The MEANEST & GREENEST vegetable lasagna ever!
Oh, this green vegetable lasagna is a mean one, y’all! Why? Because it’s not playing around with having green vitamin-rich veggies all UP and THRU each and every layer of lasagna amazingness!
Let me break it down for you, friends. First, the sauce is made of blanched kale! Yup, that’s what I just said. That kale is blended with garlic, parm, and broth until smooth and saucy.
Next, no-boil lasagna noodles (time-saving and hassle-free) are layered with creamy a ricotta spread, roasted zucchini, and a mixture of sautéed kale, leeks, broccoli, and asparagus stems.
Lastly, each layer has a generous sprinkle of mozzarella and Monterey Jack cheeses. I mean…c’mon! What’s not to love?
Why this SUPER GREEN vegetable lasagna is worth the extra effort
So, I’ll be honest with you. This recipe is a bit more advanced than most of the other recipes on my blog because it requires more time and technique. But trust me, making the homemade fillings makes this lasagna stand out above all the rest of the vegetable lasagnas out there.
The good news is that using pre-grated mozzarella and Monterey Jack cheeses and oven-ready noodles require no prep time at all are perfect to use right away.
The other good news is that each component is easy to make. Just be ready to set aside a little bit of time to complete each one. If you are in a time crunch, you can easily make them ahead of time, refrigerate and then warm them slightly when you’re ready to construct the lasagna. (NOTE: Cold ingredients do not cook as evenly in the oven.)
What you’ll need to make it: Ingredients and Tools
I know…it’s a heafty list. But you’ve got this! Here’s the lineup:
Pasta
Vegetables & Seasonings
- A large zucchini
- Fresh dinosaur or baby kale
- Fresh broccoli florets
- Asparagus spears
- A large leek
- Frozen kale
- Garlic cloves
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Sea salt
- Ground black pepper
- Garlic powder
- Broth or water
- Garlic cloves
- Red pepper flakes
- Vegetable bouillon paste
Herbs & Cheese
- Fresh basil
- Fresh parsley
- Thyme
- Dried oregano
- Ricotta cheese
- Mozzarella cheese
- Monterey Jack cheese
- Parmesan cheese
How to make Mean Green Vegetable Lasagna: Step-by-step
As I mentioned before, there are 4 MAIN COMPONENTS that you’ll need to cook separately when putting this lasagna together.
- Roasted zucchini
- Kale sauce
- Vegetable filling
- Ricotta spread
Step 1: Roast the zucchini
Super easy! Slice a large zucchini into 1/4″ thick pieces. Season them with olive oil, salt, pepper, and a little garlic powder. Then roast them until golden brown.
Step 2: Make the gorgeous kale sauce
Making a sauce out of kale for a lasagna may seem super weird. But I promise that it’s tastes delicious and brings such a lively taste to vegetable lasagna. I’m not a huge fan of bechamel in lasagna, so I opted for this veggie-based sauce instead.
All you have to do is blanch some super green dinosaur or baby kale and a couple of garlic cloves in some boiling water for about 3-4 minutes or until tender and the kale is still vibrant green. Then strain it from the water and place them in a blender. (NOTE: Be careful to watch the pressure from the heat while blending.)
Add in the broth (or blanching water), herbs, and seasonings, and pulverize! You really want this sauce to be smooth, but similar to the consistency of tomato pasta sauce. If it is too thick, just add a little more broth or water.
Step 3: Saute the vegetable filling
So remember all of that green stuff you so diligently sliced and diced earlier? Well, now it’s time to saute it up in a large skillet on medium heat. Start by adding the oil to the pan, then throw in the leeks and garlic and saute for 2-3 minutes.
Add in some frozen kale and bouillon, stirring until the kale has defrosted and the bouillon has dissolved. Finally, throw in the broccoli florets and asparagus stems. Saute the vegetables an additional 3-4 minutes until they are just tender but still vibrant green.
Step 4: Make the ricotta spread
Simply combine some herbs and spices to a bowl of ricotta. Done!
Step 5: Assemble the lasagna
NOW…for the fun part! (As if you weren’t having a blast already, hee hee).
- Sauce
- Pasta sheet
- Ricotta spread
- Roasted zucchini
- Cheese
- REPEAT (this time with the Vegetable Filling instead of zucchini)
- The last layer, following the cheese, will be the vegetable filling, noodles, sauce, and cheese.
- Make the top pretty with the asparagus tips.
- Cover and bake at 375 or 30-35 minutes. Then uncover and brown the cheese for 5-7 minutes.
WOOHOO! You did it! Pat yourself on the back for that one, Fam!
Tips & Notes for Making this Green Vegetable Lasagna
- SAUCE: If you want to use spinach instead of kale, be aware that the sauce will produce more liquid. So, you may need to add about 1/2 tsp of cornstarch to the sauce to thicken it a bit.
- PASTA: By using no-boil pasta sheets, it is recommended that you bake the lasagna as soon as it is made to avoid the sheets from becoming mushy. If you prefer to use boiled pasta noodles, have at it! Just make sure they are cooked al dente.
- BAKING: Spray the foil with cooking spray to avoid the cheese from sticking. It also helps to slightly tent the foil and seal around the edges of the dish to create steam so that the lasagna can cook through properly.
Allow this Mean Green Vegetable Lasagna to be a healthier rendition to the traditional meat-laden classic.
