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Hello! I’m Anjali. I’m a board certified health coach, author, wife, mom and food lover from the SF Bay area (now living in Seattle, WA!); with a passion for delicious food and a desire to make healthy eating easy, tasty and fun! Learn more about me here and stay for a while!

Anjali Shah

Hearty Healthy Vegetable Lasagna (Super Easy Recipe!)

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This super satisfying, easy vegetable lasagna is a hearty, healthy version of the classic Italian recipe. Made with whole wheat noodles, fresh herbs, packed with veggies and a mixture of cheeses, this is a one dish meal that will soon become a favorite among your family and friends. 

slice of easy hearty italian healthy vegetable lasagna recipe (low calorie, low fat, kid friendly vegetarian lasagna) on a white plate

My whole family absolutely loves Italian lasagna, I think it might be their favorite Italian meal. But we rarely order it at restaurants because most vegetable lasagna recipes are made with white pasta (no fiber, refined carbs), way too much cheese and extra oil (too much fat/calories), and barely any veggies (which makes it even more dense!)

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So I decided to re-make veggie lasagna to be healthier than the original with all of the flavor and heartiness you’d expect from a traditional lasagna recipe. And I have to say: it was a hit! Every time I’ve made this: for parties, for meat-eaters, for the holidays, for my family — everyone loves this recipe! It’s a healthy vegetarian Italian recipe!

While this is not a quick weeknight meal (it takes about 2 hours including the baking/cooking time), it’s so worth it in the end! Despite the cooking time, it is a straight-forward and easy recipe. It makes for great leftovers, and is super freezer-friendly as well. I hope you enjoy this healthy veggie lasagna as much as we did!

👩🏽‍🍳 Why This Recipe Works

  • Great recipe for healthy eating
  • Packed with fresh veggies
  • Huge individual portions, but low calorie
  • Covered in melty cheese
  • Low fat veggie lasagna
  • High in fiber
  • Kid friendly lasagna!
  • The best vegetarian lasagna recipe ever!

🥘 Ingredients

ingredients for easy hearty italian healthy vegetable lasagna recipe (low calorie, low fat, kid friendly vegetarian lasagna)

Whole-Wheat Noodles: The base of our healthy meatless lasagna! Using whole wheat pasta adds whole grains and fiber but you really can’t tell the difference between that and regular lasagna noodles!

Ricotta Mixture: I combined low fat ricotta cheese, and a few types of shredded cheese, including part-skim mozzarella cheese, parmesan, and asiago.

Fresh Vegetables: I used red bell peppers, zucchini, baby spinach, and red onion — but you can use any mix of colorful vegetables you like! Butternut squash, cremini mushrooms, summer squash, or even asparagus would all taste great in this easy vegetable lasagna recipe.

Red Sauce: I made a simple tomato sauce out of crushed tomatoes and Italian spices, combined with a pre-made jar of marinara sauce.

Spices: Dried Italian seasoning, crushed red pepper flakes (or black pepper), salt, fresh minced garlic are a great way to pack in tons of flavor without adding calories to this skinny vegetable lasagna. Fresh herbs like fresh basil can be added into the healthy vegetable lasagna filling or as a garnish.

📖 Variations

Gluten Free Veggie Lasagna: Use gluten free pasta sheets to make this easy recipe 100% gluten-free!

Roasted Vegetable Lasagne: Instead of sauteeing your veggies, roast your vegetables in the oven at 400 degrees until tender.

Zucchini Vegetarian Lasagna: Instead of pasta sheets, use zucchini to make this into a low carb recipe!

Vegan Vegetable Lasagna: Make this recipe dairy-free by using a vegan ricotta and vegan parmesan instead of the regular cheese.

