Welcome to the most epic comfort food: herby, ultra-cheesy vegetarian lasagna with spinach and ricotta.
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You know my favorite type of dinner consists of carbs and cheese, right? From recipes like my cheesy baked ziti with homemade sauce, or three cheese manicotti with kale, the options are endless, and my love knows no bounds.
That is exactly why I am so very excited to share with you my all-time spinach ricotta lasagna recipe today. I’ve been making it for years and have perfected two versions: one with fresh, homemade pasta sheets and another with store-bought, no-boil lasagna noodles. I’ll show you both, so, let’s get to it!
Watch How to Make It
Fresh Pasta or Dried Lasagna Noodles
This recipe consists of three parts: the pasta layers, the ricotta spinach filling, and the marinara sauce. Oh, and some extra mozzarella in between there. Here are a few ingredient notes about the type of pasta.
Option 1: Fresh Pasta Sheets
Years ago, I first recipe-tested this homemade spinach lasagna with homemade noodlesāFRIENDS! It was life-changing. I highly recommend making this recipe using homemade pasta dough if you have the time; it is excellent for long Sunday night dinners or special occasions.
The homemade pasta sheets are thinner than dried noodles, so they meld beautifully with the sauce. Their flavor and texture are unbeatable. You can also find fresh pasta sheets for lasagna in the refrigerated section of some grocery stores!
Option 2: No-Boil Dried Noodles
To use dried noodles, I recommend buying high-quality no-boil lasagna noodles (they’re the flat ones without ridges). This takes even more prep time out of the equation because, well, most obviously, because you don’t need to boil any noodles.
Let’s Make Some Lasagna (Step-by-Step)
If needed, Prep Fresh Lasagna Noodles
First things first: If you want to use fresh pasta for this recipe (yay!), you’ll need to prepare the dough. Check out our guide on making homemade semolina pasta dough.
Note that after you par-boil the fresh pasta sheets, place them on a tea towel (or paper towels) to dry while you continue with the rest of the steps.
Make the Spinach Ricotta Filling
We must make the ricotta filling before we can assemble everything; it takes just a few minutes on the stovetop!
Once the spinach has wilted, transfer it to a fine-mesh sieve to drain any excess liquid. Use the back of a spoon to press it down, if needed, to help it drain. If you don’t drain or squeeze out the excess water from the spinach, the pasta will be runny.
Now to Assemble Lasagna
This is a smaller-batch lasagna recipe. It’s still large enough to feed a family of 4-6, depending on your appetites. You might even have a few leftovers, but it isn’t made in a 9×13 pan. For this recipe, use an 8×8 or 9×9 baking dish.
Time to Bake
Once the vegetable lasagna is assembled in the pan, you can bake it immediately or refrigerate it for up to a day if you make it in advance.
Cover the pan with aluminum foil for the first half of the baking time to prevent the cheesy top from browning too quickly. Then, remove the foil and bake the cake uncovered until the cheese is golden brown and the edges are bubbly.
Let it sit for about 10-15 minutes (or more) before serving. This gives it time to set up, making it easier to serve and helping it cool. I know the wait is so hard! I love pairing it with a side of Caesar salad for a bright, crispy accompaniment.
Freezing & Cooking Frozen Lasagna
To freeze unbaked lasagna, wrap it tightly and freeze it in the pan. If you don’t want to keep your pan in the freezer for too long, using a disposable aluminum foil pan is the easiest option. This is also an excellent option for gifting veggie lasagna to friends and family.
- Cooking thawed lasagna: Thaw the pan in the fridge overnight so that it thaws completely. Do not thaw it at room temperature. Bake according to directions, and cover it with foil for the first half of the cooking time. You may need to add an extra 10 minutes or so until it is bubbly and golden brown.
- Cooking frozen lasagna: To bake it straight from the freezer, remove any plastic wrap and cover it with foil. Bake for 45-50 minutes, covered, and for another 20-25 minutes uncovered, until hot and bubbly. If it seems to be browning too quickly, keep it covered. Make sure it’s cooked through to an internal temperature of 165Ā°F.
Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating and review in the form below. I appreciate your feedback, and it helps others, too!
