Frequently I’m asked where I find inspiration for my recipes and the answer varies. I’m inspired by other food bloggers, food magazines, cooking shows, restaurants, and hearing from those around me about dishes they’ve loved. A few weeks ago I was talking to my dad and he raved about a lasagna he had eaten recently. It was a vegetarian lasagna packed with vegetables, and instead of a red sauce it used a cream sauce. My dad is quite the cook himself, and as he went on about this roasted vegetable lasagna, I knew I needed to recreate it for myself.
This recipe uses a lot of different vegetables: broccoli, mushrooms, onion, bell pepper, and zucchini are the frontrunners here, tucked in between lasagna noodles with plenty of cheese and an herby béchamel sauce. Don’t let the fancy name fool you; béchamel sauce is easy to make with a simple base of butter, flour, and milk. Fresh herbs, garlic, and a touch of nutmeg bring it to the next level.
When I first chopped up the vegetables to use for this recipe and saw that they filled two sheet pans, I thought I was a little overambitious. But they all fit really nicely into this recipe without the layers being too thick that the lasagna is hard to serve. You’ll notice in the cheese mixture that I use cottage cheese instead of the typical ricotta cheese that you see in lasagna. Kevin doesn’t care for ricotta cheese, so I use cottage cheese in my lasagnas. But you can certainly substitute ricotta cheese if that’s you’re preference!
This roasted vegetable lasagna is the perfect dish to make ahead for the week, to serve for Meatless Monday, or even to serve guests for a casual dinner with a big green salad on the side. If you’re bringing a meal to a friend who just had a baby, or lost a loved one, this is the perfect dish too. It’s comforting but still full of vegetables, and can be popped in the freezer to enjoy in the future too.
- 12-15 lasagna noodles
- 2 large broccoli crowns, broken into florets
- 8 oz. sliced mushrooms
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 zucchini, chopped
- Olive oil
- Salt
- Pepper
- 5 tbsp. butter
- ¼ cup flour
- 4 cups milk
- 2 tsp. salt
- ¼ tsp. nutmeg
- 2 tbsp. fresh herbs (I used thyme and oregano)
- ½ tsp. garlic powder
- 24 oz. cottage cheese or ricotta cheese
- ½ cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
- ½ tsp. salt
- ¼ tsp. ground black pepper
- ½ tsp. garlic powder
- 1 tsp. dried oregano
- 1 tsp. dried basil
- 16 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and prepare lasagna noodles according to package directions for al dente pasta. Drain and set aside. Drizzle with olive oil to prevent sticking.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Spread vegetables over two sheet pans and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and use your hands to toss to coat. Bake for 25-30 minutes until tender and remove from oven to cool.
- Meanwhile, make your béchamel sauce. Melt butter in a large saucepan. Whisk in flour and stir until full incorporated. Whisk in milk, salt, nutmeg, thyme, and garlic powder. Bring to a simmer over low heat and cook until thickened, whisking frequently to avoid clumps. This will take about 10 minutes.
- Transfer broccoli to a cutting board and chop until it is the same size as the other vegetables. If the florets are too large you will have trouble keeping your lasagna together. Place all roasted vegetables in a large bowl.
- In a medium bowl, combine cottage cheese or ritocotta cheese, parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, garlic powder, oregano, and basil. Stir to combine.
- Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and prepare your lasagna. Spray a 13 x 9 pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- Spread about ½ cup of bechamel sauce on the bottom of the pan and place 3 lasagna noodles. Top with roasted vegetables, cheese mixture, a few handfuls of mozzarella cheese, and bechamel sauce. Continue with remaining layers until complete. I like my final layer to be just bechemel sauce and the remaining mozzarella cheese.
- Bake for 45-50 minutes until bubbling. Allow to cool at least 45 minutes before slicing and serving.
- Enjoy!
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[…] you can skip the salad altogether! Since we sometimes eat meatless, I wanted to create a delicious meatless lasagna that also had the option to add meat. If you want, you can add Italian sausage to the filling but I […]