🔪 How To Make A Vegetable Lasagna

Boil Noodles

Cook the lasagna noodles according to the package directions (leave them al dente). Once they’re done, lay them flat on foil and set aside.

pasta boiling in water

Cook The Vegetable Lasagna Filling

Quarter all 4 zucchini and thinly slice. Dice all 3 bell peppers and mince 3 cloves of garlic. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat, saute the garlic, half the diced onion, all of the zucchini and all of the bell peppers together.

veggies sauteeing in a pan

Lower to medium heat, add the baby spinach at the end (when the zucchini/red pepper are almost done cooking), stir with a wooden spoon for another 3 minutes until spinach is wilted.

veggies sauteeing in a pan

Sprinkle Italian seasoning, salt, and crushed red pepper to taste on top, stir, and let it cook a couple more minutes. Then remove from heat.

veggies sauteeing in a pan

Make The Marinara Sauce

Mince 3 cloves garlic. Spray a medium sized saucepan with cooking spray and lightly saute the garlic and remaining red onion until the onion is translucent.

onions sauteeing in a pan

Add the crushed tomatoes. Add Italian seasoning to taste, if your crushed tomatoes don’t have that already added. Once the sauce is heated through, turn the heat down on low.

homemade marinara sauce cooking in a pot

Mix The Cheese

Combine 1.5 cups of the ricotta cheese and 1 cup of the mozzarella in a bowl. Keep the Parmesan cheese (or Italian blend, if using) separate.

ricotta mixture for kid friendly lasagna

Assemble The Vegetarian Lasagne

Spray the bottom of a large casserole dish or baking dish with cooking spray. Put 1 cup sauce at the bottom of the dish (For every layer of sauce, I used 1/2 the self-made sauce and 1/2 the pre-made sauce.

sauce at the bottom of a baking dish

Put a single layer of the lasagna noodles.

layered meatless lasagna in a baking dish

Put another layer of the sauce (1/2 pre-made, 1/2 self made), then put a layer of the veggie mixture. Lastly, take 1/2 cup of cheese, and put little crumbles of the cheese mixture all over the veggie layer (don’t try to spread it out, the little crumbles seemed to work well).

easy hearty healthy vegetable lasagna recipe layered and ready to be baked

Put another layer of the lasagne sheets.

Layer of sauce (about 1 cup marinara sauce)

Layer of veggies.

Cheese mixture crumbles.

Then, the final layer of noodles, a layer of sauce, and then sprinkle 1 cup of the Parmesan cheese (or Italian cheese blend) all over the top.

easy plant based lasagna ready to go into the oven

Cover the unbaked lasagna with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 30 min. Uncover and bake for 5 min. longer until the cheese has melted. Let cool for 10 minutes before slicing. Serve this healthy vegetable lasagna warm!

A Healthy Vegetable Lasagna garnished with fresh thyme

❓Recipe FAQs

Is Vegetable Lasagna healthy?

It depends on what other ingredients are used in the recipe! With just a few healthy substitutions – this plant based lasagna is much more nutritious than the traditional version, but still tasty and full of flavor.

Here are the swaps I made for this healthy vegetarian lasagna recipe:

Whole Wheat Noodles instead of classic lasagna noodles: Adds fiber and a healthy dose of whole grains which will keep you fuller longer.

Less Cheese, And Low Fat Ricotta: I used a mix of low fat and full fat cheeses in this recipe. I also used less cheese overall to keep the decadence of lasagna while lowering the total calories and fat. This lasagna is still very cheesy even with those changes!

Lots More Veggies! This recipe is stuffed with veggies, Spinach, bell peppers, zucchini, and red onion increase the fiber and nutrient density of this dish. Spinach is a heart-healthy superfood that has calcium, vitamins A and C, fiber, iron, folic acid and antioxidants. Zucchini improves digestion and helps lower blood sugar levels, bell peppers give us B6 and folate and tomatoes provide both antioxidants and Vitamin C.

How Many Calories In A Portion of Homemade Lasagna?

The answer is, it depends! If you are making traditional lasagna, one portion could run you about 500 calories! But this low calorie veggie lasagna has only 260 calories for one giant piece!

What makes this vegetable lasagna recipe kid friendly?

This is a great lasagna for kids! It’s easy for little ones to eat, and it’s a great way to get some extra veggies into your kids since they’re wrapped in a cheesy-carby-lasagna-bow. If you have especially picky eaters, I’d recommend chopping up the veggies super fine and mixing them into the sauce. For SUPER picky eaters, you can puree the entire veggie mixture after sauteeing it, and mix that with the sauce.

