Ok, maybe we overdid the headline a little bit this time. It is just that normally we are really lousy lasagna-makers. Every time we try to make it we have these visions on how our lasagna should be like, and the last 6-7 couple of tries the results have been … disappointing, to say the least. Too dry, too moisty, tasteless, too flat … and the list goes on.
This time we read almost all the vegetarian lasagna recipes we could find at Foodgawker. At Ezra Pound Cake we found a recipe that caught our attention. We added lemon to the ricotta, chili to the tomato sauce, used whole wheat lasagna noodles and changed bell peppers for mushrooms and kale – and like that – we had made our own first successful lasagna. Sure, it might look a bit complicated when you scroll down the long list of ingredients but remember that this actually just might be one of the Best Lasagnas In The World!
Lasagna With Grilled Vegetables
Serves 4-6
Tomato sauce (scroll down for recipe)
1 package of whole wheat (or gluten free) lasagna noodles
Lemon-ricotta (scroll down for recipe)
Grilled vegetables (scroll down for recipe)
1 package of mozzarella cheese (250 g)
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Start with a thin layer of tomato sauce, cover with a layer of lasagna noodles, a layer of lemon-ricotta, a layer of grilled vegetables, a layer of kale and a layer of tomato sauce. Repeat 2-3 times, top the last layer with the rest of the vegetables, the tomato sauce, the lemon-ricotta and the grated mozarella cheese. Bake it in the oven for 40-50 minutes.
Tomato sauce (arrabiata)
3 tbsp olive oil
1 medium size onion (finely chopped)
3 cloves garlic (minced)
1 fresh chili (medium strong, finely chopped)
25-30 kalamata olives (pitted)
2 tbsp capers (drained)
4 large tomatoes (cut in quarters)
2 cans plum tomatoes
half a pot fresh basil
salt & pepper
Heat olive oil in a large pot. Add onion, garlic, and chili and saute for 2-3 minutes. Add olives, capers and fresh tomatoes and cook it a couple of minutes more before adding the rest of the ingredients. Cook for 10 minutes, lower the heat and let it simmer for half an hour more under a lid.
Grilled Vegetables
2 tbsp olive oil
salt
2 zucchini (sliced)
1 eggplant (sliced)
300 g mushrooms,
300 g fresh kale or spinach
1 clove garlic
Dash the zucchini and eggplant with olive oil and salt and grill them in the oven at 400°F for about 10 minutes. Stir fry the mushrooms and the kale in a pan for 5 minutes with olive oil, salt and garlic. You could also grill the zucchini and eggplant in a broiler pan, the important thing is that the vegetables release some of their moist before putting them in the lasagna.
Lemon- ricotta
500 g ricotta cheese
1 organic mediun size lemon (juice & zest)
1 small handful of fresh basil (chopped)
a pinch of sea salt
a pinch of lemon pepper
Place ricotta cheese in a bowl, grate the lemon zest and sqeeze the lemon, add zest and juice to the bowl. Add basil, salt and lemon pepper and mix it together.
See the instructions on how to put the lasagna together in the beginning of the recipe.
Enjoy World’s Greatest Vegetable Lasagna!
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70 Comments
Very impressive! I like how you switched out ingredients to stuff that suited you.
I need this in my life!
Nothing like a disappointing lasagne, although this one looks far from it! Well done, I wish I could have a slice now!
Oh man, I can totally relate with the lasagna “try all”. Now with your success, I’ll have to try this one! Thanks for posting, great pics!
I havent even made this and it sounds like the best lasagna for sure! YUM!!!!
Thank you all for your comments! Hope none of us have to experience a bad lasagna ever again.
Your lasagna looks indeed fantastic! Thanks for sharing :)
I made this today and it really is delicious. The lemon in the ricotta gives it a really interesting flavor.
How great that you liked it! We were also dazzled by the lemon and ricotta combo.
i am about to cook it tonight. never found lasagna that interesting until you replaced the bechamel with ricotta! as an obsessed pasta fan i am really looking forward to get the best out of it! :D
Oh my god the lasagna was beyond delicious. The combination of ricotta and lemon, i knew of the existence but would never had guessed it would underscore the taste of the eggplant and zucchini that much! I am so happy i did not change the amount – so i am going to have something to eat for tomorrow and make my colleges jealous :D Really worth the try!
Julian: Fantastic, we’re so happy that you liked it! It really is an amazing lasagna. We also made too much for one night and kept nagging on ours three days in a row.