Get the Recipe Homemade Vegetarian Lasagna with Spinach Ricotta
Ingredients
Pasta Options:
- 9 ounces no-boil lasagna noodles
- 1 batch fresh pasta dough
Filling & Assembly
- 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter or olive oil
- 3 Tablespoons shallot, finely chopped (1 medium bulb)
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- Pinch red pepper flakes
- 8 ounces baby spinach, roughly chopped
- 15 ounces whole milk ricotta cheese
- Ā¾ cup shredded parmesan cheese*, divided
- 1 Ā½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
- Ā½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- Pinch ground nutmeg
- 1 egg, slightly beaten
- 2 Ā¼ cups Homemade Tomato Sauce, or jarred marinara; more as desired
Equipment
- Pasta Machine optional
Instructions
- Fresh pasta sheets: roll pasta dough into sheets to the second to thinnest setting, and cut them to fit the size of your pan. Bring a large stockpot full of salted water to a boil; par-cook the noodles for approximately 30 seconds, until they float. Transfer directly to an ice bath, then remove, and set them to dry on a tea towel or paper towels until ready to assemble.
- If using no-boil (oven-ready) dried lasagna noodles, there's no prep needed!
- Preheat oven to 375Ā°F. Grease an 8×8 or 9×9 baking dish (glass or ceramic) with softened butter or cooking spray. Set aside.
- Spinach Mixture: In a large skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add chopped shallot and let cook for 2-3 minutes. Add garlic and continue to cook for 1-2 minutes. Season with red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper to taste. Add chopped spinach to skillet, stir to coat, and remove from heat as spinach wilts. Transfer to a fine-mesh strainer and press to release all liquid from the spinach. Set aside to drain and cool.1 Tablespoon unsalted butter or olive oil, 3 Tablespoons shallot, 4 cloves garlic, Pinch red pepper flakes, 8 ounces baby spinach
- Ricotta Filling: Meanwhile, in a medium bowl stir together ricotta, Ā½ cup parmesan cheese, Ā¾ cup mozzarella cheese, fine sea salt, black pepper, nutmeg. Taste test to check for salt and spice levels, then stir in the egg. Once the spinach has drained and cooled, stir it into the ricotta mixture.15 ounces whole milk ricotta cheese, Ā½ teaspoon fine sea salt, Freshly ground black pepper, Pinch ground nutmeg, 1 egg
- Assembly: Spread Ā¼ cup of tomato sauce across the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Place the first layer of lasagna sheets on the sauce and top with approximately ā of the ricotta mixture (for a three-layer lasagna). Then sprinkle on an additional Ā¼ cup shredded mozzarella and Ā½ cup tomato sauce.
- Continue with two more full layers: pasta, ricotta, mozzarella, and sauce. Once the three layers of ricotta are set, top with a final layer of pasta and tomato sauce. Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella cheese (~1/3 cup) and remaining parmesan (~1/4 cup) on top.
- Bake: Cover the pan with foil and bake for 25 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking for 20-30 additional minutes, until golden brown and bubbly around the edges. Let sit for 10-15 minutes, then cut slices and serve. Garnish with additional parmesan cheese and fresh basil as desired.
Notes
- Frozen spinach:Ā if using frozen spinach, thaw and squeeze out all excess moisture (use a lot of paper towels to help!) before adding to the shallot mixture.
- Prep Time:Ā if making homemade pasta, expect an additional 15 minutes of prep time, plus 30 minutes of rest time for the dough.
- Layers:Ā feel free to do four layers for more pasta-forward lasagna.
- Make Ahead: Cover the assembled lasagna and store it in the fridge for up to a day. When you’re ready to bake, allow the pan to come to room temperature while the oven preheats (you don’t want to shock the cold pan, or it will break). Then, bake as directed. It may take a little longer if the center of the lasagna is still cold.
- Gluten-Free:Ā Republic makes gluten-free refrigerated pasta, available in grocery stores! Barilla also makes an oven-ready, no-boil lasagna sheet gluten-free.
I made this for dinner tonight, it was so easy and delicious. I used premade uncooked lasagna noodles and it turned out fine. Perfect for a December weeknight.
