Anke
Our best vegetarian lasagna with ricotta cheese is a comforting family meal that even meat lovers will enjoy.
The creamy ricotta cheese topping complements the aromatic tomato sauce, laden with lots of fresh vegetables.
My teenage kids love this vegetable lasagna so much that I have to make it almost every week.
If you enjoy this lasagna recipe, then you’ll also love my homemade tomato sauce recipe. Or, try my cast-iron pizza recipe for an Italian-themed dinner.
I like to serve this tasty and flavorful lasagna with a green salad on the side and our beautiful rustic sourdough focaccia bread.
Table of Contents
Ingredients
Vegetables
You can use as many or as few vegetables as you like. Use whatever you have in your pantry. That is one of the reasons I like this vegetarian lasagna so much – there are no rules about what to use.
The vegetables I’ve selected are meant to serve as guidelines for you. I love to add mushrooms, zucchini, bell pepper, onions, and carrots.
You could also include eggplant, celery, fresh tomatoes, and red onions.
Tomato Sauce
I always use tomato passata for my lasagna sauce because it is aromatic, smooth, and gives the sauce a lovely texture.
To enhance the flavor, I also add some tomato paste, which is more concentrated.
Lasagna Sheets
For this best vegetarian lasagna with ricotta cheese recipe, I use fresh egg lasagna sheets. But you can also use dried lasagna sheets.
Either way, you don’t need to cook them beforehand.
Ricotta Cheese
For this lasagna recipe, use your favorite brand. I also add grated mozzarella for more flavor.
Make The Best Vegetarian Lasagna Step by Step
Prep The Vegetables
Prepping the vegetables is probably the most work you have to do. As mentioned before, you can use any type of vegetables and as many or as few as you like.
If you have little children who don’t like vegetables, you could chop the veggies as finely as possible so the kids can’t recognize them.
Otherwise, I like to keep the veggies fairly chunky.
Once the vegetables are ready, heat olive oil in a large saucepan. I like to start sautéing the mushrooms first before adding the onion and garlic.
After 5 minutes, I add the rest of the vegetables along with the seasoning. Cook the vegetables until they’re slightly brown and soft.
Add Tomato Passata
Before adding the tomato passata, I mix in a tablespoon of tomato paste to enhance the flavor of our sauce even more. Stir in the paste and let it cook for a couple of minutes.
Next, add the tomato passata. By the way, don’t forget to rinse out the bottle with some water, so no passata goes to waste.
Season with salt, pepper, and dried Italian herbs.
Cover the saucepan and let the sauce simmer for at least 15 minutes, preferably longer.
The Ricotta Cheese Topping
The ricotta cheese topping is simple and quick to make. So while the sauce simmers, there is enough time to put the cheese mix together.
Mix the ricotta cheese with grated mozzarella, season with salt and pepper. To create a smooth texture, I add some water. Alternatively, you could add milk or cream.
Done!
Put The Vegetarian Lasagna Together
Add a layer of sauce to the bottom of the baking dish. Place the lasagna sheets on top until the sauce is covered.
Add another layer of sauce and a few dollops of the ricotta cheese. Cover with the next layer of lasagna sheets.
Repeat the process until all of the tomato sauce and lasagna sheets have been used up.
The last layer should be the lasagna sheets.
Cover the last layer of lasagna sheets with the ricotta cheese topping and sprinkle a bit of mozzarella cheese on the top.
Bake The Lasagna
Bake for 30 minutes @ 200℃/400℉ (fan-forced setting) until golden brown and bubbly.
Serve with a salad on the side and some Italian-style bread, like our sourdough focaccia bread.
Tip
You can easily prepare the tomato sauce with vegetables a few days before. It will keep well in the fridge for a couple of days. It will also enhance the flavor of the sauce.
Another option is to prepare the sauce in bulk and freeze it.
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Let’s Get Started With Our Best Vegetarian Lasagna With Ricotta Cheese
I hope you enjoy my delicious recipe for this meatless lasagna. Serve our best vegetarian lasagna with ricotta cheese, with a crunchy salad, and homemade focaccia bread on the side.
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Are you feeling hungry? Then, put on your apron and start making our tasty, flavorful vegetarian lasagna with ricotta cheese.
Vegetarian Lasagna with Ricotta Cheese Topping
Equipment
- 1 spatula
Ingredients
Ingredients Tomato Sauce
- 2 cups white button mushrooms chopped
- 1 carrot grated
- 1 onion chopped
- 1 yellow bell pepper chopped
- 1 medium zucchini chopped
- 1 clove of garlic grated
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 bottle tomato passata (680 grams/24oz)
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 tsp dried Italian herbs
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup olive oil
Ricotta Cheese Topping
- 250 grams 8.8oz ricotta cheese
- 1 cup grated mozzarella
- 1/2 cup grated mozzarella (to sprinkle over the top)
- salt and pepper to taste
- 5 tbsp water
- 1 packet of fresh or dried lasagna sheets
Instructions
Make The Tomato Sauce
- Start by preparing the vegetables. You can chop them as roughly or as finely as you wish.2 cups white button mushrooms, 1 carrot, 1 onion, 1 yellow bell pepper, 1 medium zucchini, 1 clove of garlic
- Heat olive oil in a large saucepan and add the mushrooms first. Let them cook down for a little bit before adding the garlic and onion.1/4 cup olive oil
- Saute the mushrooms with the onions and garlic until they are almost soft. Now add the rest of the vegetables.
- Add salt, pepper, and dried herbs to taste. Continue to cook for around 5 minutes on medium heat.1 tsp dried Italian herbs, salt and pepper to taste
- Add the tomato paste and let it cook for a couple of minutes before adding the tomato passata. Rinse out the bottle with water and add to the sauce. Bring the sauce to a simmer1 tbsp tomato paste, 1 bottle tomato passata (680 grams/24oz), 1/2 cup water
- Cover the sauce with a lid and let it simmer for at least 15 minutes.
- Taste the sauce again to check the seasoning, and add more salt and pepper if needed.
The Ricotta Topping
- In a bowl, add the ricotta cheese together with the grated mozzarella.250 grams 8.8oz ricotta cheese, 1 cup grated mozzarella
- Add some water, salt, and pepper, and mix until well combined. It should have a smooth texture.If needed, add more water (or cream) to achieve the desired consistency.salt and pepper to taste, 5 tbsp water
Putting The Lasagna Together
- Add a layer of sauce to the bottom of the baking dish. Place the lasagna sheets on top until the sauce is covered.Add another layer of sauce and a few dollops of the ricotta cheese. Cover with the next layer of lasagna sheets.Repeat the process until all of the tomato sauce and lasagna sheets have been used up.1 packet of fresh or dried lasagna sheets
- The final layer should consist of lasagna sheets. Spread the ricotta cheese topping over the last layer of lasagna sheets and sprinkle some mozzarella cheese on top.1/2 cup grated mozzarella (to sprinkle over the top)
- Bake for 30 minutes @ 200℃/400℉ (fan-forced setting) until golden brown and bubbly.
- Serve with a salad and a slice of bread on the side. Enjoy!