/Luise
As far as i can tell i am going to nag on it for at least 5 days in a row, if my colleges won’t rape me in the first place :D ( sometimes the really do! Then they stand behind me, look over my shoulders and try to snitch some bits. So every once in a wile i have to cook for approx. 25 people to calm them down a little bit and treat them with healthy food. The normally eat only McD and Co.)
Very savory… I want to try it and eat.
This is wonderful, love the rouch of the lemon and basil ricotta!
It’s the lemon-ricotta and the kale that I’m in love with…
I need some help with “half a pot” of basil. Not a term I’ve heard before, and I have no idea how much that is. (What pot?) Can you give in terms of cups or leaves, etc.?
Yeah, maybe that was a bit unclear… In sweden we often buy a pot of basil from the supermarket. Half a pot is equal to a handful or 25-30 medium sized leaves.
Good luck!
/David
Lemon in the ricotta sounds extra yummy.
This rocked! I supstituted Swiss Chard for the kale and grilled all the veggies (including the kale leaves and mushrooms) on the BBQ for added flavour and used Spelt noodles for a healthier addition. This is so good and worth the time spent to put it all together. The lemon ricotta is fantastic. Next time I might make the sauce a day ahead and also grill the veggies a day before. It took 3 hours to put everything together, but so worth it.
Hello, do you cook the lasagna noodles before you assemble the lasagna?
Hi Lisa, we don’t cook them before. Everything is baked in the oven after the lasagna is assembled. Good luck!
/David
Tasted delicious! I love this blog!
Hi, I’m going to make this this week and have a HUGE lemon…can you let me know how much lemon juice to use since I don’t want to make it too tart. Thank you
If it’s a HUGE lemon I would probably use half of it. Taste the lemon ricotta mix before adding it to the lasagna to make sure it’s enough. Good luck! /David
Hi Luise and David,
I just tried your Lasagne last night with fresh summer vegetables (bell peppers instead of mushrooms and kale). It was delicious and everybody was excited about the lemon ricotta!
Besides… I love your blog!
All the best from Vienna, Natascha
Thanks for the recipe. I am in love with the lemon ricotta, so in love… I wasn’t such a fan of the eggplant, mushrooms and zucchini though, maybe I need to cook them a little bit more beforehand. They were a little too textured which took away from the all around deliciousness for me. I’ll be dreaming of lemon ricotta though and all the things I might do with her. (A she because she’s so delicious…)
IS THAT BAKE THE VEGGIES (EGGPLANT) AT 400 DEGREES OR BROIL AT 400 DEGREES? ALSO YOU MENTIONED THAT YOU BAKE THE LASAGNA NOODLES AND DON’T BOIL THEM PRIOR TO… DOES THIS BAKING OF THE NOODLES GIVE A DIFFERENT TEXTURE/TASTE TO THIS DISH? THANKS! MONICA
wow! this was wonderful! i substituted some of the veggies to include roasted red pepper & broccoli [we aren't too fond of eggplant]… and my meat-eating husband raved that he’s never eaten a better lasagne! the arrabiata sauce would be delicious on its own with linguini or other pasta. yum! what a great first experience with your lovely site!
Hi! A few questions about this recipe which I am planning to make tomorrow…first, for the tomato sauce, what size cans of tomatoes do you use? second, are the lasagna noodles you are using fresh or dry? if they are dry/crunchy/out of a box i would think you definitely need to boil them first? Thanks for your quick response, it looks delicious!
Hi Maggie! In sweden canned tomatoes contain about 1 cup, so in this recipe you need to use about 2 cups of canned plum tomatoes. Regarding the lasagna noodles, we actually used dry noodles, and they were not pre-boiled. They will be covered in tomato sauce and lemon ricotta, and be boiled that way as the lasagna is being baked for about 45 minutes in the oven.
Good luck!
/David
Me and my sis made the lasagna today:) It was a hit:) loved it! :) thank you so much for sharing this wonderful recipe.
xx
Mimi
This recipe looks great! I plan to fix it for the first time for company so I want to do it right. In the sauce, what would you recommend for the fresh chili? And in the lemon-ricotta, the recipe says peel and juice for the lemon, so do I just chop up the whole lemon? Thanks for your help!
Hi Dianne.