So glad you loved it! Thanks for commenting, Stephanie!
May I ask did you remove the garlic and shallots from the pan before you started cooking the spinach?
Many thanks
Stefanie
Hi Stefanie – nope, I leave the shallots and garlic in the pan and stir the spinach in with them. Enjoy!
Love this vegetarian lasagna! It’s a hit with my entire family!
(Review provided by friend/family of forkinthekitchen.com.)
I have fresh lasagna sheets made locally… do i cook them for 30 seconds before using them. they are made with eggs.
Hi Phyliss – great question! From what you described, yes, I would go ahead and follow the directions for homemade pasta and par-cook them for 30 seconds before using. Let me know how it turns out!
Didn’t you have anyone proofread your recipe? You called for only 8 ounces of spinach. The recipe for spinach lasagna on my box said 8 CUPS of spinach. That’s more like it. The directions for your Ricotta filling never mentions adding the Ricotta. I quit following your recipe and used the recipe on my Kroger lasagna box. It also called for 2 eggs, not 1. And I agree with the other recipe that marinara sauce is tastier than using plain tomato sauce. I wonder if you will keep my review visible.
Hi Esther, I’d love to clear a few things up for other readers, and then you are more than welcome to follow the recipe on your Kroger box, because the beauty of life is that we can make the recipes we like best, and adjust them to our liking.
If you read under instruction 4 with the bolded “ricotta filling” title, the first sentence says “in a medium bowl stir together ricotta…” and continues listing the rest of the filling ingredients. While I do use the words “tomato sauce” if you clicked the link, or read the information in the post, you would know that I am in fact referring to marinara sauce, not plain tomato sauce, but thank you for pointing that out as I will make that more clear.
At the end of the day, please keep in mind that we are all humans and kindness is truly the best policy. I will keep your review visible, because I do hope it helps others, if in no other way than to remind us all of that.
Buon Apettito!!!!! Delicious…I added some shredded carrot as well !!!!
What a yummy addition! Thanks, for making and leaving a comment, Erin, I’m so glad you enjoyed!
Thank you for this great recipe, it turned out fantastic and I’ll definitely make it again š
Yay, so glad to hear you enjoyed it! Thanks, Miriam!
I made this recipe almost as given, quadrupled it. Used chopped kale instead of spinach and added sauteed mushrooms and thinly sliced zucchini to each layer. Proportions and cooking times were right on. Thanks.
Awesome, thank you so much for sharing!
It was delicious š
I’m so happy you enjoyed it! Thanks, Tanya!
I was very pleased with the results of this recipe. I followed the recipe closely until adding sliced mushrooms and a small peeled halved and thinly sliced zucchini. I used most a 5 oz bag of spinach. I used salt sparingly due to dietary concerns. I also added a little more unsalted butter since I sautĆ©ed more veggies. I made the Classic Tomato Pasta Sauce which was very good (I will use again & again). I used no bake pasta noodles. Ā This lasagna was delicious. I loved that I was in control of the sodium content of this dish. I used a 9×11 baking dish and it was full. I thought this lasagna took a little effort & was a little time consuming, but well worth the effort. I had plenty of lasagna for dinner, enough great lasagna for lunch and two slices to freeze. The lasagna reheated, froze and defrosted beautifully. The Vegetable Lasagna had the right amount of seasoning and cheese and was filling and delicious. The result was worth the effort and and received awarded enthusiastic thumbs up at my house. I wanted a veggie lasagna that had a tomato sauce rather than a Alfredo Sauce and this was perfect!
Lovely! I’m so glad to hear you loved it, and thank you for sharing your experience, so helpful!
It’s always hard to find the baking temperature.
You have to hunt for it.
It should be noted at the beginning so you can preheat the oven.
Thank you.
Hi there – sorry it was hard to find for you! It is in instruction note #2, which if you’re not making homemade pasta, it’s the first step of the recipe, I’ll bold it in hopes that helps!
Would the lasagna still work if I left out the egg? Thanks!Ā
Hi Gabrielle! Yes, it will work, the filling might just be a little runnier but won’t change too much overall. I hope that helps!