vegetable lasagna

When I was a teenager, I was a day camp counselor at a YMCA camp for a couple summers. The jovial and plump camp cook would make me a lunch of Stouffer’s Veggie Lasagna frequently. This recipe takes me back to those summers - a fresher, healthier version with all the comfort food good vibes.

Ingredient List

  • 1 medium onion finely diced

  • 3 medium or 2 large carrots grated

  • 2 cups broccoli cut in to small florets

  • 2 cups of mushrooms thinly sliced

  • 2 medium zucchini

  • 4 cups spinach roughly chopped

  • 5 tbsp of minced garlic

  • 1/4 cup all purpose flour

  • 6 tbsp of unsalted butter (optional)

  • 1/2 cup Greek yogurt (I prefer Fage)

  • 1 cup half & half

  • 4 cups of shredded mozzarella or Italian cheese blend of your choice

  • 2 tbsp of spice blend of your choice

  • 2 1/2 cups of light broth

  • 12 cooked lasagna noodles (not oven ready!)

  • Salt, Pepper, Olive Oil as needed

You can make the lasagna and refrigerate for several days before baking, or you can bake immediately. Lasagna freezes best after cooking.

  1. If baking immediately, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Toss shredded cheese in a large bowl with spice blend of your choice.

  2. I used fresh pasta sheets in this recipe (check out my pasta recipe here); if you are using store bought noodles, prepare as directed and allow them to cool while preparing the filling. I recommend adding a little olive oil to the noodles to ensure they don’t stick together as they cool.

  3. Grate the zucchini. Add to a fine mesh strainer or colander with 1 teaspoon salt. Mix well and set aside. Grate the carrots, dice the onions, clean & slice mushrooms and break down the broccoli in to bite size pieces.

  4. Start with 2 tbsp unsalted butter over medium high heat in a large, shallow pot. As the butter melts, add the sliced mushrooms in a single layer. Let the mushrooms cook for 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

  5. When the mushrooms have given up most of their liquid and started to become more evenly brown, add 3 tbsp of minced garlic. Let the garlic and mushrooms cook for another 3-5 minutes, until the garlic is fragrant and mushrooms are cooked down to about one third of their initial volume. Remove from the pot and set aside.

  6. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the onions and 2 tbsp of butter or olive oil. Season with salt & pepper. Cook for 5-8 minutes until onions are starting to soften.

  7. Add the broccoli and carrots to the pot. Add more oil if necessary and season vegetables. Cook another 5 minutes then add the spinach, mushrooms and zucchini, stir regularly until spinach has wilted fully and all vegetables are soft but not mushy.

  8. Add the remaining 2 tbsp of butter and 1/4 cup of flour. Toss vegetables to coat in flour. Once the rue starts to smell toasty and brown, add the broth to the pot while stirring vegetables.

  9. After broth is incorporated and there are no lumps, add Greek yogurt and half & half. Continue to stir until filling begins to thicken. Remove from heat.

  10. In a greased 9” x 13” pan, start with a small amount of the sauce from the filling under the first layer of noodles. Add noodles, then 1/3 of the filling followed by 1/3 of the cheese. Repeat layering — noodle, filling, cheese, noodles — top with more cheese. Feel free to be creative with tomatoes, basil or other vegetables on top.

  11. Cover the pan with aluminum foil. Bake covered for 25 minutes, remove foil and bake for another 20 minutes or until cheese on top is bubbly but not too brown.

Recipe