I enjoy getting connected with my Instagram followers and sharing my breakfast, lunch, and dinner recipes in my “stories” every day. The feedback I’ve received has been so amazing, and this mixed veggie lasagna is no different! This vegetable lasagna came about after I decided to share my recipe for fresh homemade egg pasta, and I was trying to decide how to shape and store it. And voila – lasagna sheets! Since then, I’ve shared my favorite method for bechamel sauce (aka white sauce), and now it’s time to put them all together with tons of fresh, flavor-packed veggies, and gooey cheese, in this easy vegetable lasagna with white sauce (gotta love bechamel)! Whether you have a hungry family to feed or want a meal for potlucks and gatherings – this cheesy, flavor (and veggie) packed vegetable lasagna is a crowd favorite. Pasta bakes are a favorite of mine for large gatherings, like this one-pot pasta bake or vegan bechamel pasta bake! Best of all, this recipe is super versatile – swap out the veggies based on what you have in the kitchen, and quickly adapt the recipe to gluten-free, dairy-free, or vegan (check recipe notes for suggestions!).
The Veggie Lasagna Ingredients
Lasagna Sheets: I used homemade fresh lasagna sheets that are cooked in with the vegetable lasagna. You can use dried lasagna sheets; some are par-cooked and can be cooked with the lasagna, and some will require pre-cooking – so keep an eye out on the box instructions. Vegetables: I used mixed vegetables including onions, carrots, red pepper, zucchini, eggplant, spinach, and garlic.
Tomato sauce: For the tomato sauce, I combined tomato passata, canned whole plum tomatoes, a little tomato paste, sugar, salt, black pepper, olive oil, and optionally some Italian spice mix. Optionally, you could also add a little smoked paprika or cayenne pepper for a slightly smoky or spicy twist. An Italian ‘secret’ passed on to me by a friend is to add nutmeg to the sauce, too! Bechamel sauce: I used homemade bechamel sauce. You can omit it if you use lots of cheese instead, but I love a vegetable lasagna with white sauce, so can’t omit bechamel with the tomato-based veggie filling ❤ Cheese: I used a trio of cheeses, including parmesan, fresh mozzarella ball (sliced), and shredded mozzarella. You could just use mozzarella or just a sprinkling of parmesan to personal taste.
Add-ins and Variations
One of the best things about sharing my daily meals on Instagram is that I’ve been able to get others’ input on what I’m making and a TON of suggestions. Here are just a few other suggestions for add-ins and variations that have come directly from you for this easy vegetable lasagna! (Well… maybe not you exactly, but you understand!)
Vegetables: celery, leek, mushrooms (particularly porcini), sweet potato, pumpkin, squash, potato (can be sliced thinly to create an extra layer within the veggie lasagna or be used in the veggie mix), broccoli, artichoke, green peas, asparagus, sweetcorn, etc. Protein: meatballs (like these ‘shroom balls), soy protein (mince), crumbled tofu, legumes like chickpeas or white beans. You can even add boiled eggs (I’ve NEVER tried this before, but multiple people mentioned it!) Cheese: Swap out the bechamel for cottage cheese or ricotta, if preferred.
Read the recipe notes at the bottom of the page on how to adapt this into a vegan vegetable lasagna as well as gluten-free, and more!
How to Make Mixed Vegetable Lasagna
Step 1: Prepare the vegetables
First, finely dice all the vegetables (including the garlic). You can optionally salt the eggplant to release excess water. However, this will require you to wait for 30 minutes, so it isn’t something I do every time. It’s just a little more watery without salting. In a large pan, add the olive oil and sauté the onion over medium-low heat for a minute or so. Then add the garlic, remaining vegetables, spices, and tomato puree and mix in well.
Step 2: Add the tomato sauce
Continue to sauté for 2-3 minutes before adding all the remaining tomato sauce ingredients and stirring well. Mix, then reduce the heat to a low simmer and allow it to cook for around 20 minutes, covered. Or until the vegetables are tender. Once ready, you can leave the texture chunky or use an immersion blender to make a little (or all of it) smoother. This is based on personal preference.
