Vegetarian Spinach Lasagna
Vegetarian Spinach Lasagna, made with store-bought tomato sauce, is a simple, delicious and balanced meal! This vegetarian lasagna recipe is the best kind of comfort food and can be made in advance for any evening or occasion.
Homestyle.
It’s a word I’ve used since I started cooking in college. I was obsessed with homestyle everything. And my definition of the word has changed throughout the years.
When I was in college, it meant making something for myself in my own kitchen instead of picking something up from the dining hall, the sorority house or a fast food restaurant. It didn’t necessarily mean the dish was made from scratch… it simply meant I spent some time on it in my own home.
When we were newlyweds, homestyle translated to making an entire meal from scratch. It also meant spending several hours in the kitchen. One day, we made our own pasta and simmered a bolognese sauce on the stovetop for hours, occasionally checking in with the sauce to confirm things were coming together the way we imagined.
It was a delicious definition, but it wasn’t sustainable.
Fast forward to today.
We have an active 14-month-old daughter, and we no longer have time to spend all day in the kitchen.
While Lady Baby enjoys food as much as we do, she has no interest in helping us cook yet.
Furthermore, when she’s awake, we spend our time with her, so there’s not time to run into the kitchen to complete any food-related tasks. Those are saved for her mealtimes or naptime.
Because of this, homestyle now means a delicious dish made with love.
And today’s recipe I have for y’all?
This Vegetarian Spinach Lasagna is a dish that can be pulled together in 30 minutes, thanks to a storebought tomato sauce.
How to make this Vegetarian Lasagna recipe
First and foremost, sauté the spinach with garlic in a skillet.
And while the spinach is wilting, combine the cottage cheese and ricotta in the food processor, blending until smooth.
When the spinach is wilted, it’s time to layer on the lasagna!
To start the layering process, you pour a little sauce onto the bottom of a baking dish.
Next, add the lasagne noodles. Smear the cheese mixture onto the no boil noodles, and top with the spinach and the shredded mozzarella cheese. Top this with more sauce, and repeat two more times. Sprinkle additional mozzarella on the very top, then cover and bake!
While you don’t spend all day making this lasagna — and who has the time to spend all day slaving in the kitchen over lasagna these days — this dish is definitely homestyle.
Here’s how I made it:
Vegetarian Spinach Lasagna
Ingredients
Lasagna
- 46 oz. jarred tomato sauce
- No Boil Lasagne Noodles
- 1 cup mozzarella shredded
Spinach Layer
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 5 oz. fresh baby spinach
- 4 cloves garlic minced
Cheese Layer
- 1 cup ricotta
- 1 cup cottage cheese
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano or 2 teaspoons fresh oregano
- ½ teaspoon dried basil or 1 teaspoon fresh basil
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
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Instructions
Prepare the Sautéed Spinach
- In a large skillet of medium-high heat, heat the olive oil and add the minced garlic.
- When the garlic is sizzling, add the spinach.
- Cook the spinach until just wilted, then remove from the heat and set aside.
Prepare the Cheese Layer
- In a food processor, combine the ricotta, cottage cheese, oregano, basil, black pepper and red pepper flakes.
- Process until smooth and combined, then set aside.
Build and Bake the Lasagna
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- In a 9" x 13" baking dish, spread a spoonful of the tomato sauce onto the bottom of the baking dish.
- On top of the tomato sauce, place three of the no boil lasagne noodles side by side, spreading across the dish.
- Take 1/3 of the cheese mixture, and spread it on top of the noodles.
- Sprinkle 1/3 of the spinach on top of the cheese mixture.
- Add 1/3 of the shredded mozzarella on top of the spinach.
- Top with more tomato sauce.
- Repeat two more times until three layers of lasagna are built in the baking dish.
- Sprinkle the rest of the mozzarella cheese on top of the tomato sauce.
- Cover the lasagna with aluminum foil, then transfer to the preheated oven.
- Bake 30 minutes, then remove the aluminum foil.
- Turn up the oven to 425°F, and bake the lasagna for 15 more minutes, or until the cheese on top is slightly browned, melted, and the rest of the dish is bubbling.
- Remove from the oven, and let cook for 15-20 minutes.
- Cut the lasagna into eight equal servings, and enjoy warm!
