This vegetarian lasagna is perfect for those Meatless Mondays.
Very Vegetarian Lasagna
Today I’m introducing a fan favorite with my husband and me! A VERY vegetarian lasagna. This recipe gets its name from a quick swap that I’ve added to remove eggs from the equation. Hilariously, this recipe was born out of a need to provide a vegetarian option at our wedding. Some of our guests needed a truly vegetarian option (i.e. there was a distinction between “eggetarian” and “vegetarian”). And thus this recipe was born.
The Very Vegetarian Lasagna
To ensure it was truly vegetarian, I decided to personally make this dish for our guests rather than having it catered. The trick to not using eggs in this Very Vegetarian Lasagna is to make a quick swap for greek yogurt. With that swap, this vegetarian lasagna comes together so easily, gives leftovers for DAYS, AND it might make you wonder why you ever needed that egg, to begin with. For your average, non-wedding situations, it becomes a great Sunday night dinner recipe that will provide leftovers throughout the week. This Very Vegetarian Lasagna is also packed with loads of savory vegetables and, of course, a TON of cheese to make it feel like a complete meal. My husband and I have found that a good piece of garlic bread and some wine can take this lasagna from a quick, “it’s-a-weeknight-let’s-just-microwave-this” mood to a “fancy Friday night dinner” in a snap.
If this doesn’t make you want to cook this very vegetarian lasagna, what will?
The process
The key to this lasagna is swapping out the egg that usually goes into the ricotta cheese for greek yogurt. Greek yogurt works as an alternative binding agent to help make the lasagna…just not runny. Be sure it’s greek – the thickness of greek yogurt is what seals the deal here. It works really easily and it’s usually the last thing I do before starting the assembly process.
Separating your pasta sauce and ricotta cheese mixture is the key to lasagna success.
Otherwise, this recipe comes together just like your good ole’ fashion vegetarian lasagna. I like to sauté my vegetables on the stovetop and then mix them into my assembly line bowls. The onions and tomatoes will go in a bowl with your favorite jar of sauce and the mushrooms and spinach will go into a different bowl with the ricotta cheese mixture. Once you have your two bowls set up, pop open your no-boil noodles and get to layering the lasagna in your approximately 9×13 dish. Bake and allow a little cool down and you’re ready to plate!
This is a great example of how your first lasagna layer should look.
Don’t forget I’m on social media and would LOVE LOVE LOVE to see you make any and all of my creations.
Looking for more vegetarian options? Then you should try my Authentic Vegetarian Shakshouka.
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pictures of your creations on Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok! Hashtag them #thehappyhaandi. And tag me @thehappyhaandi.
Very Vegetarian Lasagna
Equipment
- 1 Oven
- 1 Casserole Dish
Ingredients
- 9 Noodles (No boil) lasagna noodles
- 25 oz Pasta Sauce (We like Trader Joe's Marinara Sauce!)
- 1/2 cup Greek Yogurt
- 15 oz Ricotta Cheese
- 16 oz Shredded Mozzerella Cheese
- 1/2 Onion (diced)
- 16 oz Baby Bella Mushrooms (sliced)
- 8 oz Baby Spinach
- 3 Plum Tomatoes (diced)
- 1/2 tsp Oregano
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 1/4 tsp Garlic Powder
Instructions
Cooking the vegetables:
- Spray a little oil on a wide-bottom sauté pan. Heat the pan to medium heat. Then add the mushrooms. When they’re almost done cooking, add the baby spinach. Continue to cook until the spinach wilts. *Making sure there is no excess water* Set aside in a bowl.
- Next, fry your diced onion in the same saute pan, until they are cooked through. Set aside the onion in a different bowl.
- Take the bowl with your onions and add in the diced tomatoes, oregano, and the jar of pasta sauce. Mix these ingredients until combined evenly.
- Take the bowl with the mushrooms and spinach and add the ricotta cheese and greek yogurt. Mix well and add the salt and garlic powder.
Layering and Baking:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- In a 9x13 pan, put a small layer of the pasta sauce mixture at the bottom to prevent sticking. Next, add 3 noodles side-by-side, followed by a layer of sauce, ricotta cheese mixture, and shredded mozzarella cheese. Continue this layering process until the pan is filled up or you run out of ingredients. The final (very top) layer should have a final layer of shredded mozzarella.
- Cover the pan with aluminum foil, sprayed side down (spray foil with a little oil to prevent the cheese from sticking) and bake for 40 minutes. Once the 40 minutes is up, remove the foil and return to the oven uncovered for about 10 minutes. For a little browning on the cheese, you can also broil for 1-2 minutes (watch closely to prevent burning).
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