Tie Dye Vegetarian Lasagna

For me, lasagna hits all the comfort food notes just right. Layers of gooey, melty cheese, lip-smacking good fresh tomato sauce, and, of course, satisfying pasta. I’m here to prove that this vegetarian lasagna can shine beautifully without any meat, and in fact, be even more flavorful.

This whimsical early fall dish was inspired by colorful tie dye pizza, which features tomato and pesto sauces. I wanted to bring a bit of the fun of tie dye pizza into a more grown-up entrée, so I added fresh tomato sauce and layers of ricotta mixed with pesto.

The result: This gorgeous main dish that will excite the whole dinner party, not just the vegetarians.

Everything you’ll need to make this tie dye vegetarian lasagna

Lasagna is one of those labor-of-love dishes that’s ALWAYS worth making. Here’s what you’ll need for this cozy, veggie-packed recipe:

• For the tomato sauce: we’re using my new, super flavorful roasted cherry tomato sauce made with a whole head of garlic, and balsamic vinegar.
• For the veggies: you’ll also roast up orange and red bell peppers, onion, and zucchini with a little olive oil (use the code ‘AMBITIOUS’ to get 20% off!), garlic powder, salt & pepper.
• For the ricotta: every good lasagna has a creamy ricotta layer. I’m jazzing this up with basil pesto, then you’ll mix in an egg, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
• For the layers: you’ll need your fav lasagna noodles, some nonstick cooking spray, mozzarella, parmesan cheese, basil pesto, and fresh basil for sprinkling on top.

Can I make it gluten-free?

Sure! Simply use your favorite gluten-free lasagna noodles.

Add a boost of protein

While this is a vegetarian lasagna, you can absolutely add protein by stirring 1 pound of cooked Italian ground sausage into the tomato sauce before assembling. DELISH!

Make this vegetable lasagna faster

If you are short on time, there are a few easy ways to speed up the prep and cooking so that you can get this lasagna on the table faster:

• Replace the cherry tomato sauce with 2 (25-ounce) jars of good-quality tomato basil sauce or marinara sauce.
• Use no-boil lasagna noodles.
• Instead of roasting, you can sauté the veggies in a large skillet with a few tablespoons of olive oil. Cook for 5 to 8 minutes over medium heat until veggies are tender.

Two of my best lasagna-making tips

Trust me, lasagna is easier to make than you think and is very forgiving! These simple tips will help you make this easy vegetarian lasagna perfectly:

• Don’t overcook the noodles. Boil the noodles just until al dente, not fully cooked, because they’ll cook more when you bake the entire lasagna. Otherwise, you could end up with mushy noodles.
• Use room temperature ricotta. The ricotta mixture is easiest to mix with room temp ingredients, so I suggest letting the container of ricotta and the egg sit out a bit to come to room temp while you prep your other ingredients.

Prep this it ahead of time

This tie dye vegetarian lasagna is the perfect make-ahead meal that also makes amazing leftovers! To make it ahead of time:

1. Assemble the lasagna completely as directed.
2. Cover and place it in the refrigerator one day before serving.
3. When you’re ready to serve, bake it up for 10 extra minutes, and enjoy!

To save even more time, feel free to make the cherry tomato sauce and roast your vegetables 1-2 days ahead of time!

Freezer-friendly vegetable lasagna

This easy vegetarian lasagna recipe makes the best freezer-friendly meal! Here are two great ways to freeze it:

1. Bake first, then freeze. You can either bake it first, then cool to room temperature, slice into servings, place in freezer safe containers and then freeze. Or you can bake it, bring it to room temp, and then freeze the entire pan. Just make sure you double wrap it so the lasagna does not dry out. This is assuming you are freezing the entire pan. Once ready to reheat, thaw it out. Then bake, covered at 350 degrees F for 30-45 minutes or until heated through.
2. Freeze before baking: To freeze before baking, simply assemble the lasagna as written in the instructions, then double wrap with plastic wrap and foil and freeze for up to 3 months. Once ready to bake, thaw out then bake according to instructions.

Tools you’ll need

• Sheet pans
• Baking dish
• Parchment paper
• Tin foil
• High-powered blender
• Large pot
• Bowls

Get all of my kitchen essentials here!

More vegetarian dinners you’ll love

• Chipotle Black Bean Roasted Veggie Enchilada Casserole
• Better-For-You Homemade Spaghetti-Os
• Spicy Brown Butter Goat Cheese Pasta with Sweet Corn & Honey Roasted Butternut Squash
• One Pan Tomato Basil Baked Orzo
• Mom’s Authentic Puerto Rican Rice and Beans

Get all of my vegetarian dinner recipes here!

I hope you love this tie dye vegetarian lasagna recipe! If you make it be sure to leave a comment and a rating so I know how you liked it. Enjoy, xo!

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Tie Dye Vegetarian Lasagna

5 from 6 votes

byby :Monique Volz of AmbitiousKitchen.com

Leave A Review Print Recipe

Prep Time 35 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour 25 minutes minutes

Total Time 2 hours hours

ServesServes 10 servings

Beautiful tie dye vegetarian lasagna layered up with a rainbow of roasted vegetables, a flavorful cherry tomato sauce, pesto-infused ricotta, and plenty of melty cheese. This comforting vegetarian lasagna recipe is guaranteed to be a hit with the whole family! Freezer-friendly and perfect for transitioning into fall.

