I love lasagna. It’s perfect for entertaining, a cool fall day, the picky eater, the casserole lover and the comfort food connoisseur. A while back I made the most mind-blowing lasagna ever (I put ground turkey in that one) and could never seem to repeat it. Every time I made it, I received positive reviews, but I knew that magic was missing. I made it again and again, but nothing was quite right…until today! I finally figured out the secret ingredients that made this lasagna perfect: Red Pepper Flakes, fresh Oregano, and Cumin. These ingredients make the perfect zing, like a gorgeous pop of color for the tongue. You have to try it! 
Those ingredients may take centerstage for this dish, however, the background players make it truly delicious and nutritious. Pureed vegetables, ladies and gentlemen! I put a ton in it! The texture may be that of a basic creamy cheese lasagna, but the flavor is so complex that no one will guess what you have in it. This time I made it dairy-free, but this is the easiest recipe to change to however you like it. Proof that it was delicious for anyone? My husband thoroughly enjoyed it, even though I made it completely meat-free, dairy-free…well, vegan! He also tried my ground turkey version with mozzarella and liked that equally. Goes to show, the secret is in the sauce. If you aren’t too sure about making lasagna, there are some tricks that help make the best 9 vegetable lasagna ever: 1. Prevent your lasagna from sticking to the bottom by putting a layer of sauce in the pan first 2. Alternate the direction of your lasagna noodles for each layer. So, 1st layer is horizontal, 2nd layer is vertical. Alternating directions will make the lasagna easy to cut and serve without falling apart. 3. For even distribution, mix your ricotta cheese into your sauce, don’t layer it separately. Another great thing about this dish is you can make it in a disposable pan, bring it to a potluck, eat it all week, or freeze half in single serve containers. I don’t usually use aluminum for anything, so I’m not concerned about using it once in awhile. However, if you have an allergy or concern, this enameled cast iron pan looks awesome! If you decide to make this for dinner guests, be prepared for them to want to take some home. It’s just that good! I always make sure I have some tupperware I’m not attached to for lasagna nights. That way I can let people take an extra slice home. 😉
If you have any leftover sauce, check out my leftover pasta sauce post!
Ingredients
- 1. A 13 1/4" x 10 5/8" x 2 3/4" Foil Pan-I used this one
- 2. Lasagna Noodles: My favorite noodles are DeLallo Whole Wheat Lasagna Noodles since they contain 2 ingredients (whole wheat semolina and water) and you save a step by not having to boil them ahead. Plus they taste pretty awesome!
- 3. 2 jars of Rao's Arabriata Tomato Sauce: I have a special place in my heart for this tomato sauce. If you don't use this one, make sure you either add red pepper flakes or use another Arabriata sauce in its place.
- 4. 32 oz of mozzarella cheese
- OR
- I used vegan cheese and grated 1 package of almond cheese, 1 package of Follow Your Heart Mozzarella cheese and 1 package of Daiya Mozzarella cheese
- 5. Steamed and Pureed Vegetables:
- 1/4 onion
- 1/4 cup broccoli
- 1/4 cup carrots
- 1/4 cup cauliflower
- 1/2 cup zucchini
- 1/2 sweet potato
- 1/2 cup spinach leaves (add after the rest are steamed)
- 1/3 cup frozen peas
- 6. !Ricotta Cheese (or vegan Ricotta below) +
- 2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp dried rosemary
- 2 tbsp fresh basil
- 2 tbsp fresh oregano
- 1 tbsp fresh italian parsley
- 4 garlic cloves
- OR
- 16 oz firm sprouted tofu
- 2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp dried rosemary
- 2 tbsp fresh basil
- 1 tbsp fresh italian parsley
- 2 tbsp fresh oregano
- 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 elephant garlic clove
- 2 garlic cloves
- 3 tsp nutritional yeast
- 1/2 tsp himalayan sea salt
- 7. *If you like meat in yours, ground turkey was a big hit for the meatlovers version of this lasagna!
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450°F
- Steam the onion, broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, zucchini, sweet potato until soft (about 10 minutes)
- Add the spinach leaves and finish steaming until just wilted (about 3 minutes)
- While the vegetables are steaming:
- Pour 1 jar of tomato sauce into a large bowl
- Puree the ricotta ingredients and add to the tomato sauce
- 2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp dried rosemary
- 2 tbsp fresh basil
- 2 tbsp fresh oregano
- 1 tbsp fresh italian parsley
- 4 garlic cloves
- Puree the steamed vegetables and add to the tomato sauce. You should now have the ricotta, tomato sauce, and the steamed vegetables all stirred together.
- Add a thin layer of tomato sauce on the bottom of your pan
- Layer the lasagna noodles so they are overlapping a 1/2 inch for each noodle
- Spread a layer of cheese on top of each noodle
- Spread a layer of sauce
- Layer cooked meat if you are adding meat
- I take the 2nd jar of sauce and pour half on top of the lasagna and serve the other half in a bowl for dinner.
- After 1/2 hr, reduce the cooking temperature to 350°F.
- Cook an additional half an hour up to a full hour, then let it rest for 15 minutes before slicing.
- Mangia! Mangia!
First of all, I love the DeLallo Noodles. What a time saver, and very tasty. I think maybe I didn’t use enough ricotta because my veggie puree wasn’t very cheesy. But hubby love the lasagne and that’s really what counts. This s a great go to recipe when you have the time. But it is not nearly as time consuming as it was without DeLallo. I didn’t have the chili pepper flakes, but used cayenne pepper powder, and it was fine. I also didn’t use the Arabriata sauce, but will look for it for next time. Thanks for the recipe.
Marjorie Stradinger recently posted…Figs vs. Food Assassins
Hi Marjorie,
Yes, if you aren’t using the tofu to make your ricotta and you are using ricotta, you will need about 16 oz. of ricotta instead of the 16 oz. of tofu. I will specify that in the directions above. Thank you for that insight! Also, I totally agree that the DeLallo Noodles are perfect. I absolutely love them and so far, feel they are the best I have found on the market in the “whole” wheat category. I love it when there are 3 ingredients or less in a product!
For the Arrabriata sauce, I prefer using chili flakes to mimic the Arrabbiata sauce in order for the lasagna to have the right zing. However, I am glad it turned out well with the cayenne! I will try that next time and see if it still brings that “zing.”
Thanks for commenting!
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