Spring Lasagna
I’m a bit of a meat lasagna hater. For whatever reason, I have always enjoyed vegetarian lasagna more than its meat-filled counterpart. Something about the way the cheese mingles with the vegetables is just so yummy. This Spring Lasagna recipe is a spring twist on a vegetarian lasagna using creamy béchamel in place of red sauce and a delicious green pea and ricotta filling layered between noodles and slices of zucchini.
Table of Contents
- Spring Lasagna Ingredients
- Equipment
- What to Serve with Spring Lasagna
- Step One—Cook the Peas
- Step Two—Prepare the Béchamel Sauce
- Step Three—Make the Ricotta & Pea Filling
- Step Four—Assemble the Lasagna
- Step Five—Bake, Rest, & Serve
- How to Store Leftover Lasagna
- More Vegetarian Dinner Recipes
- Spring Lasagna Recipe
Spring Lasagna Ingredients
To make this recipe, you will need the following ingredients:
- 340 grams (3 cups) shredded mozzarella cheese
- 160 grams (1 cup) frozen peas
- 454 grams (2 cups) ricotta cheese
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- Fresh black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
- Approximately 9 gluten free lasagna noodles
- 1 medium zucchini, thinly sliced
Béchamel Sauce
- 114 grams (1/2 cup) salted butter
- 87 grams (1/2 cup) gluten free all-purpose flour
- 3 cups whole milk
- 1½ teaspoons sea salt
- Fresh black pepper
- Freshly grated nutmeg
Substitutions
This recipe is gluten free. If you are not gluten free, this recipe can be made using wheat-based lasagna noodles and all-purpose flour for the béchamel sauce.
Equipment
- Digital kitchen scale
- Measuring cups
- Small and medium saucepans
- Whisk
- Mixing bowls
- Immersion blender
- 8 x 10-inch casserole dish
- Tin foil
What to Serve with Spring Lasagna
Spring Crunch Salad
Step One—Cook the Peas
Preheat the oven to 400°F. In a small saucepan, boil the peas in salted water for 5 minutes. Drain the cooked peas and set them aside.
Step Two—Prepare the Béchamel Sauce
In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Whisk in the gluten free flour until completely combined. Cook for 2 minutes, until the flour and butter mixture is bubbling, stirring constantly.
Slowly pour in the milk, whisking constantly to avoid lumps forming. Bring the sauce to a boil, then reduce it to a simmer. Once the sauce has thickened, season the béchamel with 1½ teaspoons of salt, fresh black pepper, and a bit of freshly grated nutmeg. Remove the sauce from the heat.
Step Three—Make the Ricotta & Pea Filling
In a large mixing bowl, mix together the ricotta, cooked peas, lemon zest, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, fresh pepper, and garlic. Use an immersion blender to roughly blend the mixture together. It is ok if there are some remaining chunks of peas.
Step Four—Assemble the Lasagna
Assemble the lasagna in an 8 x 10-inch casserole dish. Spread 1/2 a cup of the béchamel sauce in a thin layer over the bottom of the dish. Layer three lasagna noodles over the sauce to cover the base of the pan. It is ok if the noodles overlap slightly. Scoop half of the ricotta filling over the noodles, followed by a layer of zucchini, 1 cup of shredded mozzarella, and 1 cup of béchamel sauce. Repeat for a second layer, finishing with a layer of lasagna noodles, the remaining béchamel, and mozzarella.
Step Five—Bake, Rest, & Serve
Bake the lasagna uncovered for 30 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through. The lasagna is finished when the top is golden brown and bubbling at the edges. Remove the lasagna from the oven, tent the top with foil, then allow it to rest for 15 minutes before slicing. Slice and serve the lasagna with a side salad of your choosing.
How to Store Leftover Lasagna
Leftover lasagna will keep in a container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
More Vegetarian Dinner Recipes
If you enjoyed this Spring Lasagna recipe, be sure to try these other vegetarian dinner recipes:
Chickpea & Halloumi Sheet Pan Pitas
Five-Spice Crispy Tofu Cutlets with Smashed Cucumber Salad
If you make this recipe, please tag me on Pinterest or Instagram so I can see! I love to see what you all are making.
Feel free to leave any questions, comments, or reviews below. I love to hear from you!
Spring Lasagna
Equipment
- Digital kitchen scale
- Measuring cups
- Small and medium saucepans
- Whisk
- Mixing bowl
- Immersion blender
- 8 x 10 inch casserole pan
- Tin foil
Ingredients
- 340 grams shredded mozzarella cheese (3 cups)
- 160 grams frozen peas (1 cup)
- 454 grams ricotta cheese (2 cups)
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- Fresh black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 large garlic clove, grated
- Approximately 9 gluten-free lasagna noodles
- 1 medium zucchini, thinly sliced
Béchamel Sauce
- 114 grams salted butter (1/2 cup)
- 87 grams gluten-free flour (1/2 cup)
- 3 cups whole milk
- 1½ teaspoons sea salt
- Fresh black pepper
- Fresh nutmeg, grated
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400℉.
- In a small saucepan, boil the peas in salted water for 5 minutes. Drain the cooked peas and set them aside.
- In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Whisk in the gluten free flour until completely combined. Cook for 2 minutes, until the flour and butter mixture is bubbling, stirring constantly.
- Slowly pour in the milk, whisking constantly to avoid lumps forming. Bring the sauce to a boil, then reduce it to a simmer. Once the sauce has thickened, season the béchamel with 1½ teaspoons of salt, fresh black pepper, and a bit of freshly grated nutmeg. Remove the sauce from the heat.
- In a large mixing bowl, mix together the ricotta, cooked peas, lemon zest, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, fresh pepper, and garlic. Use an immersion blender to roughly blend the mixture together. It is ok if there are some remaining chunks of peas.
- Assemble the lasagna in an 8 x 10-inch casserole dish. Spread 1/2 a cup of the béchamel sauce in a thin layer over the bottom of the dish. Layer three lasagna noodles over the sauce to cover the base of the pan. It is ok if the noodles overlap slightly. Scoop half of the ricotta filling over the noodles, followed by a layer of zucchini, 1 cup of shredded mozzarella, and 1 cup of béchamel sauce. Repeat for a second layer, finishing with a layer of lasagna noodles, the remaining béchamel, and mozzarella.
- Bake the lasagna uncovered for 30 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through. The lasagna is finished when the top is golden brown and bubbling at the edges. Remove the lasagna from the oven, tent the top with foil, then allow it to rest for 15 minutes before slicing.
- Slice and serve the lasagna with a side salad of your choosing. Leftover lasagna will keep in a container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