Nutrition
About the Author:
Erin Parker is a Southern gal living in Texas with her husband and two daughters. She started The Speckled Palate to share what she was cooking as a newlywed… and over the years, it’s evolved to capture her love for hosting. Specifically, the EASIEST, lowest key entertaining because everyone deserves to see their people and connect over good food. Learn more about her…
I STILL use the same lasagna recipe inspired by our cooking together at LSU. Spinach mixed into ricotta and cottage cheese, homemade sauce (when I can – which is rarely), and no-bake noodles!
I need to make this for my family… they love lasagna and spinach!
Love the sound of this!! That sauce looks fantastic too!!!
Thanks so much, Angela! This combination of flavors is fantastic, and the sauce is delicious, too!
This looks so tasty! 🙂 I think I might just have to make lasagna for dinner tonight.
This looks amazing!!! My kiddos are not meat eaters so this would be great for them, going to have to try it this week!
Thanks, Jenn! I hope your kids enjoy this dish! My daughter was a big fan of it!
I want this for dinner tonight! Yum!
I totally support you in making this for dinner tonight, Justine. Thanks for stopping by, and enjoy!
My friend’s husband is vegetarian and so they’re always looking for new recipes that keep meat eaters and vegetarians alike happy! Will be passing this along to her 🙂
Thanks for passing this along, Bintu! It’s always fun to find new recipes, and I hope they enjoy this one.
I need to make this for my family… they love lasagna and spinach!
Hooray! Lasagna and spinach together are such a great combination, and I hope your family enjoys this dish as much as mine did.
I love your definition of homestyle- made with love! That’s a great way to put it. This lasagna dish sounds so delicious! We are looking to cut down on our consumption of meat, and this looks like a hearty and filling dinner where we wouldn’t miss it at all!
Thank you, Theresa! I think that’s what it all comes down to for me: If it was made with love. Like y’all, we are looking to cut down on our consumption of meat, too, and this lasagna was hearty and filling enough that it was devoured in less than a day and a half!
This looks amazing! You can’t go wrong with Lasagna!
Thank you, Rachel! I agree. Lasagna is ALWAYS a good idea!
I love lasagna of all kinds and a shortcut here and there are definitely in order with busy lives and little ones! This looks delicious!
Having shortcuts when you’ve got a busy life is a must! I’m glad that you do that, too! Here’s to lasagna!
I need to make a vegetarian dinner for a friend who is recovering from surgery. This will be perfect!
I hope your friend enjoys this vegetarian dinner! We’re not vegetarians, but we all loved this dish!
This sounds so flavorful and a great vegetarian option!
Thank you, Kimberly! This really IS a great vegetarian option!
I have not tried a vegetarian lasagna before but this one looks delicious!
I hope that if you give this a try, Mary, that you enjoy it!
This looks so great, Erin! I bet that sauce from Ragu is great in a pinch when you don’t have time to cook a from-scratch sauce. I need that in my life! But it would be so much simpler to just come over for dinner, right?!
Thank you, Susannah! The Ragu really is great since I don’t have a ton of time to cook from-scratch sauce these days. Why don’t you live closer? You could’ve come over when we made this for dinner!
This lasagna looks easy AND delicious! Right up my alley!
Thank you, Michelle! Easy and delicious lasagna is right up my alley, too!
I absolutely love veggie lasagna! This looks great!
You and me both, Michelle! So happy you’re into this kind of lasagna, too!
I STILL use the same lasagna recipe inspired by our cooking together at LSU. Spinach mixed into ricotta and cottage cheese, homemade sauce (when I can – which is rarely), and no-bake noodles!
I love that! That’s my go-to, as well, but like you, I hardly have time to make the homemade sauce these days. This is a fun spin on it with the same cheesy goodness. Y’all should give it a go!
Vegetarian lasagna is one of my favorite dishes – can’t wait to try your recipe!
Thank you, Jenny! There’s something so simple and wonderful about a vegetarian lasagna, and I’m so glad we have this one in our dinner rotation now. I hope you enjoy the recipe!
This looks so yummy!
Thanks, Elizabeth!
Lasagna in 30 minutes? This is awesome! I like that this is a way to add some extra veggies to a meal, too.
Yes, ma’am! I love adding extra veggies, too, so this is always a win!