If you make this for your first time, you probably want to take it easy with the chili. Use a small, medium strong, fresh red chili. Remove the seeds, and start by adding half of it to the sauce. Let it simmer for a while, taste it, and then add the rest if you want a little more.
Regarding the lemon, DON’T chop up the whole lemon, you should only use the zest and the juice, sorry for being unclear about that in the recipe (we have changed it now). First use a grater to scrape off the thin yellow outer zest of the lemon. Then cut it in half and squeeze out the juice.
This is one of our favorite recipes, so we bet you will make a good impression.
Good luck!
I made it last night and it was delicious.
The lemon ricotta is lovely, although I thought the real star of the show was the arrabiata sauce. I also used it as an opportunity to try and make my own pasta, which worked out pretty great (if I do say so myself).
I’ll have to check out your other recipes.
I made this for company for the first time and made it exactly as you have it written and it was a HUGE hit!! They raved about it! It wasn’t that hard. I did make the sauce the day before. I also made it with brown rice lasagna noodles. I really couldn’t taste the red chili pepper (I used a red jalapeno), so next time I make it (which will be soon!) I think I’ll use a little crushed red peppers. Thanks for a fantastic recipe! Dianne
Thank you, thank you, thank you for this recipe! I am new to lasagna making and this was my 2 attempt. I looked online for about an hour for the perfect veggie recipe and after sifting through many complicated and not all that delicious looking dishes, I finally (thankfully) stumbled upon yours. It turned out every bit as mouthwatering as it looks in your gorgeous picture. I was partly making lasagna to clean out my cupboards so, while it sounds just scrumptious, I did not go so far as to make my own arrabiata sauce, but opted for canned instead. Otherwise, I tried to stay true. The lemon ricotta was divine and the whole combination of flavors simply brilliant! I did not have eggplant on hand, but upped the zucchini quotient and also roasted some bell peppers and asparagus, which ended up fitting in amazingly well. I think my favorite thing about this recipe is how versatile it is. I will certainly use it for years to come. Thank you!!!
I am new to your blog, and it is such a delight to read! i made the lasagna this weekend and it absolutely lives up to its title! loved the lemon in the ricotta. thank you for sharing!!
hi i just made this today and am wondering if it is okay to keep in the fridge to cook the day after tomorrow? Or should I freeze it for one day? Can’t wait to try it out – I have a group of friends coming over for lunch so hoping it will be delicious! Thank you!
Hi Naomi, you can always keep lasagna in the fridge a day or two and then reheat it. Our experience is actually that it tastes even better the day after, it doesn’t look as pretty though.
/David
Have only just discovered your site – it’s amazing and such beautiful photography all the wonderful recipes look fantastic I can’t wait to try load of them! being an Art Director in publishing I can tell this site had been well thought of from conception to what us Web surfing veggies get to see – hurrah! love it keep up the good work
I am making a birthday dinner for some friends and this looks like a winner! What size baking dish did you use?
Hi Carol, we used a 40×30 cm (12×15 inch) baking dish. Good luck!
/David
Well… I’ve made a list of ingredients and I am trying this tonight! I stumbled upon this recipe a couple of weeks ago and it has really not left my mind since. Love the site!
I finally got the chance today to make this great lasagna after reading this blog post months ago (I was living abroad and didn’t have access to a decent kitchen + equipment)! I loved the little twists you added- the lemon to the ricotta and chilli to the tomato sauce. However I found the top part of the lasagna was quite dry….I wasn’t sure whether to cover the lasagna with foil during the first half an hour or so of cooking to retain the moisture? What did you guys do?
I love the way your lasagna turned out. It looks so fresh and inviting.
Hello: This is the first time to your post!
I am not a vegetarian but I must say that this looks so good.
I cannot east pasta, and so with my lasagne I bread and fry up eggplant slices to substitute the pasta.
The eggplant slices would go so well with this.
Although not a vegetarian recipe, I could give it to you and you could play with it.
Let me know.
Thank you for sharing your recipe and I look forward to browsing your blog.
Great recipe, I particularly like the idea of arrabiata sauce in a veggie lasagne.
Do you use fresh or dried kale?
Fresh kale.
Happy Cooking
/Luise
Over the top GOOOD! I added a little bit more Mozzarella cheese in the layers and topped with shredded Mozz AND some parmesan.. The only other thing that could possibly add to this dish is a little crunch from some pinenuts..Careful with added salt as the recipe has you adding it along the way as you cook veggies and noodles.. A touch salty for me…
I would rate this recipe a 10!1 Thank-you…PS It doubled just fine…
I tried this recipe with my boyfriend and we both thought it was amazing, it tasted soo good. I’m not vegatarian, but this must be one of the best lasagna’s i have ever tried.
