Baked Vegetable Lasagna
Baked Vegetable Lasagna made with portobello mushroom and tomatoes, layered over a tasty bechamel sauce.
Lasagna is a great meal that is fairly easy to make. And it’s a perfect way to put in a few extra servings of veggies. You know the saying: you eat with your eyes first. So, to make this vegetable lasagna look appealing, we need to add cheese and bechamel sauce.
This lasagna is not a Caribbean dish. It is an Italian dish. The recipe is from an Italian Cookbook I have named “Italian – the essence of Mediterranean cuisine” by Carla Capalbo.
Before continuing, I have to say that the original recipe calls for egg pasta freshly made, onion, fresh or canned tomatoes, salt, ground black pepper, cultivated or wild mushrooms, butter, garlic, lemon, béchamel sauce, grated parmesan cheese, and cheddar cheese. I have altered the recipe to make it simpler and tastier.
The baked vegetable lasagna recipe is a splendid vegetarian alternative to its classic counterpart. It’s layered with thinly-sliced portobello mushrooms, herbed-flavored tomatoes, and bechamel sauce and cheese lying between the noddles to create a creamy barrier. This makes for a well-rounded family dinner – try this vegetarian lasagna recipe once, and you won’t go back to the classic version!
Ingredients you will need for the Baked Vegetable Lasagna
- No-boil lasagna noodles: try any brand you like. My favorite is Barilla
- Olive oil: extra virgin or regular olive oil will work.
- Garlic cloves: fresh is better for flavoring
- Onion: I like using red over white onion. The red onion has more flavor than the white. You can also use shallots.
- Grapevine tomatoes or Campari tomatoes: very juicy tomatoes with lots of flavors and help cook the noodles
- Parsley: fresh is better
- Oregano: dried oregano is best to use.
- Thyme leaves only
- Butter, unsalted or salted.
- Portobello mushrooms or a combination of wild/cultivated mushrooms are also good.
- Lemon juice, fresh if possible.
- Herbs de Provence: this is an important spice for flavoring the mushroom.
- For Bechamel sauce, follow this recipe.
- Mozzarella cheese, fresh, is better. A good brand is worth the price if you can find fresh buying.
- Parmesan cheese grated, make sure you buy freshly grated or buy a block and grate it yourself. Flavor is very important for this recipe.
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Crushed red pepper – optional, but again it gives the tomatoes a nice kick.
To make the recipe
Follow the instructions below and check out the tips.
Tips and notes for the Baked Vegetable Lasagna
- Use a 9 x 13-inch Lasagna Pan.
- I find it very helpful to use a nonstick skillet for the tomatoes and an aluminum pan for the mushrooms. The mushrooms cook better in aluminum than the nonstick pan on medium-high heat.
- I usually add 1 – 2 teaspoons of Dijon Mustard to the bechamel. I like the slight tanginess it adds to the sauce.
- I find this recipe a great side dish to eat with baked chicken. And better yet, both dishes can go in the oven simultaneously.
- I have used sharp cheddar cheese and asiago cheese with parmesan cheese. I prefer the asiago cheese combination because it intensifies the flavor of the tomatoes and mushrooms.
- Can you add other vegetables to the dish? Yes, you can. But you must be careful with spinach as it produces a lot of liquid. The tomatoes will release more juice which will help the noodles to cook. You don’t want to add another high-moisture vegetable. Carrots are a good option.
- Do not discard the sauce from the lasagna. It has tons of flavor. Use it to drizzle on top of individual slices.
The recipe below will list the instructions but with some alterations for the added ingredients. I have used regular lasagna noodles and No-Boil noodles. I find the No-Boil noodles to hold the mixture better. I also use Grapevine Tomatoes, not because I like them but because they are juicier and tastier I hope you enjoy my alterations or twist on this recipe.
Don’t hesitate to try this dish if you’re still looking for ways to incorporate more vegetables into your diet. Once you’ve built up your repertoire of vegetable dishes, you can start customizing them based on what you have in the kitchen. And don’t forget that lasagna recipes make a great dinner party entrée if you’re looking to serve something that’s both tasty and original.
Don’t forget to check out my recipe for Béchamel Sauce.
Enjoy!
Baked Vegetable Lasagna
Equipment
- Skillet Pan
Ingredients
- 6 pieces no boil lasagna noodles
- 2 ½ tablespoons olive oil more if needed
- 2 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 1 medium onion finely chopped
- 2 cups grapevine tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon parsley fresh and finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon oregano
- ½ teaspoon thyme leaves only
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 cups portobella mushrooms combination of wild/cultivated mushroom are good also
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice fresh lemon
- 1 tablespoon herbes de provence
- salt to taste
- 4 ½ cups bechamel sauce
- 16 oz mozzarella cheese
- 2 cups parmesan cheese grated
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 dash crushed red pepper – optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF and grease the lasagna pan.
- In a non-stick skillet pan, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil, add garlic and onions, and cook for about 2 minutes, turning occasionally. Do not let the garlic burn. Add chopped tomatoes, parsley, oregano, thyme, crushed red pepper, salt, and pepper to taste. Let the mixture cook for about 6 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and set aside.
- In another skillet, over medium high add 1 tablespoon of butter and 1/2 tablespoon of oil and mushrooms. Let mushrooms cook for about 2 – 3 minutes stirring often until they start turning darker in color. Add lemon juice, herbes de Provence, salt and pepper to taste. Let the mixture cook for about 3 – 4 minutes until the liquid has started to evaporate. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Cut the mozzarella cheese into small cubes and set aside. Grate the parmesan cheese and set aside.
- Prepare bechamel sauce.
To assemble, have all the elements at hand:
- You will need to the baking dish, fillings, pasta, cheeses and butter.
- First, add enough béchamel sauce to cover the bottom of the dish.
- Add about 3-4 noodles to the bottom of the pan. Next add the mushrooms mixture, half of the mozzarella cheese and, 1/2 cup of the parmesan cheese, and cover with the béchamel sauce mixture.
- Add another layer of noodles, tomato mixture, the remaining mozzarella cheese and 1/2 cup parmesan cheese and cover with béchamel sauce.
- Cover with the remaining noodles, béchamel sauce and parmesan cheese.
- Lastly, dot with butter and bake covered with aluminum foil for 40 minutes.
- Uncover and cook for another 15 minutes or more until the top is golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to stand for 5 – 7 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Use a 9 x 13-inch Lasagna Pan.
- I find it very helpful to use a nonstick skillet for the tomatoes and an aluminum pan for the mushrooms. The mushrooms cook better in aluminum than the nonstick pan on medium-high heat.
- I usually add 1 – 2 teaspoons of Dijon Mustard to the bechamel. I like the slight tanginess it adds to the sauce.
- I find this recipe a great side dish to eat with baked chicken. And better yet, both dishes can go in the oven simultaneously.
- I have used sharp cheddar cheese and asiago cheese with parmesan cheese. I prefer the asiago cheese combination because it intensifies the flavor of the tomatoes and mushrooms.
- Can you add other vegetables to the dish? Yes, you can. But you must be careful with spinach as it produces a lot of liquid. The tomatoes will release more juice which will help the noodles to cook. You don’t want to add another high-moisture vegetable. Carrots are a good option.
- Do not discard the sauce from the lasagna. It has tons of flavor. Use it to drizzle on top of individual slices
Nutrition
Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on the products used.
Nutrition info is automatically generated and provided as a courtesy and as an estimate only.
Originally published May 13, 2014. Updated and revised to include tips and notes.
