This Vegetable Lasagna with White Sauce is the best way to use up all of your garden vegetables! The cheesy vegetarian lasagna is layered with lasagna noodles, bechamel sauce, and garden veggies.
Vegetable Lasagna With White Sauce
This vegetable lasagna is so incredibly delicious!
The white cheese sauce has tons of flavor from the parmesan cheese. It’s thick and creamy and holds everything together.
The vegetables are perfectly cooked. I love tasting the combination of broccoli, spinach, zucchini, and corn in every bite.
That final layer of the crisp melted cheese tops everything off perfectly. You’ll never want to buy a frozen vegetarian lasagna again after eating this one!
Ingredients
Oil: This is what we’re using to saute the vegetables. Butter is used in the sauce, so I prefer to use oil for the vegetables so that the lasagna doesn’t end up tasting too heavy.
Vegetables: We’re using a combination of spinach, broccoli, zucchini, and corn in this recipe. It’s the perfect combination to get through your summer harvest. Zucchini can be substituted with yellow squash if you’d like.
You can omit one of the vegetables if you don’t have it (or just don’t like it). You could also add in another vegetable that you want to use up. Just be sure that you’re only adding cooked vegetables, otherwise they’ll release too much water during baking.
Aromatics, Herbs, Spices: Onion, garlic, dried parsley, onion powder, Italian seasoning, fine sea salt, and ground black pepper add tons of flavor to this dish.
Butter: This is the fat we’re using in the white sauce. I wouldn’t recommend swapping this with oil because the butter adds so much flavor to the sauce.
Flour: This is the thickener we’re using in the white sauce. It combines with the melted butter to create a blonde roux, which then allows the flour to mix with the milk to create a thick sauce without the flour clumping up.
Milk: This is the base of our white sauce. Since it’s being cooked, I really recommend using whole milk. If you use skim milk, there’s a good chance that the sauce will break.
Cheese: We’re using a combination of cottage cheese, parmesan, and mozzarella throughout this dish. The combination of a soft cheese, a hard cheese, and a stretchy cheese makes the perfect lasagna. You can substitute the cottage cheese for ricotta cheese if you prefer.
Pasta: Oven ready lasagna noodles are what you’ll need for this dish. Prepare them according to the package instructions before making the lasagna.
How To Make Veggie Lasagna With White Sauce
Start by wilting the fresh spinach in olive oil. Once it’s cooked down, transfer it to a paper towel lined bowl and remove as much liquid as possible. (See the recipe card below for the full printable instructions.)
Saute the onions for a few minutes, then add in the garlic and saute until it’s aromatic. Add in the broccoli and saute for a few minutes.
Add in the corn, zucchini, and salt. Saute for a few minutes, then transfer the spinach to the skillet and replace the paper towel in the bowl. Transfer the vegetable mixture to the paper towel lined bowl and allow it to drain as much liquid as possible.
Once the vegetables have drained, carefully remove the paper towel, and mix the cottage cheese with the vegetables.
Melt the butter in the skillet, then sprinkle the flour over the butter. Stir to mix and create a blonde roux.
Add in the milk while whisking constantly. Stir in the dried parsley, onion powder, Italian seasoning, ground black pepper, and some of the parmesan cheese. Bring to a simmer, and let it simmer while stirring until the sauce has thickened and reached a uniform consistency.
Grease your casserole dish, then spread a layer of the white sauce across the bottom. Follow that with a layer of the lasagna noodles.
Add a layer of the vegetable mixture, then sprinkle a layer of mozzarella cheese over the vegetables.
Follow that with a layer of white sauce, and another sprinkling of cheese. Repeat the layering process for another layer, finishing with the noodles.
Top the noodles with the remaining white sauce, mozzarella, and parmesan. Bake covered, then remove the foil and bake uncovered until the lasagna is cooked through. See the recipe card below for the full written instructions, including ingredient amounts, cooking times, and helpful tips, etc.
How Long To Bake Lasagna
If you’re baking a fresh lasagna, you will typically need to bake it at 375 F for about 45 minutes. The lasagna should be covered with aluminum foil for the first half of the cooking time.
What Is The White Sauce In Lasagna Made Of?
White sauce in lasagna is a bechamel sauce. The base of the sauce is a combination of butter, flour, and milk.
How Do You Keep Vegetable Lasagna From Being Watery?
The trick to making sure your vegetable lasagna isn’t watery is to cook the vegetables first, otherwise they’ll release a ton of water while baking. You also need to drain as much liquid as possible from the cooked vegetables. Squeezing the liquid out with paper towels is the easiest way I’ve found to do this.
What Goes Well With Vegetable Lasagna?
I like to serve this lasagna with a homemade side dish or a delicious salad. Some of my favorites are:
Optional Adaptations
Sauce: Try combining the white sauce with red sauce or Tomato Sauce to make a pink sauce lasagna. You could also add dollops of pesto for a lovely taste of fresh basil. If you don’t want to make sauce from scratch, you could try using jarred Alfredo sauce instead.
Meat: If you don’t want a vegetarian lasagna, try adding in some shredded chicken. This would be a great place to use leftover rotisserie chicken.
Keep In Touch
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Pasta Recipes
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BEST Vegetable Lasagna With White Sauce Recipe
This Vegetable Lasagna with White Sauce is the best way to use up all of your garden vegetables! You'll love this cheesy vegetarian lasagna.
