Want to fill your next batch of homemade lasagna will lots of delicious vegetables that will only add to the flavor of the meal? Get inspired below for what veggies you need to try out in lasagna.
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Assembling a homemade lasagna is like creating a work of art. When you create art you want to have all the right supplies. You need your paint brushes and all your colorful paints.
To make a lasagna a true work of art you need lots of colorful vegetables. In this blog post I am going to give you lots of ideas of what vegetables to include and how to include them.
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🚜 Vegetables to Use in Lasagna
Let's get to it. First I am going to share with you my list of recommended vegetables, then I will go into detail about how to incorporate them into your lasagna.
- Zucchini
- Summer Squash
- Pumpkin
- Peppers
- Onions
- Garlic
- Shallots
- Cauliflower
- Asparagus
- Carrots
- Spinach
- Arugula
- Baby Kale
- Celery
- Mushrooms
I think that is a pretty good list. 15 great options for you to try. Now let's look at what best ways to use them all.
🌞 Zucchini
🏆 Favorite option
Zucchini is often a vegetable that doesn't get that much respect. It often is just thrown into some bread to use up a ton of it from your garden. But zucchini is great for lasagna when you prepare it well.
What I like to do is include thin, long strips of zucchini that will kind of look like your noodles. To do that just use a peeler to make strips. A Y-shaped peeler would be best. I create a layer of all vegetables including the zucchini.
If you are gluten free or trying to avoid pasta, you could just do zucchini strips instead of the pasta. I have not tested it myself yet for how long it would take to cook, but if you would like me to give it a try, leave a comment at the bottom of this post.
You can do this same thing with yellow squash or gold zucchini.
👶 Baby Spinach or Other Baby Greens
🏆 Easiest option
It doesn't get any easier than adding spinach. You don't need to cut it (as long as you buy baby spinach) and you don't need to cook. Just layer some in and it will be fully cooked when the lasagna is ready.
You also could mix the spinach in with the ricotta (if using) or right into your tomato sauce.
If you like you can also do the same thing with baby arugula or baby kale.
🥕 Carrots
If you want to use carrots you need to either use shredded carrots that will softened when baked or you need to cook them first. A crunchy carrots is going to mess with the final texture of the dish.
You can buy carrots already shredded, however it's cheaper and fresher to shred whole carrots with a box grater.
You could treat the carrots like we did the zucchini and use a peeler to create peels of carrots to add.
⚪ Cauliflower
You can add raw cauliflower rice. It should softened enough for you. If you are cooking to use florets, I would cook them ahead of time.
🌶️ Peppers
This is one of my wife's favorite veggies to include. Dice them up into small pieces. No need to cook ahead of time. I found them to be soft when we ate the lasagna
The orange and red bell peppers are what we like to use, but you could use something with a little heat. We normally don't think of lasagna as being a spicy dish but this is homemade lasagna and you can do whatever you want!
🎃 Pumpkin
You might think this is an interesting one. I want to add it in a way you may not be thinking of - mix some pumpkin with the tomato sauce. Pumpkin will add some sweetness to the sauce, which is especially good when your tomato sauce isn't made from fresh tomatoes. Plus you are upping your veggie intake!
I do about a 1:4 ratio of pumpkin to tomatoes when I make my pumpkin tomato sauce.
🧅 Onions or Garlic
You can put raw onions right in, but you know what would be good? Sautéing some onions in a pan or slow cooking them in a Crock pot until they were caramelized. Then doing a layer of them in the middle for your lasagna. Yum!
Garlic is best used mixed with the tomato sauce. Shallots can be used like onions.
🟩 Asparagus
Roast the asparagus first, and then chop it up into bite size pieces to include. The best asparagus is going to be available in the spring time.
🍄 Mushrooms
These depend on how thin you can slice them. If you are able to get them thin, or buy them thin you probably can get away without pre-cooking them. Otherwise sauté them with some butter until soft to prep them.
🥬 Celery
Crunchy celery is great for ants on a log (celery with peanut butter topped with raisins). But you don't want crunchy celery in your lasagna. I would cook it first before adding. You need it to be soft. Dicing in small or cut it into thin pieces is the way to go.
If you enjoyed this post make sure you check out our entire series "What Vegetables Go Well In" to help you add more veggies to your favorite dishes.
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