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Home » Dinner Recipes » Vegetarian Zucchini and Eggplant Lasagna

Vegetarian Zucchini and Eggplant Lasagna

Published: Feb 10, 2016 · Modified: Oct 19, 2020 by Louisa Clements · This post may contain affiliate links

This post may contain affiliate links

Try using roasted zucchini and Japanese eggplant to replace the noodles in this vegetable-loaded and gluten-free recipe for vegetarian zucchini and eggplant lasagna. 

Zucchini and eggplant lasagna in a white baking dish with fresh basil on top.
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50 minutes minutes 27 Comments

Oh do I love this vegetable loaded lasagna. It’s the vegetarian lasagna or vegetarian parmesan or casserole of my dreams. It uses vegetables to mimic the layers of lasagna (which means no noodles for an easy gluten-free verion).

A simple marinara sauce and just enough cheese to be decadent but not sleep-inducing.

What kind of vegetables should I use in a vegetarian lasagna?

If you’re wondering what kinds of vegetables to put in a vegetable lasagna, I started by looking at vegetables with shapes that mimic the shape of lasagna noodles. Zucchini and Japanese eggplant were where I landed.

When you thinly slice these veggies, they work the way noodles do in a traditional lasagna.

I like to use Japanese eggplant (as opposed to regular eggplant) because they are more similarly shaped to zucchini, meaning they will fit well into the dish and cook in the same amount of time.

Make a healthier and gluten-free version of lasagna with this lightened up zucchini and eggplant lasagna. | livinglou.com

When buying produce for this recipe, try to buy similar sized Japanese eggplants and zucchini to ensure they cook in the same time and you get the same amount of slices out of each vegetable.

The sauce in this lasagna is a simple marinara sauce (I like make my 20-minute marinara sauce), then I dot the layers with ricotta cheese which replaces a bechamel in this recipe. Using ricotta in place of a bechamel takes out a lot of the work that makes cooking lasagna somewhat laborious.

The final layer gets sprinkled with mozzarella cheese so you’ll still have that bubbly, melted cheese on top.

This recipe requires a couple of steps, but it’s all worth it in the end, I promise.

Make a healthier and gluten-free version of lasagna with this lightened up zucchini and eggplant lasagna. | livinglou.com

Why do you roast the zucchini and eggplant before making the lasagna?

The first step is to roast the zucchini and eggplant before assembling the lasagna because this ensures the vegetables cook properly and don’t release too much liquid into the dish.

Zucchini and eggplant are both very watery vegetables, so roasting them first will allow them to release some liquid while they cook.

Roasting the vegetables ahead of time also allows them a chance to caramelize which deepens the flavours of the dish. It’s a win, win!

I love to serve this with a big chunk of crusty bread to soak up all of the delicious leftover marinara sauce at the end.

Vegetarian Zucchini and Eggplant Lasagna

Author: Louisa Clements
3.53 from 97 votes
Try using zucchini and Japanese eggplant to replace the noodles in this healthy and gluten-free recipe for vegetarian zucchini and eggplant lasagna.
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Prep: 20 minutes minutes
Cook: 30 minutes minutes
Total: 50 minutes minutes
Servings: 6

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoon olive oil
  • 4 medium zucchinis, sliced lengthwise in ¼″ slices
  • 3 Japanese eggplants, sliced lengthwise in ¼″ slices
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2 ¼ cups marinara sauce
  • ½ cup ricotta cheese
  • ⅓ cup grated mozzarella cheese
  • 1 tablespoon thinly sliced fresh basil