Step 3: Prepare the remaining ingredients
If you don’t already have bechamel sauce prepared, you can do this while the vegetables simmer. If you’re using dried lasagna sheets, make sure to follow the instructions to pre-cook them if they’re not a ‘no boil’ variety (that can be added straight to the lasagna to cook in the oven). Then prepare your lasagna assembling station; get the baking dish ready, your lasagna sheets, bechamel sauce, and cheese ready.
Step 4: Assemble the vegetable lasagna
Chef’s note: After hours and hours in the kitchen, and after a morning of recipe testing – I layered my lasagna differently to usual in the photo’s so don’t panic that my instructions for this step don’t necessarily match the images. First, spoon in 1/3 of the vegetable mixture to the bottom of the baking dish (I used one that’s 9×13 inch/22×33 cm). Then add a layer of lasagna sheets (cut to fit the container if using fresh pasta). Then spread 1/3 of the bechamel sauce, another 1/3 of the vegetable filling, and sprinkle with some of each cheese. Repeat the process once more – lasagna sheets, béchamel, vegetables, cheese. Finally, add one more layer of lasagna sheets with the remaining ¼ bechamel and the remaining cheese. For the top layer of the lasagna sheets, I used homemade laminated sheets with basil. But this is 100% optional. Note: This lasagna has 3 layers of pasta; many have 4. Feel free to divide the bechamel and vegetables into ¼ for an extra layer.
Step 5: Bake the veggie lasagna
Bake the veggie lasagna in a preheated oven at 375ºF/190ºC for 25 covered with tin foil. Then followed by 25 minutes, uncovered. Once ready, it should be golden and bubbly on top. Remove it from the oven and allow it to rest and cool for 10-15 minutes before serving! Enjoy a slice of vegetable lasagna alone or serve alongside a leafy salad and/or some garlic bread (or garlic naan! – unconventional, but delicious!). Feel free to garnish with some basil!
How to Store and Reheat
Fridge: Allow the veggie lasagna to cool before covering well with plastic wrap (or beeswax wrap). Then store for between 4-5 days in the refrigerator. Freezer: Allow the baked lasagna to cool completely before wrapping well (with two layers) and freezing for between 4-6 weeks. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then bake in the oven, adding an extra few minutes to the baking time. Reheat: You can reheat vegetable lasagna either in slices in the microwave (cover the bowl with cling film and heat for 2 minutes on high, rest for 30 seconds, then heat for a further minute if needed) or sliced/whole in the oven. To bake in the oven, cover the lasagna with tin foil and bake at 350ºF/120ºC until the cheese is bubbling and it’s warmed through. This can take as little as 15 minutes for 1-2 slices and up to 30 minutes for more.
Recipe Notes
Use seasonal vegetables: this easy vegetable lasagna recipe is super versatile. Feel free to swap out the vegetables based on the season and what you have in the kitchen. Use no-boil lasagna sheets: if you’re not making your own pasta, I recommend using no-boil lasagna noodles. It’ll save an extra step and another pan from being used! For a vegan vegetable lasagna: you can cut my vegan pasta into lasagna sheets, use the vegan bechamel I use in this pasta bake. You can also swap the cheese for your favorite MELTY vegan cheese plus this vegan mozzarella. You could also (alternatively) swap some of the bechamel for vegan almond ricotta. For gluten-free vegetable lasagna: you could make lasagna sheets with one of my gluten-free pasta recipes like oat pasta, chickpea pasta, or a store-bought option. For vegetable lasagna with white sauce: swap out all the tomatoes for alfredo sauce instead!
Other Pasta Recipes
Easy Vegan Bechamel Pasta Bake Creamy Avocado Pasta Sauce (Green Pasta) Baked Feta and Cherry Tomato Pasta Simple Roasted Red Pepper Pasta Homemade Roasted Tomato Sauce (Homemade Pasta Sauce) Super Creamy Vegan Mushroom Sauce Pasta Or try this pasta-alternative Eggplant Parmesan (Eggplant Parmigiana)
If you try this mixed vegetable lasagna recipe, I’d love to hear your thoughts/questions below. Also, I’d really appreciate a recipe card rating below, and feel free to tag me in your recipe recreations on Instagram @Alphafoodie!
