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Vegetable lasagna cut into squares after resting about 10 minutes out of the oven
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Vegetable Lasagna with White Sauce

Prep Time1 hour 30 minutes
Cook Time50 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: vegetable lasagna, vegetable lasagna with white sauce
Servings: 8
Calories: 490kcal
Author: A. JoAnn

Ingredients

  • 9 lasagna noodles
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil divided 1 tbsp.+ 1 tbsp.
  • 2 Cloves Garlic
  • 1 Leek or 1 c. chopped onion
  • 1 large head Broccoli about 2 c. florets
  • ½ c. matchstick Carrots
  • 1 Zucchini
  • 6 oz. fresh Spinach
  • 4 tsp Kosher Salt divided 2 tsp. + 2 tsp.
  • 1 tsp Oregano
  • 4-5 large leaves fresh Basil
  • 6 tbsp. Butter
  • 6 tbsp. Flour
  • 6 c. milk, 2%
  • ⅛ tsp Cayenne Pepper or Smoked Paprika
  • ¼ tsp. Nutmeg
  • 1 ½. c. grated Parmesan
  • 1 ½ c. grated Mozzarella

Instructions

Prepare the noodles

  • Boil and drain noodles according to package directions.
  • Coat the bottom of the lasagna pan with some olive oil or cooking oil spray. Toss lasagna noodles to coat them lightly with oil. Set aside noodles, or refrigerate them for later if you aren’t proceeding through the recipe yet.

Prepare the veggies

  • Peel and mince garlic. Trim and cut up onions. Cut the basil into thin slices (Chiffonade). Set aside.
  • Trim the root and tough dark green parts of the leek and discard them. Soak the leek in water for a bit and then shake to remove dirt and sand. Chop the leek into 1 inch pieces and put in a large bowl.
  • Clean and chop the remaining veggies and add to the leeks in the bowl.
  • Heat 1 Tbsp. olive oil in a large skillet. Add onions and cook until they begin to brown. You can add a teaspoon of sugar to enhance the sweetness, if desired.
  • Add the garlic and sauté another 30 seconds.
  • Add the remaining veggies, 2 tsp. Salt, Oregano, and Basil. Continue sautéing for about 5-10 minutes until softened. Return veggie mixture to bowl and set aside or refrigerate to prepare the lasagna later.
    Veggies are sautéed in a large pot

Prepare the White Sauce

  • Using a large pot, heat butter over medium until melted and bubbly. Use a whisk to stir in the flour. Cook for about a minute, whisking continuously.
    Butter and flour are whisked together in pot
  • Whisk in milk about ½ c. at a time, beating to keep sauce smooth. Once all milk is incorporated, continue whisking until the sauce gets a bit thick but try to avoid boiling.
    Milk is slowly whisked into sauce.
  • Remove from heat. Whisk in Cayenne Pepper, 2 tsp. Salt, and Nutmeg. Refrigerate if proceeding with the recipe later. To reheat, put sauce back in the pan and heat on very low, whisking, until sauce can be poured over noodles and veggies.

Assembling the lasagna

  • Line up your sauce, noodles, veggies, and cheeses.
  • First, spread some white sauce on the bottom of the lasagna pan.
  • Lay down 3 noodles.
  • Spread ½ of the veggie mixture over the noodles. Top with 1/3 of the cheeses. Spread 1/3 of the white sauce over the veggies and cheeses.
    Veggies are layered over noodles.
  • Lay down 3 more noodles. Spread the remaining veggies over the noodles. Top with another 1/3 of the cheeses. Spread another 1/3 of the white sauce over all.
    White sauce covers vegetable layer
  • For the final layer, lay down the last 3 noodles. Pour over the remaining white sauce. Sprinkle the remaining cheeses on top.
    Cheese and sauce make the final layer
  • Cover the pan with foil.
  • Bake at 350 for about 40 minutes. Remove foil and bake about 10 more minutes until sauce is bubbly and cheese is golden. Let rest 10 minutes before serving.
    Lasagna rests 10 minutes before serving