With a blend of fresh garden vegetables and a rich ricotta cheese and egg mixture, each layer of this lasagna is bursting with flavor. You'll love this wholesome and satisfying meal.
Vegetable Lasagna with White Sauce Recipe
This mouthwatering recipe perfectly combines a passion for growing fresh produce and transforming it into delectable dishes for the dinner table.
White vegetable lasagna brings together the vibrant flavors of garden-fresh vegetables, a velvety white sauce, and layers of lasagna noodles.
Whether you're a seasoned gardener with homegrown produce, your vegetables come from the local farmers market, or somewhere in between, this recipe will not only satisfy your taste buds but also inspire you to create wholesome meals straight from your own backyard.
Why You'll Love This White Vegetable Lasagna Recipe
This vegetable lasagna recipe layers lasagna noodles, creamy white sauce and fresh garden vegetables including carrots, red pepper, onion and spinach. The recipe is flexible though, and you can add or substitute other vegetables such as zucchini or yellow squash.
Baked to perfection, it offers a flavorful and satisfying meal, combining the richness of Italian cheeses with the goodness of garden-fresh ingredients.
Using vegetables you have grown in your own backyard garden in a delicious dinner dish can make you feel like a superhero. Is there anything more satisfying than cooking with produce you've grown yourself, harvested just a few hours before you started making dinner?
The superior flavor and nutritional value of garden-ripened vegetables cannot be matched!
While this is a delicious and nutritious meatless meal, the white sauce contains chicken broth so it can't truly be called a vegetarian meal.
White Vegetable Lasagna Ingredients
4 Tbsp flour
2 cups milk
2 cups chicken stock
salt and pepper to taste
8 oz ricotta cheese
2 eggs
2 carrots, grated
half of a red pepper, grated or chopped very fine
half of an onion, grated or chopped very fine
1 cup cooked spinach OR 10-oz box of frozen spinach, squeezed as dry as possible
1 box of lasagna noodles
2 cups of shredded Italian cheeses such as mozzarella, provolone, parmesan, fontina, romano and/or asiago
How to prepare the vegetables for this veggie lasagna
For the best texture, chop the vegetables into small pieces. Zucchini or yellow squash should be sliced thinly. Grate the carrots, and either grate the peppers and onions or chop them finely.
Sauté the prepared vegetables until they are soft and translucent. Remove the vegetables from the heat, drain them, and set aside.
Wait, drain the veggies? Yes, set them on a paper towel or in a strainer and let the juices drain out. This will help to prevent soggy lasagna.
If you are using frozen spinach, squeeze it to remove as much of the moisture as possible. This will also help keep your vegetable lasagna from being watery.
If using fresh spinach, chop into small pieces and set aside.
How to prepare the lasagna noodles
Who am I kidding? I don't prepare the noodles. I don't preboil them.
I discovered "oven-ready" lasagna noodles several years ago, and it changed my life. You don't have to boil them ahead of time, simply layer the dry lasagna noodles in your baking dish.
And then, I tried using regular lasagna noodles the same way! I don't boil them, I simply layer them in the baking dish and allow a little extra sauce, which is absorbed by the noodles as the lasagna bakes.
Now, my husband prefers a dry lasagna, and so do I. In the past I had a problem with my lasagna being a bit too soggy, but since I stopped boiling the noodles that problem has been solved! Take this tip as a recommendation, but do what makes you comfortable.
Boil the noodles, use Oven-Ready lasagna noodles, or do what I do and simply add those "raw" noodles to your layers - it's up to you.
How to prepare the cheesy filing
Combine the ricotta cheese and 2 eggs in a bowl, mix it all up really well and set aside.
(No ricotta cheese on hand? I've used an equal amount of cottage cheese instead with great success.)
How to prepare the white sauce
Melt the butter in a medium saucepan. When it's completely melted and bubbling, add the flour and whisk together until no lumps remain.
Slowly add the milk and chicken stock and whisk together until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and simmer 3-4 minutes until the sauce is thick.
Layering the vegetable lasagna
Cover the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish with a small amount of the white sauce.
Lay three lasagna noodles over the sauce. Leave some space at the ends and edges of the pan, the noodles will expand as they cook.
Top the noodles with a thin layer of the ricotta cheese/egg mixture. You'll find that it's much easier to layer your lasagna when you use uncooked noodles, by the way!
Arrange one-third of the spinach on top of the ricotta mixture. Next add one-third of the other veggies, about one cup of the white sauce, and a quarter of the shredded cheeses.
That's Layer Number One. Now add the rest of the layers as follows:
- Second layer: noodles, ricotta cheese, spinach, vegetables, sauce and cheese.
- Third layer: noodles, ricotta cheese, spinach, vegetables, sauce and cheese.
- The final layer should be noodles, the remaining sauce and the remainder of the shredded cheese.
How many layers should a white sauce lasagna have?
The rule of thumb about how many layers your lasagna should have, is this:
You need some space at the top of the baking pan. You'll be covering the top of the pan with foil when you bake it, and if your vegetable lasagna is too tall, the sauce will bubble out all over the bottom of your oven.
Trust me on this. I just had to clean the bottom of the oven the other day.
So if you make thin layers, you can build more layers - but if you make thicker layers like I do, you might want to leave out the third layer and top with the final layer.
Or use a deeper baking dish!
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| Layers of garden-fresh vegetables, oven-ready lasagna noodles and a rich and creamy white sauce make this vegetable lasagna the perfect garden to table dish. |
Bake the lasagna
Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Cover the pan with aluminum foil.
Bake the lasagna for 30 minutes, then remove the foil and bake for an additional 15 minutes until the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbly.
Makes 6 to 8 delicious servings.
Can you make this lasagna ahead of time?
Yes, you can! Make it the day before, cover the pan with foil and refrigerate until you're ready to bake it. Add five minutes to the baking time.
Love my vegetable lasagna recipe? Try these garden-to-table recipes as well
What goes well with vegetable lasagna with white sauce
Vegetable lasagna contains all you really need in a meal: protein, carbs, vegetables. However, pairing different textures and colors make a meal visually appealing as well as delicious. Plus adding side dishes helps to stretch the meal to feed a few more people.
Since lasagna is a rich meal, choose lighter side dishes such as vegetables and salads. Sides with a bit of crunch to them will pair well with the creamy lasagna's texture.
Some suggested accompaniments are:
- Serve a crusty bread with lasagna, such as garlic bread, foccacia or brushetta.
- Caesar salad
- Broccoli
- Sauteed Italian green beans
- Roasted asparagus
- Roasted cherry tomatoes
- Grilled winter squash such as butternut or delicata
How to store leftover white veggie lasagna
This dish is so good you may not have any leftovers! But if you do, cover the baking dish with foil and refrigerate. Cooked lasagna should last 3-5 days.
To freeze, place serving size portions in air-tight containers, or wrap portions in plastic wrap and then in heavy-duty foil and freeze for up to 3 months.
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