Vegetarian Sweet Potato Lasagna
Published 12/8/2021
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Amp up classic lasagna and pack it full of veggies for a hearty yet healthy dinner recipe that’s perfect for any vegetarian dinner! You’re going to love this sweet potato lasagna.
Time to Grab Your Casserole Dish!
Can I just say that the casserole dish is seriously one of the best inventions EVER. It’s just so. perfect. According to Wikipedia, casseroles are a “quintessential dish” in Minnesota. Yah know what; I would have to agree with that statement. I’ve got at least one casserole cooking up each week in my household.
I know what you’re thinking….lasagna isn’t a casserole. I’m here to tell you something different:
IT IS A CASSEROLE.
The internet tells me that a casserole is a deep dish meal slow cooked in the oven. It can, but doesn’t have to contain meat. Therefore…lasagna = casserole.
This isn’t your average lasagna recipe. Why? It’s packed with veggies (4 different kinds!). I amped up the tomato sauce (1) with some onion (2) and sautéed spinach (3) AND added pureed sweet potato (4) to the cheese mixture. Talk about an amazing combo of flavors. You won’t even miss the ground beef or meat sauce traditionally found in lasagna recipes.
Sweet Potato Lasagna Spices
Speaking of flavors, you’re going to love the simple yet amazing spices we’re using to flavor this lasagna! I decided to keep things basic, but classic Italian when it came to the sauce. You really can’t go wrong with a little:
- oregano
- garlic powder
- salt
- black pepper
I lightened up the cheese by doing one part whole milk ricotta, one part low-fat cottage cheese, one part sweet potato puree.
Pro Tip: You can find pureed sweet potato at most grocery stores! Just make sure that you look for 100% sweet potato with no added sugar. If you can’t find it…feel free to roast/boil your own and then blend in the food processor. We have step by step instructions for pureeing sweet potatoes here 🙂 Either method works!
Sweet Potato Lasagna Layers
In general lasagna is pretty simple to put together. The layers look like this:
- noodles
- ricotta mixture
- sauce mixture
- REPEAT
You’re more than welcome to use your favorite lasagna noodles, original or whole grain. I really prefer original because I crave that white flour, glutenous texture…but that’s just me!
Since everything is pre-cooked and there’s no meat involved, all you have to do once everything is layered is pop it in the oven for about 30 minutes. Then it’s time to DIG IN.
Storage Instructions
After the sweet potato lasagna is baked, let it cool completely before placing it in an airtight container. Store it in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
To reheat the lasagna, let it come to room temperature and then heat it up in the oven at 350ºF until the cheese melts and the middle of the lasagna is warm.
Freeze this recipe
Let the sweet potato lasagna cool completely before covering the with plastic wrap and then aluminum foil. Place the lasagna in the freezer and freeze for up to 3 months.
To reheat the lasagna from frozen, let it come to room temperature and then heat it up in the oven at 350ºF until the cheese melts and the middle of the lasagna is warm.
Sweet Potato Lasagna Recipe
Ingredients
For the Sweet Potato Cheese
- 1.5 cups whole milk ricotta
- 1.5 cups low-fat cottage cheese
- 1 15 oz can sweet potato puree, ~1.5 cups
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped
For the Sauce
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion, finely diced
- 3 large handfuls of spinach
- 1 24 oz jar organic marinara sauce
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- pinch of black pepper
- pinch of sea salt
Other
- 12 lasagna noodles
- 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- First, preheat oven to 375ºF and spray a baking dish or cake pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- Prep 12 lasagna noodles by following the directions on the box. Set aside.
- Prep sweet potato cheese by mixing together whole milk ricotta, cottage cheese, sweet potato puree, and rosemary. Set aside.
- To prep sauce, heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Then, add in onion and sauté for about 5 minutes or until almost translucent. Add spinach and sauté for an additional 2ish minutes until it has cooked down. Add marinara sauce and spice and let simmer for 2-3 more minutes on low.
- Prepare lasagna dish by layering noodles, cheese, and sauce. You should end with a layer of noodles on the top.
- Bake at 375ºF for 25 minutes Then, sprinkle on mozzarella cheese and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Thought this was interesting and unique…made it for tonight’s dinner.
I tried this recipe for dinner tonight and it was DELICIOUS. Great flavors and very filling. 🙂 The recipe is also versatile. I modified half the recipe for my husband who doesn’t like ricotta and cottage cheese. I mixed the sweet potatoes with mozzarella cheese. Still super yummy and delicious.
Hi, this looks amazing and i really want to cook it for dinner tomorrow but I’m having trouble converting the measurement. I need them in grams or ml but when i convert it online it makes no sense. For example it says 1 24 oz of marina source is 35grams. That can’t be right?
Thanks!
Hello! Unfortunately, we do not cook with grams. 24 oz. is referring to a jar of marinara sauce! Sorry I can’t be more help <3
Made this the other day and it was so good! I couldn’t find pumpkin purée so I made my own. Also put foil on top of the dish before I put it in the oven so the noddles on top stayed soft. Defiantly making this again!
Love your modification <3
They didn’t have pureed sweet potato so I use organic pumpkin pureed. DEELISH
So smart!
Hi Lee – I’ve got a couple of questions!!! I, too, live in Minneapolis and follow you on instagram, that’s where I first saw this recipe – it looks delicious! I love all things hot dish 🙂 AND totally agree lasagna can be classified as such. It’s March 13th and, as you know, winter came back withe a vengeance this weekend. I’m planning to make this for the bf tomorrow, but want to assemble the pan in advance. My questions are:
1) have you made this with no cook noodles? Do you know if i need to adjust the cooking time?
2) Any advice for assembling the day in advance and then popping in the oven? Should I freeze it? Or cook the components and assemble tomorrow when I prepared to cook?
Thanks!!
Katy
Hey Katy! I have not made this with no cook noodles…I’ve actually never used those noodles before, so I’m not much help! What I would do is make it immediately once the noodles are cooked. You can get everything ready, but once you cook the noodles, I would assemble!
Hi Lee and all!
I wanted to give an update on my experience. i did use no boil noodles (they are a time saver), assembled the lasagna, did not bake, and popped the prepared lasagna in the freezer. The following day, I preheat the oven to 375 and baked for 60 minutes, the last five I removed the foil from the top. It turned out great!!
YAY!! So glad it worked out! I need to try those noodles ASAP.
I’ve made this twice now and just love them! I cooked a sweet potato in the oven for about an hour and the skin peels right off, so easy. Also used gluten free noodles. The first time the tops were nearly impossible to chew so this time (currently have my second batch in the oven) I put foil over it for baking. I think when I make these again I might finish with sauce so the noodle cook better. This is gluten free so I know it’s always different. But even with the gluten free noodles it tasted so good!! Thanks fir the recipe!
This looks amazing! I wonder can you use another cheese other than cottage cheese?
Thank you!
What kind of cheese were you thinking about?!
Making this tonight!!! Could not find already pureed sweet potato and honestly I’m a tad to lazy to make my own haha so I am trying it with pumpkin puree tonight! I’ll let you know how it is! I can’t wait for dinner tonight!
This looks like such a good, healthy cold-weather food. I’ll definitely be making this within the week!
Woohoo! Let us know how it goes 🙂