This Vegetarian Lasagna is easy to make and full of flavor! Plus, ingredients can be added or subtracted to customize the meal to personal taste.
I like pasta. I like cheese. Lasagna seems like the clear answer to satisfy both cravings. Plus, with the oven-ready noodles, it is now easier than ever to make Lasagna. No, I’m not a sponsor, I just love the product. Anyway, I decided to make a vegetarian Lasagna since I was surprised to see how meat forward a lot of Lasagna’s typically are.
I started by taking it back to the very basics and questioned what the core ingredients of Lasagna are. The answer? Pasta, cheese and tomato sauce. Well… I oversimplified the cheese but not too many ingredients needed. And the process was very simple. I did add a little complexity by adding a couple more ingredients over the basics, but they are not needed.
While the Lasagna took about 30 minutes to fully cook, it still felt like a 30-minute meal (probably closer to 45) since you can get every component of a classic dinner into one delicious dish. Perfect for a large meal or if you’re intentionally making leftovers.
Check out the Make section of MCG for more fun recipes like desserts and savory dishes.
Ingredients
Like I said before, there are not many ingredients in the core Lasagna recipe. I got a local tomato sauce since I love seeing those local brands in the grocery store. There ended up being three different cheeses including ricotta, parmesan, and mozzarella. So Italian. And, of course, the no bake noodles.
Some optional extras that I also wrangled included spinach, mushrooms, onions, and garlic. Just to add some spice and flavor (although the sauce did have a lot of flavor on it’s own). There are other veggie options that can be used as well. Is it good on a pizza? Then it’s probably good on Lasagna.
Process
The Cheese Mixture
The sauce and noodles come directly out of a box, so the only prepared component is the cheese mixture. This step can be done without the need to cook anything as well. For the simple Lasagna, all you need to do is measure and mix.
I started with a large bowl and placed the Ricotta, Parmesan, Mozzarella, and Egg. Then it was time to mix and mix. While the ricotta is wet enough to bring everything together, the egg acts as a binder of sort to really ensure the mixture has the right consistency.
Then comes the option step that adds a bit of time and a bit of cooking. I pulled together frozen spinach, mushrooms, onions, and a garlic clove. Regardless of what veggies you want to use, I will always recommend using onions and garlic.
I started cooking the onions over the stove top and let them sweat for a few minutes. Then I added in the garlic and cooked everything a little conger. After that, it was time for the mushrooms. I wanted them to be soft as I just wanted them to add flavor but not texture. Finally, I the thawed spinach. Just to revitalize it a smidgen.
I dd let the mixture cool off of the stove for a few minutes because I didn’t want to accidentally cook the cheese mixture. Because that is the final destination for these vegetables. I mixed everything together in that original large bowl before moving onto layering.
Layers and Layers and Layers
The noodles, sauce, and cheese mixture make up the three layers of Lasagna. But first, I needed to pick a dish to cool the meal in. I decided to go with a 9 by 13 pan that was approximately 2 inches deep/ The depth only matters because then I know how many layers to expect. And I divide the ingredients accordingly.
Another advantage is that the noodles can be easily broken to cover the entire area. I always feel like I am missing some noodles around the edges. So, I break apart a piece and add a little more. Surprisingly, the broken bits are not noticeable when all is said and done.
After that, I added 1/3 of my ricotta mixture. This feels like a lot but it’s not as much as you might expect. Then I added another layer of sauce. And repeat! Noodles, cheese, sauce, noodles, cheese, sauce.
While I do add another layer of noodles, I am out of cheese mixture at this point. So, it time to switch up the layers and put down the final layer of sauce. Now, I failed to mention that I did put aside some mozzarella and parmesan at the beginning. And, after mixing them together, I sprinkled this new cheese mixture all over the top.
For those keeping score at home, that is 3 layers of ricotta mixture, 4 layers of noodles, and 5 layers of sauce. Plus, the cheese at the end but do we really need to count that? All that’s left is to bake and the results are delicious.
Reflections
I really love this recipe because it is easy and quick to make. The core flavors are amazing, but extras can be added just to that much more flavor. The only sort of downside to Lasagna is texture. It is all very consistently one texture to me most of the time. I like it but it does sometimes lack a crunch. And while this might be a downside, it is definitely not a negative. If that makes any sense.
Lessons
What Else Can I Add?
There are always thoughts of modifying recipes especially when it comes to whole meal recipes such as Lasagna. There are many different options that can be added in to the core lasagna and mixing and matching ingredients can be a fun way to tailor the dish to personal taste. Some options include:
- Onion / Garlic
- Mushrooms
- Spinach
- Roasted Red Belle Peppers
- Zucchini
- Summer Squash
recipe
Vegetarian Lasagna
Ingredients
Core Lasagna
- 4 Cups Ricotta Cheese
- ¾ Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese divided
- 4 Cup Shredded Mozzarella divided
- 2 Egg
- 1 Jar Tomato Sauce
- 1 Pack Oven-Ready Lasagna Noodles
Optional Layer
- 1 Cup Mushrooms diced
- 1 Package Frozen Spinach
- 1 Clove Garlic minced
- 1 Large Onion diced
- 1 Tablespoon oil
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 400° Fahrenheit
- In a large bowl, mix ricotta, ½ Cup Parmesan, Egg, and 3 ½ Cup Mozzarella. Set Aside
- Optional. In a pan, heat oil until hot. Add onion and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add garlic and cook for an additional minute. Add mushrooms and spinach and cook until soft. Add into the ricotta mixture.
- In a 9 by 13 pan, place a layer of tomato sauce to cover the base of the pan. Then add a layer of lasagna noodles (feel free to break apart the noodles to get better coverage), Then add a layer of the ricotta mixture.
- Repeat until the layers (ending on a noodle layer) fills up ¾ of the pan. Add one last layer of sauce and sprinkle the remaining parmesan and mozzarella on top.
- Bake for 30 minutes, the top should be a golden brown. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.
Leave a ReplyCancel reply