Garden Vegetable Lasagna

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Noodles layered with ricotta cheese, sauteed vegetables, mozzarella cheese, and marinara sauce make for a beautiful summer Garden Vegetable Lasagna.

A plate with a large slice of lasagna on it.

The past two weeks have been beautiful outside.   After a very cold winter that lasted until the end of April and a blazing hot June, July has been pretty nice.

My garden has finally started producing some vegetables and herbs.  It usually takes until late July or early August because of where we live.

The farmer’s market has been fully loaded as well.  Since we finally got air conditioning in out house and I can cook in the summer I decided to make a lovely Garden Vegetable Lasagna using veggies from my own garden and some from the local farms.

A skillet filled with colorful vegetables 

Ingredients:

  • red onion
  • bell peppers
  • eggplant
  • zucchini
  • mushrooms
  • carrots
  • spinach
  • garlic cloves
  • salt and pepper
  • no bake lasagna noodles
  • marinara sauce
  • fresh oregano, basil, and parsley
  • ricotta cheese
  • egg
  • mozzarella cheese
  • Parmesan cheese

To Make the Vegetables:  Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a saute pan and add all of the vegetables.  Saute for 10 minutes or until the vegetables have softened.  Add in the garlic cloves, salt, and pepper, and cook for one minute.  Remove from heat.

To Make the cheese Mixture:  In a medium bowl combine the ricotta cheese, egg, oregano, basil, parsley, salt, and pepper.  Mix well.

A pan with lasagna noodles topped off with ricotta cheese.

To Make the Lasagna:  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Pour sauce into the bottom of an 8 x 8 pan.  Place two noodles in the pan.  Layer with half the ricotta, 1/2 cup sauce, then 1/2 the vegetable mixture. Top with 1/3 of the mozzarella cheese. Repeat for a second layer.  To finish top off with 2 more noodles, the remaining sauce, the remaining mozzarella, and all of the Parmesan cheese. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes.  Remove foil and bake an additional 20 minutes.

Since pasta is one of my favorite meals, I end up making it once a week even in the summer.   The only difference is that in the summer I add plenty of fresh vegetables and herbs, many of which come from my own garden.  That’s what I did with this vegetable lasagna.

This lasagna is filled with garden vegetables like bell peppers, eggplant, zucchini, and onions.   It also has fresh basil, oregano, and parsley.  You can use whatever you have in your own garden.

A pan with lasagna noodles topped off with ricotta cheese and sauteed vegetables

Can I add meat to this lasagna?

You can!  In fact, the most recent time I made this lasagna I added ground beef.  Ground beef, ground chicken, or ground turkey would all work in this recipe.  Use around a half pound and add between the layers with the marinara sauce.

Can I use dried herbs?

You can add dried herbs in place of the fresh but fresh is better, especially in the summer.  If you do use dried herbs use 1 teaspoon of dried herbs to 1 Tablespoon of the fresh herbs. 

Can I add other vegetables?

For sure!  Use your favorite vegetables in this lasagna.  In addition to what I used you can add regular onions, squash, fresh tomatoes, broccoli, or any other vegetable that would work with a lasagna.

Can I double this recipe?

You sure can!  Double the recipe and use a 9 x 13 pan.  You’ll put three noodles down for each layer instead of two but otherwise just double the recipe.  You’ll also bake it for 30 minutes covered then 20 minutes uncovered.

Can I Freeze this Lasagna?

Yes!   Build the lasagna to completion but don’t bake it.  Cover the top with plastic wrap then cover it in foil.  When ready to bake simply pull from the freezer, remove the plastic wrap, put the foil back on a bake for 45-50 minutes with the foil and 20-25 minutes without the foil. It can be frozen for up to 6 months.

Pin Image:  A plate with a large slice of lasagna on it, text title, a cutting board with a bag of cheese, a box of lasagna noodles, a container of ricotta cheese, a zucchini, a carrot, a container of mushrooms, a bag of spinach, and an onion on it.

The vegetables I couldn’t get from my garden I bought at the local farmer’s market so I was sure they were local and delicious.   I even topped the lasagna with tomato sauce I canned last fall from the tomatoes in my garden. 

The resulting lasagna was amazing!  Because it’s made with vegetables and not meat it’s a lighter lasagna which is perfect for a summer meal.  It tastes so fresh and yummy, especially with my homemade tomato sauce.

