Easy Lasagna Verde

This Lasagna Verde is the perfect recipe for Spring! Full of delicious vegetables in a creamy Spinach Béchamel, this lasagna recipe is the perfect dish for entertaining or a fun Sunday dinner!

I don't know about you but I love pasta. I am a big fan of lasagnas. There is just something about the rich pasta in a warm sauce filled with cheesy goodness. This Lasagna Verde is the perfect spin on the classic. Filled with a delicious lentil bolognese, tofu ricotta and then finished off with a creamy and rich spinach béchamel this recipe is perfect for Spring!

For some other great pasta dishes, check out this Creamy Green Pea Pasta, this Vegan Cajun Pasta or this Easy Rigatoni Alla Vodka!

What Makes This Lasagna Verde The Best?

• Easy Ingredients and Prep- These ingredients are easy to find and the prep is easy as well. We cut the cook times in half by using oven-ready lasagna noodles and jarred marinara sauce.
• Dinner that only looks fancy- This recipe only looks fancy, it really is an easy recipe to make and it will stun all of your guests. The sauce is delicious and creamy and the filling is hearty and rich.
• Whole-food, plant-based- This recipe is completely plant-based which makes it healthy and delicious! Packed with healthy ingredients such as spinach and lentils, this is a powerhouse meal!

Ingredient Notes

• Spinach- We are going to use two different types of spinach in this recipe. The base of the sauce is going to be fresh spinach that we blend into our béchamel. We are also going to use frozen, chopped spinach as a layer within the lasagna.
• Lasagna Noodles- To make this easy, we are going to use oven-ready lasagna noodles. It means we won't have to boil anything and it will save us a step. Check your packaging and make sure that they are egg-free. Most oven-ready lasagna noodles do contain eggs but there are egg-free versions out there.
• Cooked Lentils- Instead of using meat in the bolognese sauce, we are going to keep it plant-based and swap it for lentils. Lentils will pack the protein that we need to keep us full and really will round out the dish.
• Firm Tofu- The vegan ricotta is made with tofu. Make sure to get firm tofu because we are going to process it in a food processor with other ingredients, we are going to turn it into a smooth cheese and we don't want it to be too watery.
• Marinara Sauce- Traditionally, bolognese is a slow-cooked meat sauce, however, we are going to make this even better by using the jarred marinara sauce to cut our time in half.
• Vegetables- This lasagna is full of delicious vegetables! It uses carrots, bell peppers, and zucchini. However, feel free to throw in your favorites to bulk it up!

See the recipe card for the full ingredient list and quantities.

Instructions

How to Make the Lentil Bolognese

• Dice the onion, zucchini, celery, carrots and bell pepper. Add the vegetables to a non-stick pan and cook over medium heat until tender. About 5 minutes.
• Add the cooked lentils and the marinara sauce and stir to combine.
• Set aside until it is time to assemble the lasagna.

How to Make the the Vegan Ricotta

• Add the tofu, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, salt, pepper and garlic powder to a food processor and process until it is well combined. The mixture will resemble a creamy ricotta cheese mixture.
• Set aside until ready to use

How to Make the Spinach Béchamel

• Heat a pot over medium heat, add the vegan butter and allow to melt.
• Whisk in the flour and cook until the roux turns a pale golden brown, about 1 minute.
• Add the almond milk and whisking to incorporate.
• Bring the mixture to a simmer, then lower the heat to medium-low, whisking until the sauce thickens, about 2 to 3 minutes.
• Whisk in the Vegan Parmesan until completely combined, then remove the pot from heat and let cool for 5 minutes.
• Add the mixture to a blender with the flax eggs and spinach. Puree until completely combined. Add back to the pot and set aside.

How to Assemble the Lasagna Verde

• Preheat oven to 350ºF.
• In a bowl, squeeze out as much liquid as possible from the thawed, frozen chopped spinach.
• In a 13” x 9” lasagna pan spread ½ cup of the spinach béchamel to form a thin bottom layer.
• Top with an even single layer of the noodles.
• Spread 1 ½ cups of Bolognese over the top of the noodles then the frozen chopped spinach followed by ½ cup vegan ricotta.

• Repeat the process 3 more times, for a total of 3 layers of noodles, ending on a layer of the noodles and topping it with the remaining sauce and vegan ricotta.
• Bake the lasagna until it is bubbly and cooked through, about 60 minutes.
• Let the lasagna sit for 15 minutes to cool before serving. Cut into 8 equal slices.

Hint: Frozen spinach holds a lot of liquid. To reduce the amount of liquid and not make the lasagna watery, thaw the spinach and squeeze out as much water as possible. Alternatively, you can use chopped fresh spinach.

Substitutions

• Lentils - If you aren't a huge fan of lentils, you can make this with vegan beef crumbles instead.
• Spinach - Try swapping the spinach for kale if you prefer it.
• Vegetables - Feel free to mix up the vegetables if you want! If you don't like zucchini, feel free to leave it out or swap it with something else!

Variations

• Skillet Dinner - If you don't want to make a full lasagna out of this, you can turn it into a yummy skillet pasta dish. Simply use your pasta of choice and add it and the sauce to the lentil bolognese and bake for 30 minutes.
• Lasagna Roll-Ups - For a fun variation, make this into lasagna roll-ups! Simply add the filling to the lasagna noodles and roll from end to end, add to the casserole dish and bake!
• Extra Cheesy - Top this with some vegan mozzarella to add extra cheesiness to the dish!