What vegetables go well in lasagna?

Spinach, zucchini, and bell peppers all work well in a veggie lasagna. Kale, mushrooms, summer squash, asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower, and even carrots would work well in this easy healthy vegetable lasagne recipe.

🧊 Can You Freeze Vegetable Lasagna?

Yes, you can freeze veggie lasagna. There are two methods depending on if you’re freezing leftovers, or you’re freezing the lasagna before it’s baked. You might want to prepare the this low calorie vegetable lasagna whole and freeze it for a busy weeknight meal, or you might have already served this dish and just have a few leftovers to freeze for individual meals to eat later.

Method 1: Pre-Baked Lasagna

Prepare lasagna in an airtight container. Assemble and allow the warm ingredients to cool completely before storing in an airtight container in the freezer. This method helps retain the freshness of the dish than if you freeze after it is baked. Will last for 2-3 months in the freezer. When it’s time to bake it, pull it out of the freezer and pop it into the oven directly, following the baking instructions in this recipe.

Method 2: Baked Veg Lasagna Recipe

Store in airtight container. Will be best if you store in individual servings to retain freshness and use as a quick go-to weeknight meal. WIll last for 2-3 months in the freezer.

👨‍👩‍👧 How To Serve

💭 Expert Tips

  • Salt water and cook lasagna noodles al dente (maybe about 4-5 minutes). They will continue to cook when you bake the lasagna in the oven – and that way you won’t have mushy noodles!
  • Lay the noodles flat on aluminum foil to prevent the noodles from sticking together. You can even spray the foil with olive oil spray to really make sure the noodles remain separated.
  • Thinly slice the bell pepper and then cut in half so your pieces are about the same size as your zucchini. 
  • Cook the zucchini, peppers, onion, and garlic until almost done before adding spinach.
  • A mix of fresh and dried herbs gives a bright and slow cooked flavor.
  • Spray or grease the casserole dish to prevent sticking.
  • Start with a layer of sauce using a combination of pre-made and self-made sauce.
  • Don’t try to spread the cheese layer. Crumble the cheese on top of the veggies.
  • Let the lasagna rest for 10-15 minutes before slicing it, that way it will hold together once you do slice and serve it.
slice of easy hearty italian healthy vegetable lasagna recipe (low calorie, low fat, kid friendly vegetarian lasagna)

🍲 More Vegetarian Recipes!

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📋 Recipe Card

🎥 Watch How to Make It

slice of easy hearty italian healthy vegetable lasagna recipe (low calorie, low fat, kid friendly vegetarian lasagna) on a white plate
Print Recipe
5 from 14 votes

Hearty Healthy Vegetable Lasagna (Easy, Kid-Friendly!)

This super satisfying veggie lasagna is a hearty, healthy version of the classic Italian recipe. Made with whole wheat noodles, fresh herbs, packed with veggies and a mixture of cheeses, this is a one dish meal that will soon become a favorite among your family and friends. 
Prep Time1 hour
Cook Time1 hour
Total Time2 hours
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian
Diet: Low Calorie, Low Fat, Vegetarian
Servings: 12 servings
Calories: 304kcal
Author: Anjali Shah

Ingredients

  • 2 tsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 1 box Whole wheat lasagna noodles uncooked
  • 4 Zucchini
  • 3 Yellow, Red or Orange Bell Peppers diced
  • 6 oz Baby Spinach roughly chopped
  • 1 Red Onion diced
  • 6 cloves Garlic minced
  • 1 tbsp Dried Italian Seasoning more to taste
  • tsp Crushed Red Pepper adjust to taste
  • ¾ tsp Salt adjust to taste
  • 28 oz Can of Crushed Tomatoes with Italian spices added–like basil, oregano, etc. if you can find that
  • 28 oz Jar of Pasta Sauce
  • cups low fat ricotta cheese
  • 1 cup part-skim shredded mozzarella
  • 1 cup Shredded Parmesan or Italian Four Cheese Blend
  • olive oil cooking spray

Instructions

Noodles:

  • Cook the lasagna noodles according to the package directions (leave them al dente).
  • Once they’re done, lay them flat on foil and set aside.