Ingredients

• 1 batch Cherry Tomato Sauce
• Veggies
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 orange bell pepper, diced
• 1 medium yellow or red onion, diced
• 1 medium zucchini, chopped
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Assembly and Serving
• Kosher salt
• Nonstick cooking spray
• 10 to 12 lasagna noodles (1 pound box)
• 3 ½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 2 ounces grated Parmesan cheese (½ cup), plus more for garnish (optional)
• ¼ cup basil pesto (store-bought is fine!)
• ¼ cup julienned fresh basil leaves, for serving
• Pesto Ricotta
• 1 (15-ounce) container whole-milk ricotta
• ½ cup basil pesto (store-bought is fine!)
• 1 large egg, beaten
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 400°F. Position the racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Prepare the tomato sauce: Place the tomatoes and onion on one of the baking sheets. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and season with the salt, oregano, and pepper to taste. Toss well to coat, then spread out in a single layer. Prepare the garlic by using a sharp knife, cut ¼-inch off from the stem end of the head so that the individual cloves of garlic are exposed. Place the garlic in a square piece of foil, drizzle with the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil, then loosely wrap in the foil and place on the sheet pan with the tomatoes and onions. Set aside while you prep your veggies.
• Prepare the veggies: On the other large baking sheet, combine the bell peppers, onion, and zucchini, drizzle with the olive oil, and season with the garlic powder, salt, and pepper to taste. Use your hands to toss everything together, then spread the veggies out in an even layer. (If you don’t have two large baking sheets you can saute all of the veggies in a skillet with a few tablespoons of olive oil for 5 to 8 minutes until tender.)
• Roast: Place both sheet pans in the oven on two different racks. Rotate the pans halfway through the baking time. Roast the veggies, flipping halfway through, until they are slightly golden, 30 to 35 minutes. Set aside to cool. Keep the tomatoes, onion, and garlic in the oven, undisturbed, for 10 to 15 minutes longer, until the tomatoes are tender and juicy and the onions are soft, a total of about 45 minutes. Keep the oven on and carefully position a rack in the middle. Keep heat in the oven.
• Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil.
• Cool the tomato mixture for 10 minutes, then remove the head of garlic from the foil packet and discard the foil. Once the garlic is cool enough to handle, use your fingers to squeeze the roasted garlic from the skin directly into a high-powered blender. Add the roasted cherry tomatoes and onions, along with their juices, to the blender and blend on medium-low until a smooth sauce forms, 1 to 2 minutes. Set aside.
• Cook the noodles: Spray a baking sheet or cutting board with cooking spray or line with parchment paper. Cook the lasagna noodles for 5 to 6 minutes, until pliable but still slightly firm, then drain and immediately lay the noodles flat in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet or cutting board. Do not let the lasagna noodles touch or they’ll stick together.
• Make the pesto ricotta: In a medium bowl, mix the ricotta, pesto, egg, salt, garlic powder, and pepper to taste, until smooth.
• Assemble the lasagna: Grease a 9 × 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Spread 1 cup of the tomato sauce over the bottom. Place 5 of the cooked lasagna noodles on top, laying 4 horizontally and 1 vertically to cover the bottom. Spread half of the pesto-ricotta mixture on top of the noodles, followed by half of the roasted veggies, and 1 cup of mozzarella. Pour a heaping 1 cup of tomato sauce on top, then sprinkle with ¼ cup of the Parmesan cheese.
• Add the remaining noodles the same way (4 horizontally and 1 vertically), then layer on the rest of the pesto-ricotta mixture, the remaining roasted veggies, 1 cup of the mozzarella, the remaining tomato sauce, and sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese. Finally, top with the remaining 1 ½ cups mozzarella.
• Bake the lasagna: Coat a large piece of foil with cooking spray. Place sprayed-side-down on the baking dish and cover tightly (this will prevent the cheese from sticking to the foil). Transfer to the oven on the middle rack and bake for 25 minutes. Remove the foil and dollop the pesto over the top in 1½ teaspoon spoonfuls. Return to the oven and bake uncovered until the cheese starts to get just BARELY golden brown in places, another 15 to 20 minutes.
• Garnish with extra Parmesan, if desired, and the basil. Cool for at least 15 to 20 minutes before cutting and serving.
• To store: Keep any leftover lasagna slices in an airtight glass container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Reheat in the microwave until heated through.

Recipe Notes

To make gluten-free: Use gluten-free lasagna noodles.

To make ahead: Assemble the lasagna as directed, but before baking, cover with foil and place it in the fridge for up to 24 hours before serving. When you’re ready, bake the lasagna as directed, adding another 10 minutes to the baking time.

Faster Tie Dye Lasagna: If you are short on time, replace the cherry tomato sauce with 2 (25-ounce) jars of good-quality tomato basil or marinara sauce and use no-boil lasagna noodles. You can also saute the veggies in a large skillet with a few tablespoons of olive oil. Cook for 5 to 8 minutes over medium heat until veggies are tender.

Add extra protein: Stir in 1 pound of cooked Italian ground sausage to the tomato sauce before assembling. DELISH!

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice (based on 10)Calories: 465calProtein: 20.4gFat: 30gSaturated Fat: 11.7gFiber: 3.9gSugar: 7.1g

Recipe by: Monique Volz // Ambitious Kitchen | Photography by: Eat Love Eats