Healthy Vegetable Lasagna

A piece of healthy vegetarian lasagna, served on a white plate.

5 from 18 votes

My Healthy Vegetable Lasagna is a lighter, wholesome twist on the classic Italian favorite. It’s made with layers of whole wheat noodles, creamy cheese, fresh herbs, and a hearty mix of veggies. This veggie lasagna is the perfect low-calorie one-dish meal for anyone craving something delicious, and I guarantee it’ll quickly become a favorite with family and friends!

Prep Time1

Cook Time1

Total Time2

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian, vegetarian

Diet: Low Calorie, Low Fat, Vegetarian

Servings: servings

Calories: 304kcal

Author: Anjali Shah

Equipment

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
⅛ 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
1½ 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 for about 2-3 minutes less time than the package directions say (leave them slightly 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.

Video

https://youtu.be/iF0gZtkMN3g

Hearty, Healthy Vegetable Lasagna (https://youtu.be/iF0gZtkMN3g)

Notes

My #1 Secret Tip for making my healthy vegetarian lasagna recipe is to generously salt the water and only cook the lasagna noodles to al dente. This means they should be slightly firm to the bite and not fully cooked through before you start layering them in the casserole dish. I'll typically stop boiling the lasagna noodles about 2-3 minutes earlier than I would for completely cooked pasta. The noodles will finish cooking in the oven, so cooking them partially before this prevents the noodles from becoming too soft and mushy during the baking process.

After boiling, I will lay the cooked lasagna noodles flat on a sheet of aluminum foil to prevent them from sticking together. Sometimes I even lightly spray the foil with olive oil spray to really make sure they stay separated.

Thinly slice the bell peppers and then cut them in half to match the size of the zucchini pieces. Having uniform pieces ensures that everything cooks evenly and gives my healthy vegetarian lasagne a consistent texture.

Sauté the zucchini, peppers, onion, and garlic until almost done, then add the spinach. Spinach cooks quickly, so adding it last prevents it from becoming overcooked and soggy.

Use a blend of fresh and dried herbs to enhance the flavor. Fresh herbs add a bright, fresh taste, while dried herbs provide a rich, slow-cooked depth of flavor.

I always spray or grease my casserole dish before layering the ingredients. This prevents the lasagna noodles from sticking to the dish, making it easier to serve.

The cheese mixture isn't very spreadable since it's a mix of ricotta and shredded cheese. So instead of spreading the cheese, I like to crumble it on top of the veggie layer. Once it bakes, the crumbles blend well with the vegetables and melt to create a uniform layer.

Let this healthy veggie lasagna rest for 10-15 minutes after baking. This allows it to set, making it easier to slice and helps the layers hold together when served.

Nutrition