Vegetables:

  • Quarter all 4 zucchini and thinly slice.
  • Dice all 3 bell peppers and mince 3 cloves of garlic
  • Heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat, saute the garlic, half the diced onion, all of the zucchini and all of the bell peppers together.
  • Add the baby spinach at the end (when the zucchini/red pepper are almost done cooking), saute another 3 minutes until spinach is wilted.
  • Sprinkle Italian seasoning, salt, and crushed red pepper to taste on top, stir, and let it cook a couple more minutes. Then remove from heat.

Sauce:

  • Mince 3 cloves of garlic.
  • Spray a medium sized saucepan with cooking spray and lightly saute the garlic and remaining red onion until the onion is translucent.
  • Add the crushed tomatoes.
  • Add Italian seasoning to taste, if your crushed tomatoes don't have that already added.
  • Once the sauce is heated through, turn the heat down on low.

Cheese:

  • Combine 1.5 cups of the ricotta cheese and 1 cup of the mozzarella in a bowl. Keep the Parmesan cheese (or Italian blend, if using) separate.

Assembly:

  • Spray the bottom of a large casserole dish with cooking spray.
  • Put a layer of sauce at the bottom of the dish (For every layer of sauce, I used 1/2 the self-made sauce and 1/2 the pre-made sauce)
  • Put a layer of the lasagna noodles.
  • Put another layer of the sauce (1/2 pre-made, 1/2 self made).
  • Put a layer of the veggies.
  • Take the cheese mixture, and put little crumbles of the cheese mixture all over the veggie layer (don’t try to spread it out, the little crumbles seemed to work well).
  • Put another layer of the lasagna noodles.
  • Layer of sauce.
  • Layer of veggies.
  • Cheese mixture crumbles.
  • Layer of lasagna noodles.
  • Layer of sauce.
  • Sprinkle 1 cup of the Parmesan cheese (Or Italian Cheese blend) all over the top.
  • Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 30 min.
  • Uncover and bake for 5 min. longer until the cheese has melted.

Notes

Top Tips for Making Healthy Vegetable Lasagna
  • Salt water and cook lasagna noodles al dente (maybe about 4-5 minutes). They will continue to cook when you bake the lasagna in the oven – and that way you won’t have mushy noodles!
  • Lay the noodles flat on aluminum foil to prevent the noodles from sticking together. You can even spray the foil with olive oil spray to really make sure the noodles remain separated.
  • Thinly slice the bell pepper and then cut in half so your pieces are about the same size as your zucchini. 
  • Cook the zucchini, peppers, onion, and garlic until almost done before adding spinach.
  • A mix of fresh and dried herbs gives a bright and slow cooked flavor.
  • Make the sauce in a separate pan from the veggies.
  • Spray or grease the casserole dish to prevent sticking.
  • Don’t try to spread the cheese layer. Crumble the cheese on top of the veggies.
  • Let the lasagna rest for 10-15 minutes before slicing it, that way it will hold together once you do slice and serve it.

Nutrition

Serving: 1piece | Calories: 304kcal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 23mg | Sodium: 810mg | Potassium: 870mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 8g

97 responses to “Hearty Healthy Vegetable Lasagna (Super Easy Recipe!)”

  1. This recipe was absolutely delicious! I love these vegetables and I also didn’t notice I was really eating vegetables in this meal (aka if you’re cooking for a picky eater it’s a good dish to cook).5 stars

  2. Question can you use alfredo sauce instead of tomato sauce and could you use italian spice with your vegtable lazagna?

    • Hi! Yes I think an Alfredo type sauce would still work with this recipe, it would just change the nutritional information from what’s in the recipe card currently! I haven’t tried it with an Alfredo sauce but theoretically it should work – so if you try it let me know how it turns out! Italian spices (I’m assuming you mean a dried blend) would also be delicious with this lasagna!

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