Ingredients
Vegetables:
- 4 Tablespoons olive oil (divided)
- 8 ounces fresh spinach (chopped)
- 1 medium yellow onion (diced, about 1 cup)
- 3 medium cloves garlic (minced)
- 2 cups chopped fresh broccoli florets
- 1 medium zucchini (diced, about 1 cup)
- 1 (8.75 ounce) can whole kernel corn (drained)
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 1/2 cups cottage cheese
White Sauce:
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 1/2 cups whole milk
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese*
Lasagna:
- 12 lasagna noodles (cooked according to package instructions and ready to bake)
- 2 1/2 cups freshly shredded mozzarella cheese*
- 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese*
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 F (190 C). Lightly grease a 9x13 casserole dish. Line a medium mixing bowl with a thick layer of paper towels (to absorb the liquid from the cooked vegetables)**.
- Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, once hot add in 1 Tablespoon of olive oil and swirl to coat the pan. Add the chopped spinach and cook until wilted. Once cooked, transfer into the bowl lined with paper towels.
- Add another Tablespoon of olive oil to the skillet, then add in the onions and cook for 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute (or until fragrant).
- Add in another Tablespoon of olive oil and the chopped broccoli. Saute for 4 minutes, then add in the zucchini, drained canned corn, and sea salt. Stir and cook for 3 more minutes.
- Squeeze the paper towels around the spinach to remove excess water, then transfer the spinach to the skillet with the other vegetables. Change the paper towel lining in the bowl, and add the sauteed vegetables to the paper towel lined bowl.
- In the same skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Sprinkle in the flour and whisk until a roux is formed. Slowly pour in the milk while whisking constantly, continue whisking until you reach a smooth consistency.
- Add in the dried parsley, onion powder, Italian seasoning, ground black pepper, and shredded parmesan cheese. Sir to mix. Bring to a simmer and simmer until thickened while whisking constantly (about 4 minutes). Remove from heat.***
- Use the paper towels to gently pat the vegetables dry and remove as much excess water as possible. Carefully remove the paper towels from the vegetables (leaving the vegetables behind in the same bowl). Mix the cottage cheese with the vegetables.
- Spread 1 cup of the white sauce in the bottom of the prepared casserole dish. Place 3-4 lasagna noodles on top of the sauce (the number of noodles will depend on the size of your noodles - you may need to break one in half to fill in any spaces). Spread half of the vegetable and cottage cheese mixture over the noodles. Sprinkle 1 cup of mozzarella cheese over the vegetables, then spread 1 cup of sauce over top of the cheese.
- Repeat the layering step one more time, ending with the noodles. Spread the remaining sauce on top, and then top with the remaining mozzarella and parmesan cheese.
- Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and place in the preheated oven. Bake for 20 minutes, then carefully remove the foil and bake for another 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and let it rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
*It’s important to use freshly shredded cheese. Pre-shredded cheeses are coated in an anti-caking agent that stops it from melting smoothly.
**Make sure to line the bowl for the vegetables with several paper towels, or the liquid released from the vegetables will turn the lasagna into a watery mess.
***I poured the sauce into a large measuring cup to make it easier to pour, and to measure the cups while assembling.
Nutrition Information:
Serving Size:
1/8Amount Per Serving: Calories: 587Total Fat: 31.3gCarbohydrates: 50.4gFiber: 4.3gSugar: 10.3gProtein: 27.2g
Nutrition information isn’t always accurate.
The next time you have lots of garden vegetables to use up, make this vegetable lasagna in white sauce!
9 thoughts on “Vegetable Lasagna With White Sauce Recipe”
Hi,
This looks delicious!
I’m wondering if this can be frozen after it’s assembled and then baked later? Or do you recommend baking it first and then freezing it and reheat it again later?
Thanks!
Marianne
Hi Marianne, I haven’t tried freezing this recipe, but I think it would work best if it was frozen after it was assembled but before it was baked. Hope that helps! -Alexa
I make a Vegetable Lasagna that’s very similar to this one whenever we entertain, and it is always well-received. (1) I use Heavy Whipping Cream (rather than Milk) to make my Sauce; (2) I use 3-4 Tbls. Xanthan Gum (rather than Flour) to make my roux; (3) I use Ricotta Cheese rather than Cottage Cheese; (4) I switch out the Corn for Carrots that I shred with my Vegetable Peeler and then I slice the shreds into 1/3rds; I shred my Zucchini similarly; (5) I’ve learned that, while fresh Spinach and fresh Broccoli are great, frozen chopped Spinach (thawed and drained) and frozen Broccoli florets (which I run through my Food Processor) work just as well, if not better; (6) I substitute dried Basil for the Italian Seasoning and I switch out the Onion Powder with 1/4 – 1/2 tsp. Ground Nutmeg; and (7) sometimes I substitute mild or sharp Cheddar Cheese for the Mozzarella (kids especially really like this!). [Note: Some people consider Lasagna to be too “labor intensive” to make on a regular basis. This recipe, as presented or using any or all of my “tweaks”, can be made using pretty much any kind of “thick” pasta shape — e.g., Rigatoni, Cavatappi (corkscrerws), Rotini/Fusilli, Penne Rigate, etc. Baking is optional.] Enjoy!
Hi JoAnn, These are some really great tips – thank you so much for sharing! Your version sounds so delicious. Just a quick note about xanthan gum for anyone else reading this – it has very strong thickening qualities so you use far less than you would with flour (I normally start with a slurry of 1/4 teaspoon xantham gum whisked with 1 Tablespoon cold water, and then add more from there because a little goes a long way). -Alexa
Can you use ready to bake noodles?
Hi Pat, I haven’t tested this recipe with ready to bake noodles, so I don’t know how it would turn out. If you try it, please let me know how it goes! -Alexa
How do you think asparagus would work as one of the veggies? I’m thinking red peppers, asparagus and carrots along with the onions
Hi Ellen, I haven’t tested this with asparagus, so I can’t say for sure how it would turn out. If you try it, please let me know how it goes! -Alexa
Really good! I swapped out zucchini for chopped French green beans. I did not have Italian seasoning so I did half oregano and half basil. Prep time was closer to an hour.