Description
This vibrant no-boil vegetable lasagna combines sautéed carrots, bell peppers, zucchini, and spinach with a fresh homemade tomato-basil sauce and creamy cottage cheese mixture. Layered carefully with tender no-boil lasagna noodles and topped with melted mozzarella, it’s baked to golden perfection then garnished with fresh basil. Perfect as a wholesome vegetarian main course, this recipe balances savory veggies and rich cheeses with a touch of spice and fresh herbs for a comforting Italian-inspired dish.
Ingredients
Scale
Veggies and Spinach
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 large carrots, chopped (about 1 cup)
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 1 medium zucchini, chopped
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 5 to 6 ounces baby spinach
Tomato Sauce
- 1 large can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes
- ¼ cup roughly chopped fresh basil, plus additional for garnish
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Remaining Ingredients
- 2 cups (16 ounces) low-fat cottage cheese, divided
- ¼ teaspoon salt, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 9 no-boil lasagna noodles (approximately 6.5 x 3 inches)
- 8 ounces (2 cups) freshly grated low-moisture, part-skim mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Set your oven to 425°F (220°C) to prepare for baking the lasagna later.
- Sauté Vegetables: Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add chopped carrots, red bell pepper, zucchini, and onion along with ¼ teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring every couple of minutes, until veggies develop golden edges, about 8 to 12 minutes.
- Wilt Spinach: Gradually add baby spinach in handfuls to the skillet, stirring frequently until completely wilted. This should take about 3 minutes total. Remove skillet from heat and set aside.
- Prepare Tomato Sauce: Drain excess juice from the diced tomatoes using a fine sieve. Transfer drained tomatoes to a food processor and add ¼ cup chopped basil, 2 tablespoons olive oil, garlic, ½ teaspoon salt, and red pepper flakes. Pulse approximately 10 times until mixture is broken down but still spreadable. Pour into a bowl and set aside.
- Blend Cottage Cheese: Without cleaning the food processor, add half the cottage cheese (1 cup) and blend until smooth, about 1 minute. Transfer this whipped cottage cheese to a large mixing bowl.
- Chop Veggies for Cheese Mixture: Add the cooked vegetable and spinach mixture to the food processor and pulse 5 to 7 times until vegetables are finely chopped but not pureed. Transfer this to the cottage cheese bowl.
- Combine Cheese Mixture: Top the bowl with the remaining cottage cheese, sprinkle ¼ to ½ teaspoon salt and plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Stir gently to combine thoroughly, creating a creamy, textured filling.
- Assemble Lasagna – Layer 1: Spread ½ cup of tomato sauce evenly over the bottom of a 9×9 inch baking dish. Layer 3 no-boil noodles, trimming or overlapping to fit. Spread half the cottage cheese and veggie mixture evenly over noodles, then top with ¾ cup tomato sauce and ½ cup shredded mozzarella.
- Assemble Lasagna – Layer 2: Add 3 more noodles, spread the remaining cottage cheese mixture over them (skip tomato sauce this layer), then sprinkle ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese on top.
- Assemble Lasagna – Layer 3: Place final 3 noodles on top. Spread ¾ cup tomato sauce evenly over noodles, covering them. Finish by sprinkling 1 cup shredded mozzarella evenly on top.
- Cover and Bake: Cover the dish loosely with parchment paper or foil, ensuring it does not touch the cheese surface. Bake covered for 18 minutes at 425°F.
- Uncover and Continue Baking: Remove cover, rotate pan 180 degrees for even cooking, and bake uncovered for 10 to 15 more minutes until cheese is spotty brown and bubbly.
- Rest and Serve: Allow lasagna to rest and set for 15 to 20 minutes after baking. Sprinkle freshly chopped basil over the top before slicing into 8 servings and serving.
Notes
- Lasagna noodles used are no-boil type; recommended brands include DeLallo’s Whole Wheat and Whole Foods’ 365 No-Boil noodles. For gluten-free options, use gluten-free no-boil noodles or cook according to package instructions.
- Vegetables can be varied to your taste — any combination that totals about 3 cups chopped veggies (excluding onion) works well. Mushrooms or butternut squash make excellent additions or substitutions.
- Dairy-free/Vegan option: Substitute doubled vegan sour cream in place of cottage cheese, omit mozzarella, and use all tomato sauce for the top layer. Lightly blend the veggies into the vegan sour cream for texture. Garnish with vegan pesto or extra sour cream.
- Allowing the lasagna to cool before slicing helps it set and makes for cleaner slices.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice (1/8 of lasagna)
- Calories: 320
- Sugar: 6g
- Sodium: 480mg
- Fat: 14g
- Saturated Fat: 5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 28g
- Fiber: 5g
- Protein: 22g
- Cholesterol: 30mg