More Lasagna Recipes:

Do you grow your own vegetables?   If not, I suggest starting with a small garden of herbs and a few vegetables.  Cucumbers and green beans are easy veggies to grow so starting with those is a good idea. 

Pick out a few herbs as well and plant them along the edges of your vegetable garden.  I’ve found that oregano, rosemary, and thyme are all very easy grow and my oregano and rosemary have both come back for several years. 

A lasagna topped off with marinara sauce

Growing your own herbs and vegetables is a great way to have fresh herbs and vegetables available all summer and it’s a cheaper way to get your produce!

If you’ve tried my Garden Vegetable Lasagna or any other recipe on Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks please take a minute to rate the recipe and leave a comment letting me know how you liked it. I love hearing from you! You can FOLLOW ME on:

A plate with a large slice of lasagna on it along with a fork.

A plate with a large slice of lasagna on it.

Garden Vegetable Lasagna

Yield: serves 4-6
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour

Noodles layered with ricotta cheese, sauteed vegetables, mozzarella cheese, and marinara sauce make for a beautiful summer Garden Vegetable Lasagna.

Ingredients

  • 1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
  • 1 ½ c. colored bell peppers, cut into thin strips (I used red, yellow, and green)
  • ½ medium eggplant, peeled and diced
  • ½ large zucchini, peeled and diced
  • ½ c. sliced mushrooms
  • 2 carrots, peeled and diced
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 6 ready to bake lasagna noodles
  • 1 ½ c. marinara sauce (homemade is best!)
  • 2 c. fresh spinach
  • 1 c. part skim ricotta cheese
  • 1 Tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, chopped
  • 2 teaspoons fresh oregano, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 1 c. mozzarella cheese, shredded
  • ½ c. shredded parmesan cheese

Instructions

  1. Place 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the vegetables and saute for 10 minutes,
    stirring occasionally, or until they have softened.
  2. Stir in half the garlic and saute for 2-3 minutes. Remove vegetables from heat.
  3. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spray an 8 x 8 baking dish with cooking spray.
  4. In a medium bowl combine half the garlic, the ricotta cheese, basil, rosemary, and oregano. Mix well. Stir in the beaten egg.
  5. Spoon ¼ cup of marinara sauce onto the bottom
    of the baking dish. Layer 2 lasagna noodles on top then spread half of the ricotta mixture. Spread ¼ cup of sauce on top of the ricotta and then layer with half of the spinach and then half of the sauteed veggies. Sprinkle with ⅓ of the mozzarella cheese.
  6. Repeat this process for the next layer. Top with 3 more lasagna noodles, the remaining mozzarella cheese, and the remaining sauce. Sprinkle with the parmesan cheese.
  7. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake and additional 15 minutes or until cheese is melted.
  8. Remove from oven and let stand 5 minutes. Slice and enjoy.

Notes

A Hezzi-D original recipe

Lasagna in a pan.

26 Comments

  1. People tend to think of lasagna as a heavy dish but not when made with garden fresh ingredients — sounds like one to try

  2. This sounds really great. I don’t grow a garden. The many times I have tried, I haven’t had any luck at all. That is even with friends trying to help me. I have a very black thumb. I have embraced it and I just go to the farmer’s market or my friends take pity on me. It’s a sad situation, but it is what it is.

    1. Oh no! I’m sorry you can’t grow a garden, they are so much fun! Farmer’s markets are great too though!

  3. It is hard for me to plant before mid-May as well because of our weather. I do wish we had a longer growing season. I may try my hand at a winter garden this year though since we don’t get much snow, just TONS of rain. I am hoping I can talk my guy into a meatless dinner because this lasagna is amazing!!

  4. Very lovely looking lasagna (and a great way for me to use alliteration). And I agree with you completely, homemade marinara sauce is the best! On the rare occasion I’ll be in lazy mode and make a lasagna with a store bought and *ugh*…never tastes nearly as good as homemade sauce. Thanks for sharing the recipe and the delicious pics. Cheers!

  5. What a beautiful delicious garden lasagna. I cannot wait to give it a try with my usual adaptions.

    I forget how lucky we are here in Portland as most of our herbs grow year round and sage as well as rosemary turn into huge bushes….Having the herb garden right outside your kitchen is great – something I have as well. Love it.

    1. I’m super jealous that you can grow herbs year round. We had something crazy like 160 inches of snow this year and 60 or so days under freezing.

  6. This looks delicious and thanks for the gardening tips too! We haven’t ever grown anything (apartment living and all) but I know we could probably manage some simple herbs.

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