If you’re looking for a lasagna that is lighter than most– and one that will use up some of your garden vegetables, then this Garden Vegetable Lasagna is for you.
Garden Vegetable Lasagna
All of that cheesy goodness in this lasagna is what I really love about it. It’s made a little bit healthier, but there is still plenty of cheese… because how can you go light on cheese? You can’t! That makes this vegetable lasagna a desirable one even though it’s not packed with a rich and decadent meat sauce.
This Garden Vegetable Lasagna is made of up layers of plenty of sautéed vegetables (onions, carrots, zucchini, broccoli and yellow squash), cheeses and a very simple creamy spinach sauce.
It’s not too late to grab all of the summery garden veggies to make this meal (or my Garden Vegetable Quiche!) I promise you won’t miss the meat in this vegetable lasagna recipe. The vegetables are hearty enough to hold their own in the layers of the lasagna, and they help pack a punch of fresh flavor too. I love that you can enjoy this decadent pasta dish, but it’s so much lighter than traditional pasta dishes so it’s practically guilt-free!
If you happen to be following a lighter style of eating, then this is a good pasta recipe for you to enjoy. The lasagna is divided into twelve servings. If you’re following the Weight Watchers WW plan, you will find a link to the WW Points on the recipe card below.
Here are a few more lasagna recipes you might like to try:
- Chicken Cordon Bleu Lasagna
- Pastitsio (Greek Lasagna)
- Easy Skillet Lasagna
- Instant Pot Lasagna
- Classic Light Lasagna
- Slow Cooker Lasagna Recipe
- Easy Seafood Lasagna
- Super Fast Spinach, Pesto and Cheese Lasagna
Garden Vegetable Lasagna
Ingredients
THE VEGGIES:
- 2 cups chopped onion
- 4 medium garlic cloves, minced
- 2 teaspoons olive oil, divided
- 2 cups chopped zucchini
- 2 cups chopped yellow squash
- 2 cups thinly sliced carrot
- 2 cups chopped broccoli
- ½ teaspoon salt
THE SAUCE:
- ½ cup all purpose flour
- 3½ cups 1% low fat milk
- ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- dash of nutmeg
- One 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
THE REST:
- 1½ cups 1% low fat cottage cheese
- 2 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
- 9 pre-cooked lasagna noodles, divided
- ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Spray a 13x9-inch baking dish with nonstick spray.
PREPARE THE VEGGIES:
- Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Coat the pan with cooking spray. Add the onion to the pan; sauté 4 minutes or until lightly browned. Add the garlic; sauté 1 minute. Spoon the onion mixture into a large bowl.
- Heat 1 teaspoon of the oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Add the zucchini and yellow squash; sauté 4 minutes or until tender and just beginning to brown. Add to the onion mixture.
- Heat the remaining 1 teaspoon of oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Add the sliced carrot; sauté 4 minutes or until tender. Add the chopped broccoli; sauté 4 minutes or until crisp-tender. Add to the onion mixture. Sprinkle with ½ teaspoon salt; toss well to combine.
PREPARE THE SAUCE:
- Place the flour in a medium saucepan. Gradually add the milk, stirring with a whisk until blended. Bring to a boil over medium heat; cook 2 minutes or until thick, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add the Parmesan, salt, pepper, and nutmeg; stir until smooth. Stir in the spinach.
ASSEMBLE THE LASAGNA:
- Combine the cottage cheese and 1½ cups mozzarella; stir well. Spread ½ cup of the sauce mixture in the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Arrange 3 noodles over the sauce mixture in the dish; top with half of the cottage cheese mixture, then half of vegetable mixture, and about 1 cup of the sauce mixture. Repeat layers, ending with noodles. Spread the remaining sauce mixture on top of the noodles; sprinkle with ½ cup Parmesan and remaining ½ cup mozzarella.
- Cover and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 20 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly and beginning to brown. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I don’t usually comment on recipes but this one was so delicious, thank you so much!
This was not a win a for me , but to be fair, I used whole milk since that’s what I had- and I just couldn’t get the sauce to thicken properly. The result was a highly labor intensive, milky, vegetable stew. Lesson learned..time to do the dishes :(.
Can I make this ahead of time and freeze it?
I have not tried making this one ahead, but in general that usually works for a lasagna recipe.
Have you tried this with non-daily milk alternatives? I would like to make this with soy milk, but haven’t cooked much with anything like that and wasn’t sure how it would taste!
I haven’t experimented with non-dairy ingredients, so I’m not sure!
First of, this is a lot of work, but the end product was delicious. Creamy with a little crunch from the carrots and filling. Great recipe!
Do you think I could use no bake lasagna noodles in this recipe?
I haven’t tried them!
This recipe is very yummy! I gave it a 4 because of the prep time. It takes longer than 45 minutes because of all the vegetable chopping, cooking each vegetable individually due to different cooking times and then making the sauce ( milk takes time to boil) and stirring constantly.
I’m a meat eater & this dish is GOOD. I just finished my my bowl. Flavorful & I didn’t miss the meat.
My first time making this recipe I halved it as I was unsure how my family would like it. Well, I am making it today and making a 13×9 inch pan! They absolutely loved it and asked for more this time so we can freeze the leftovers for lunches. My 14 year old clapped and said goodie when I told her what was for dinner. Thank you so much for this recipe. It is so delicious.
Made this lasagna and followed this recipe exactly except I used 2% milk instead of 1 % because that’s what I had on hand and it was delicious. I made it for a ladies group meeting and I got loads of compliments and several people asked for the recipe. It took me longer than 45 minutes to prepare but it was well worth it. The vegetable flavors blended perfectly and the layers of cheese and sauce made it rich and creamy. I love this lasagna and will definitely make it again and again. Add a small salad and some nice crusty Italian bread and you have the perfect meal. This one is a keeper.