Check out this Green Pasta Sauce for another fun way to get your vegetables in your pasta!

FAQ's

Equipment

Equipment can have a big impact on how a recipe turns out. See below for the equipment you will need to make this recipe.

• Food Processor
• High-Speed Blender
• Chef Knife
• Cutting Board
• Non-stick Skillet
• Sauce pan
• 9x13 inch casserole dish
• Measuring cups and spoons

Storage

Store this lasagna in the fridge for up to 3 days. I like to portion it out into individual servings and store it in an airtight container for meal prep.

To freeze this lasagna, wrap tightly in tin foil and saran wrap and freeze for up to three months. Bring the lasagna to room temperature overnight and bake as instructed.

Top tips

• Frozen spinach holds a lot of liquid. To reduce the amount of liquid and not make the lasagna watery, thaw the spinach and squeeze out as much water as possible. Alternatively, you can use chopped fresh spinach.
• To save on time the lasagna can be assembled a day ahead of time, refrigerated and then brought to room temperature for 1 hour before baking.
• Buy oven-ready lasagna noodles to save time. These noodles do not have to be boiled before assembling.

Other Great Pasta Recipes To Try!

• Vegan Ravioli Pesto Bake
• Vegan Cajun Pasta
• Easy Spicy Rigatoni Alla Vodka
• Fall Butternut Squash Vegan Tortellini
• Easy and Delicious Vegan Stuffed Shells

Easy Lasagna Verde

kaydimaggio

This Lasagna Verde is the perfect recipe for Spring! Full of delicious vegetables in a creamy Spinach Béchamel, this lasagna recipe is the perfect dish for entertaining or a fun Sunday dinner! 

5 from 19 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 1 hr

Cook Time 1 hr

Total Time 2 hrs

Course Entree

Cuisine American

Servings 8 servings

Calories 425 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 box 12 ounces Oven Ready Lasagna Noodles
• 1 package 16 ounces firm tofu
• ¼ cup nutritional yeast
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 green bell pepper
• 1 red bell pepper
• 2 medium zucchini
• 3 small carrots
• 1 yellow onion
• 1 cup cooked brown lentils
• 16 ounces jarred marinara sauce
• 3 cups fresh spinach
• 1 cup frozen chopped spinach
• 8 tablespoons vegan butter
• ½ cup all purpose flour
• 3 ½ cups almond milk
• ½ vegan parmesan
• 2 flax eggs

Instructions

 

For the Lentil Bolognese:

• Dice the onion, zucchini, celery, carrots and bell pepper. Add the vegetables to a non-stick pan and cook over medium heat until tender. About 5 minutes.
• Add the cooked lentils and the marinara sauce and stir to combine.
• Set aside until it is time to assemble the lasagna.  

For the Vegan Ricotta

• Add the tofu, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, salt, pepper and garlic powder to a food processor and process until it is well combined. The mixture will resemble a creamy ricotta cheese mixture.
• Set aside until ready to use

For the Spinach Béchamel 

• Heat a pot over medium heat, add the vegan butter and allow to melt.
• Whisk in the flour and cook until the roux turns a pale golden brown, about 1 minute.
• Add the almond milk and whisking to incorporate.
• Bring the mixture to a simmer, then lower the heat to medium-low, whisking until the sauce thickens, about 2 to 3 minutes.
• Whisk in the Vegan Parmesan until completely combined, then remove the pot from heat and let cool for 5 minutes.
• Add the mixture to a blender with the flax eggs and spinach. Puree until completely combined. Add back to the pot and set aside.

How to Assemble the Lasagna

• Preheat oven to 350ºF.
• In a bowl, squeeze out as much liquid as possible from the thawed, frozen chopped spinach.
• In a 13” x 9” lasagna pan spread ½ cup of the spinach béchamel to form a thin bottom layer.
• Top with an even single layer of the noodles.
• Spread 1 ½ cups of Bolognese over the top of the noodles then the frozen chopped spinach followed by ½ cup vegan ricotta.
• Repeat the process 3 more times, for a total of 3 layers of noodles, ending on a layer of the noodles and topping it with the remaining sauce and vegan ricotta.
• Bake the lasagna until it is bubbly and cooked through, about 60 minutes.
• Let the lasagna sit for 15 minutes to cool before serving. Cut into 8 equal slices.

Notes

• Frozen spinach holds a lot of liquid. To reduce the amount of liquid and not make the lasagna watery, thaw the spinach and squeeze out as much water as possible. Alternatively, you can use chopped fresh spinach.
• To save on time the lasagna can be assembled a day ahead of time, refrigerated and then brought to room temperature for 1 hour before baking.
• Buy oven-ready lasagna noodles to save time. These noodles do not have to be boiled before assembling.  

Nutrition

Serving: 1sliceCalories: 425kcalCarbohydrates: 53.2gProtein: 17.7gFat: 17.1gSaturated Fat: 8.3gSodium: 718mgFiber: 7.2gSugar: 10g

Keyword entree, Vegan

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Food safety

• Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
• Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
• Never leave cooking food unattended
• Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
• Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove

See more guidelines at USDA.gov.