Description

Loaded Veggie White Lasagna features layers of tender pasta, a rich and creamy homemade béchamel sauce, sautéed vegetables including broccoli, mushrooms, zucchini, and spinach, protein-rich navy beans, and a trio of cheeses—ricotta, mozzarella, and Parmesan. This vegetarian comfort food is perfect for family dinners, meal prep, or feeding a crowd.

Ingredients

Vegetable Filling:

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups broccoli florets, chopped into small pieces
8 ounces cremini mushrooms, chopped into small pieces
1 zucchini, chopped into small pieces
2 cups baby spinach, loosely packed and chopped into small pieces
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 (15-ounce) can navy beans, drained and rinsed

White Sauce (Béchamel):

4 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3.5 cups whole milk
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Assembly:

9-12 fresh or dried lasagna noodles
1.5 cups ricotta cheese (whole milk)
2.5 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

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Instructions

Step 1: Prepare Your Vegetables

Chop everything about half-inch pieces. Smaller cooks faster, bigger stays crunchy. Do all the chopping before you turn on the stove.

Step 2: Cook the Vegetable Filling

Heat oil in the big skillet on medium. Add onion and garlic, cook 2-3 minutes until soft. Add broccoli, mushrooms, zucchini. Stir every couple minutes for 8-10 minutes. The mushrooms will shrink a lot and release water—that’s fine, it cooks off.

Add salt, pepper, red pepper flakes. Toss in spinach and beans, stir until the spinach wilts down to nothing. Move the pan off the heat.

Step 3: Cook the Lasagna Noodles

Boil water with a lot of salt in it. Cook noodles until they’re almost done but still have some bite. Drain them. I put mine on a baking sheet with a little oil so they don’t stick while I make the sauce.

Step 4: Make the White Sauce (Béchamel)

Melt butter in the saucepan on medium. When it’s melted, dump in the flour and whisk it around for a minute or two. It’ll look like wet sand and smell a little toasty.

Pour in maybe half a cup of milk, whisk until there’s no lumps. Add another half cup, whisk. Keep going until all the milk is in there. Keep whisking while it heats up and gets thick. Should take maybe 5 minutes total.

When it coats your spoon, add garlic powder, onion powder, parsley, basil, oregano, salt, pepper, and the Parmesan. Whisk it smooth. Done.

Step 5: Preheat Your Oven

Turn it to 375°F now.

Step 6: Assemble the Lasagna

Pour half the white sauce in the bottom of your 9×13 pan. Lay down noodles—3 or 4 depending on how they fit. Spoon ricotta around on top, doesn’t need to cover every inch. Spread half the vegetable stuff over that. Sprinkle maybe a cup of mozzarella. Pour some white sauce over everything.

Do it again: noodles, rest of the ricotta, rest of the vegetables, more mozzarella, more sauce.

Last layer is noodles, all the remaining sauce, rest of the mozzarella, and the half cup of Parmesan on top.

Step 7: Bake to Perfection

Cover with foil. If you remember, stick toothpicks in first so foil doesn’t touch cheese. Bake 30-35 minutes.

Take foil off, bake another 10-15 minutes. Top should be brown and bubbling. Edges will be bubbling too.

Step 8: Rest Before Serving

Walk away for 15 minutes. Set a timer if you have to. First time I didn’t wait and when I cut into it, everything just ran everywhere. After 15 minutes it holds together perfectly.

Notes

Uniform vegetable sizes are KEY! Big chunks won’t cook through properly, and tiny pieces will turn to mush. Aim for consistent 1/2-inch pieces.
Don’t skip salting your pasta water! It should taste like the ocean. This is your only chance to season the noodles themselves.
Squeeze out excess moisture from the spinach if you’re using frozen instead of fresh. Too much liquid will make your lasagna watery.
Common mistake to avoid: Don’t spread your vegetable filling all the way to the edges of the pan. Leave about 1/2 inch of space—this prevents messy overflow during baking.
Smart shortcut: Use a rotisserie chicken and add it to the veggie mixture if you want to make this heartier (though it’s plenty filling as-is!).
The foil-and-toothpick trick is genius! It prevents your beautiful cheesy top from sticking to the foil and getting ruined when you remove it.

Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 40-50 minutes + Resting Time: 15 minutes
Category: Main Dish
Method: Baking
Cuisine: Italian