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More “mean green” vegetable-enriched recipes
Check out this list of 15 Easy, Fresh & Healthy Spring Green Recipes
Mean Green Vegetable Lasagna (No-boil Noodles)
Who said lasagna can't be meatless, packed with veggies, and still delicious? Well, this vegetable lasagna recipe is loaded with vibrant green, vitamin-enriched vegetables in every layer. Even the sauce is made of kale! It's a mean green lasagna machine that's worth the extra effort.
Ingredients
- 6 c water
Roasted Zucchini
- 1 large zucchini, sliced
- 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil (or cooking spray)
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- Pinch of ground black pepper
Kale Sauce
- 6 oz fresh dinosaur kale or baby kale
- 1 c stock or broth of your choice (or the water used for blanching)
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled
- 1 c fresh basil
- ⅓ c fresh parsley
- 2 TB parmesan cheese, grated
- 1/2 TB extra virgin olive oil
- 1 1/4 tsp sea salt
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
Vegetable Filling
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large leek, light green/white parts only, sliced*
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 c chopped frozen kale
- 1 tsp vegetable bouillon paste*
- 2 c fresh broccoli florets, small dice*
- 5-6 asparagus spears, divided (about 1/2 c)
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp fresh or dried thyme
Ricotta Spread
- 8 oz ricotta cheese
- 1 tsp garlic paste or powder
- 1 tsp fresh or dried parsley
- 1 tsp fresh or dried basil
- A dash of salt and pepper
Cheeses
- 6 oz mozzarella cheese (1.5 cups)
- 6 oz Monterey Jack cheese (1.5 cups)
Noodles
- 9 sheets of Barilla Oven-ready Lasagna noodles
Instructions
Preheat
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Then, in a large pot, bring the water to a boil. Lastly, line a large baking sheet with foil and spray lightly with cooking spray. You will also need a large skillet and a baking dish for the
lasagna (8x12).
Prep the Vegetables
Thoroughly wash all of the vegetables, paying special attention to the leeks.
Zucchini: Slice the zucchini into 1/4" thick pieces.
Asparagus: Separate the tips of the asparagus from the stems and slice them in half lengthwise. Set the tips aside to use later. Slice the stems into small pieces.
Broccoli: Cut the crown of the broccoli closest to the florets, then cut each large floret into smaller pieces.
Leeks: Cut the leek right where the dark green part meets the light green/white part. Save the dark green parts for soups or stocks. Next, half the portion being used and slice. Thoroughly wash the sliced leeks in cold water to remove the sand particles and strain.
Cook the Vegetables
Roast the zucchini. Place the zucchini on the baking sheet in a pile and season with the oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Toss to evenly coat. Roast them in the oven for 7-10 minutes, flip, and continue roasting for 5-6 minutes or until golden.
Blanch the kale. While the zucchini is roasting, add the kale and garlic cloves to the boiling water. Blanch them for about 3-4 minutes until slightly tender and the kale is still vibrant green. By this time, you can remove the zucchini from the oven and set it aside to cool.
Make kale sauce. Strain out the blanched kale and garlic from the pot and add them to a blender. Add the other items listed in the Kale Sauce ingredients section. Blend everything together until very smooth. (Be careful to watch the pressure from the heat while blending.) The consistency should be like that of tomato/pasta sauce. If it is too thick, just add a little more broth or stock.
Make the vegetable filling. In a large skillet on medium heat, saute the leeks and garlic in the oil for about 2-3 minutes until just softened. Next, add the frozen kale and bouillon, stirring until the kale has defrosted and the bouillon has dissolved. Finally, throw in the broccoli florets and asparagus stems. Saute the vegetables an additional 3-4 minutes until they are just tender but still vibrant green.
Make the Ricotta Spread
In a small bowl, mix together all of the ingredients listed under Ricotta Spread.
Assemble the Lasagna
- Add a little kale sauce to the bottom of the baking dish.
- Place three pasta sheets over the sauce.
- Thinly spread a tablespoon of the ricotta mixture onto each pasta sheet.
- Layer on half of the roasted zucchini.
- Sprinkle on a generous layer of mozzarella and Monterey Jack cheeses (about 1/2 c each).
- Repeat these steps for the second layer (sauce, noodles, ricotta, vegetables, grated cheese), but replace the zucchini with the Vegetable Filling. Then, repeat the steps again, alternating back to the zucchini and using the remaining ricotta. (Total of 3 layers).
- The last layer, following the cheese, will be the vegetable filling, noodles, sauce, and cheese.
- Arrange the asparagus tips on the last cheese layer.
- Cover the lasagna with foil and bake at 375 for 30-35 minutes. Remove the foil and bake an additional 5-7 minutes to brown the cheese.
Notes
- Save the green parts of the leeks and broccoli stems for soup.
- Better Than Bouillon Seasoned Vegetable Base is recommended for this recipe, but you may use any bouillon base of your choice. 1 tsp of this base is equal to 1 bouillon cube.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 436Total Fat: 24gSaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 63mgSodium: 1044mgCarbohydrates: 31gFiber: 5gSugar: 3gProtein: 26g
The nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used. I am not a doctor, nor a certified nutritionist and make no claims to the contrary. Each individual’s dietary needs and restrictions are unique to the individual. You are ultimately responsible for all decisions pertaining to your health. Please consult your personal physician with any questions you may have regarding your own health and diet.
Delicious. Very vegetal in a great way! Best veggie lasagna I have ever made.
Yay! So happy to hear that you loved it!