Hope you enjoy the lasagna!
Hello Blair , thx so much for your replies and helpful hints. I really appreciate. You are an awesome cook! My friend just had her 3 rd child so I made her the vegetable lasagna since they are vegetarian. I did have another question for you. What’s your best banana bread recipe ? I struggle w mine sinking in middle r just not rising enough and staying. Thx so much. Happy cooking ❤️
Oh, that’s so great, Jeanne. I know that your friend really appreciated a homemade meal!
You’ve definitely got to try this banana bread (with or without the nuts). It’s always a huge hit: https://www.theseasonedmom.com/banana-nut-bread/
Hope you love it!
Hooray! and thanks!)))
Thx so much . Excited to try. I will definitely do. One other thing that I have had trouble with is making a sour dough bread starter . My mom used instant potato flakes and it didn’t work. Do you make your bread starter ? If so any recipes to share. I would love to make my own sour dough bread. Thx so much. Happy Saturday. ❤️
No, unfortunately I don’t have a starter recipe to share with you. I haven’t gone down the sourdough road! 🙂
my vegetarian niece made this for dinner and it was DELISH!
Oh, good! I’m so glad that you liked it! 🙂
I’d like to make this delicious sounding recipe without noodles. Would using more eggs firm it up?
Oh goodness, I don’t know! I’ve never tried to make lasagna without noodles. You might look for a recipe that uses thinly-sliced zucchini as the noodles instead of pasta. That might work as a good alternative.
I made this recipe for the first time today for my husband’s family our our Christmas dinner with them. I’ve made meat lasagna before but never a veggie version. 2 of our guests are vegetarian so it’s always a challenge so I made a pan of this and a pan of ‘regular’ lasagna. This as a HUGE hit! Even the meat eaters loved it. In fact, more of my guests chose this version than the meat version. I was called the lasagna Queen by one uncle. This will now be our new tradition for the family Christmas gathering. Now I never have to worry about what I make for the vegetarians . I don’t like mushrooms but even I tried it, and all I tasted was flavor, lots of delicious flavor. Thank you for sharing this with us!
Meg! What a wonderful note to read! Thank you so much. It makes me really happy to know that you were able to share this meal with your family and everyone enjoyed it. Merry Christmas! 🙂
I made the vegetable lasagna for my grandson’s graduation party lunch of 10 people. Everyone loved it. I modified the recipe for only two things: I used regular lasagna noodles that needed to be boiled (because that is what I had on hand), and I added a pound of plant-based ground meat substitute to the recipe, just for fun.
Sounds perfect! Thanks, Patricia!
If I am using cottage cheese instead of ricotta, do I still use egg in the parsley and cheese mix?
Hi, Lynn! Yes, you’ll want that egg to give the cheese mixture some structure and help it “set” in the oven (so that it’s not too runny). Enjoy!
Made this last night and loved it. I love vegetable lasagna though. I made it with a spicy marinara sauce and put chives in with the ricotta. I didn’t have any fresh parsley. I’ve never mixed the cheese into the ricotta mixture before. I’ve always just added it as a layer, but this was really good and worked well. I also used whole wheat regular lasagna noodles with no issues. I did let my veggie mixture simmer a bit to cook off any extra moisture. I made it for just me and plan on eating it all week by myself. 🙂
Your version sounds delicious, Ashleigh! Thank you for letting me know that you enjoyed it. 🙂
A nice, light vegetable lasagna. Easy to assemble, too! Thanks for sharing the recipe. Will 100% make it again!
Thank you, Liane!
After my MIL passed away I was desperately seeking a list connection by making her veggie lasagna. As no one knew it ,and having made it with her once before, I went online in search. The search ended with your recipe. This is now my go to recipe and tastes exactly like my 2nd mom used to make! Thank you for the memories!
We’re so sorry for your loss. Thank you for giving our recipe a try. We’re so glad you enjoyed it!
Quick, easy and delicious, and even my carnivore husband enjoyed it and said i could make it again anytime!
We’re so happy to hear this, Hannah!
This recipe turned out delicious!! I added more Parmesan cheese, and did not use the no bake noodles but basically followed the rest of the recipe! Will definitely make this again!
Thank you for your feedback, Gina! We’re so glad you enjoyed it.
Great recipe! I increase the vegetables for bulk and add ground Turkey for protein. Comes out great every time!
Sounds perfect. Thanks, Anja!
So far very easy. Hope it’s good.
Hope you enjoy it, J!