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.
Can I use ricotta cheese i stead of cottage cheese?
yes!
I
Switched the cottage cheese for ricotta and assembled it differently. Also because I cook I sautéed all the vegetables together, then the onion and garlic, I also did not use nut Meg I used allspice….. I will be back to tell you how it came out
Can this recipe be prepared a day ahead, put in the refrigerator overnight and baked the next day?
Probably, but I have not tried it.
It took me a very long time to make! The steps are a bit confusing and it ended up being way too watery and mushy. I won’t make this again..
I did love but the flavor is lacking. Needs more seasoning and red pepper. Cottage cheese & mozzarella did not hold lasagna together. I would make again with ricott, egg and more seasoning.
Can you cook the veggies and sauce and assemble it and then put it in the fridge overnight to bake the next day?
Probably
Recipe was pretty close. I’d say more salt is necessary in the sauce for sure (maybe just say “salt to taste”. I’d also suggest cooking all veggies in one pan (as i did) to save on dishes… im experienced so I know how to cook all my veg together, red pepper flakes were a nice addition to this recipe as it needed some heat to play off of the sweetness of the vegetables. And lastly, the flour and milk mixture was a bit off putting. I’d highly recommend using a bechamel (starting with a roux) for this recipe. Would certainly lend to more flavor and a silkier sauce,
Can I use no boil lasagna noodles?
I don’t use those, so I’m not sure…
I have used no boil noodles before with this recipe and it has been successful. I do recommend checking in a few places by gently poking it with a knife to see if any extra time is needed after the 40 minutes. Of course it varies by oven and if you use convection or conventional baking.
Yummy. But don’t quite understand the process. I read the reviews before attempting the recipe and read the few complaints about the time it took to cook all the vegetables separately. I just did it in reverse. I started sautéing the carrots for a few minutes. Threw in the onions and sautéed them for a few more minutes., then the broccoli, then the squash and garlic. O only had fresh baby spinach so I threw that in at the end just to wilt it a bit. This added to the flavor and cut the cooking time way back. Not quite understanding why the directions had you cooking everything separately. Just time it.
Been making this recipe for years. I do however use ricotta, oven ready noodles, whole milk and locatelli. Everyone loves it. Not necessarily lowfat, however. Have used fresh spinach in place of frozen and fight its less watery that way.