The one thing i would add the next time is some pine kernels, so there is a bit of crunch. Otherwise perfect, especially the lemon ricotta!
Thanks
Hi Josephine, we are so glad you liked it. Good idea with the pine kernels, we’ll try that next time.
/David
WE LOVE YOU!! :) we just tried this truly wonderful lasagna and are amazed. I always thought that my recipe was more than good but yours clearly… is better. haha! grilled veggies+lemon creme. Wow! we used squash instead of zucchini and it was very tasty. THANK YOU so much for sharing!
I’m making this for my birthday dinner tomorrow night! :) very exciting!!
You didn’t over-do the title AT ALL! I made this last night and it was delicious. I really like the addition of lemon to the ricotta and the spicy tomato sauce- simple, amazing additions. Thanks for sharing!
When I first read the title of this recipe, I wondered if it was perhaps a little ambitious. When I read the story behind it, though, I realised that the issues you guys had with previous attempts, are the same things that usually bother me about vegetable lasagne. So I had to give this a try, and I have to say: wow. It really is that good. The flavours combine beautifully, and I love that it doesn’t contain the usual mucoid white sauce. The lemon ricotta is delicious.
I am a vegetarian, and although my Swedish boyfriend is not, he told me about your site, knowing I would love it. I have recommended your blog on hunch.com (a rather clever website that learns to predict your taste preferences, based on your previous likes and dislikes), and I look forward to trying many more of your recipes.
May I also say, your daughter is just beautiful; what you are doing, is clearly working for her. Well done for sticking to your beliefs and giving her the best you can, she will thank you one day!
Can i freeze this lasagne for New Year please?
I made this last night for my boyfriend and I, its incredible and a real green light on my path to vegetarianism!
This is so amazing! All my friends rave about it and Im almost making it on a weekly basis. No one can get enough. Props to you guys!!
I’ve made this my “go-to” for dinner parties when I want to serve a pasta dish – and it has never failed to amaze. This is by far the best recipe I’ve ever pulled from the internet. One small modification I make is that I chop some sweet red peppers and mix them into the sauce at the same time I add the tomato quarters. I also sprinkle some shredded 4-cheese blend throughout the lasagna. Phenomenal!
we love this dish and have made homage to you on our blog the lentil asylum in congratulations on your book! thank you!
Detta var den godaste lasagnen jag någonsin har ätit. Tack så mycket! Fick koll på er hemsida och den har lätt blivit en favorit :) Ha det bra där i Sverige! MVH / Paul van Mondfrans Lindén
I made this recipe a couple of months ago and I absolutely loved it (along with everyone I shared it with). The lemon-ricotta gives the dish a fresh and vibrant flavour. I’m making it again today! Great for freezing.
I made this for a birthday picnic and it was a huge hit! I used chinese eggplant instead and substituted broccoli since some people I was with don’t like mushrooms. This is certainly one of the best lasagna’s I have ever had. I will definitely make again, and again, and again….
I made this tonight for the first time with fresh veggies from the garden. My husband detests mushrooms, so unfortunately I had to omit those, but otherwise I followed the recipe. It is by far, the best vegetarian lasagna I have ever tried. The roasted veggies prevent the lasagna from becoming a soggy mess. The arrabiatta sauce is divine (and will be used for future pasta dishes), and the lemon-ricotta is a burst of unexpected citrus wonder. My carnivore husband thought is was fantastic!
Planning to make this but not sure what you mean by “half a pot of basil”. Is this dried or fresh? Could you give a measurement in teaspoons or grams perhaps? Thanks! :)
I cooked this lasagne for my parents, boyfriend and sister and we all loved it. It was delicious! And i had a fun afternoon making it. Thankyou.
I am so pleased to have found your blog!! It is so appealing to the eye and the photography is simply divine. I am so inspired to try out all of your recipes they are all so unique and unlike the normal healthy options going around. Keep up the great work!!
I have a family “italian night” this weekend so I am excited to make this lasagne for everyone. It really does sound (and look) delicious!!!
I made this lasagna for dinner and it was delicious. I gotta admit I was unsure about how it will turn out but when you put it all together it just works. Even my meat worshiping husband was pleased and ate 2 portions!