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 425F. Toss zucchini and eggplant with olive oil, and salt. Arrange on two baking sheets, roast in the top and bottom thirds of the oven for 10 minutes switching sheets halfway through. Let cool until safe to handle.
  • Spread ¼ cup marinara sauce on the bottom of an 8×8″ baking dish. Top with 4 slices of eggplant, followed by ¼ cup of marinara sauce, dot with ricotta cheese, layer 4 zucchini slices crosswise on top of eggplant, top with ¼ cup marinara sauce and dot with ricotta cheese. Repeat with remaining layers, finishing with zucchini, ¼ cup marinara sauce and ⅓ cup grated mozzarella cheese.
  • Roast in the oven for 20 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.
  • Allow to cool for 10 minutes, sprinkle with fresh basil and cut into 6 slices.
Did you try this recipe?Leave a comment + rating and let me know what you think!
Filed Under: Dinner Recipes, gluten free, vegetarian
Nutrition Facts
Vegetarian Zucchini and Eggplant Lasagna
Amount Per Serving
Calories 168 Calories from Fat 90
% Daily Value*
Fat 10g15%
Saturated Fat 3g19%
Cholesterol 15mg5%
Sodium 744mg32%
Potassium 925mg26%
Carbohydrates 16g5%
Fiber 6g25%
Sugar 11g12%
Protein 8g16%
Vitamin A 836IU17%
Vitamin C 32mg39%
Calcium 117mg12%
Iron 2mg11%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet. Nutrition information is an estimate and is provided for informational purposes only. If you have any specific dietary concerns, please consult with your healthcare practitioner.


Let me know if you give this zucchini and eggplant lasagna a try!

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3.53 from 97 votes (91 ratings without comment)

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Comments

  1. Fiori

    July 09, 2023 at 2:00 pm

    Such a tasty recipe that's also easy to make! Fantastic that it's also vegetarian. Thank you Lou.
    ★★★★★

    5 stars

    Reply
  2. Johanne

    July 09, 2023 at 11:46 am

    My family really enjoyed this recipe, thank you!
    ★★★★★

    5 stars

    Reply
  3. Oludare Olasupo-Hassan

    February 20, 2022 at 1:22 am

    Very interesting.
    Reply
  4. Sylvia Klassen

    February 15, 2021 at 5:01 pm

    I tried this recipe, it was tastey, but fairly watery. Not sure what I did wrong. but tastey.
    Reply
    • Louisa Clements

      February 21, 2021 at 8:59 am

      Thanks Sylvia, glad you enjoyed it! The water content of the specific vegetables used can impact and make it a little watery from time to time, I have found the roasting step helps to mitigate this sometimes, but not always the case.
      Reply
  5. susan

    November 23, 2020 at 9:15 am

    So this is how I tweaked this recipe: I used more ricotta, probably about a cup. To the ricotta I added an egg, about 1/4 cup parmesan, a heaping tablespoon of pesto, granulated garlic and a pinch of kosher salt. The mozzarella I had in the fridge was smoked, so that's what I used. I really liked using the roasted vegetable "noodles", especially the eggplant. I may try this in future with just eggplant, as zucchini is pretty wet, even after roasting. But this satisfied my lasagna craving while I'm trying to maintain a low-ish carb lifestyle!
    ★★★★☆

    4 stars

    Reply
    • Louisa Clements

      November 24, 2020 at 9:36 pm

      Your tweaks sound like they were delicious! I'm glad you enjoyed the recipe and I'm sure it would be delicious with just eggplant! Thanks for taking the time to leave a review, it is much appreciated. :)
      Reply
  6. Mary Leon

    August 23, 2020 at 10:02 pm

    This looks very delicious. I'm going to try the recipe soon. Thanks for sharing ;)

    5 stars

    Reply
    • Louisa Clements

      September 17, 2020 at 4:02 pm

      Thank you Mary! I hope you enjoy!
      Reply
  7. Alma Abazovic

    January 03, 2020 at 4:49 pm

    Can I use any other cheese? like mozzarella, or a blend of cheeses? I don't care for ricotta at all.
    Reply
    • Louisa Clements

      January 03, 2020 at 6:43 pm

      Hi Alma, definitely! You can leave the ricotta out or replace with another favourite cheese. :) Enjoy!
      Reply
  8. Cheryl De-Zilva

    October 15, 2019 at 5:05 pm

    I've made this recipe with Quorn which is a plant based protein instead of using ground beef, and topped it with baby Spinach. Yum. My carnivores in the house couldn't tell the difference.
    ★★★★☆

    4 stars

    Reply
    • Louisa Clements

      November 10, 2019 at 10:04 am

      That sounds delicious, Cheryl! Thanks for letting me know. I'm glad you all enjoyed! :)
      Reply
  9. Tyler

    November 10, 2018 at 10:59 pm

    Do you think adding a bunch of other veggies would sog the lasagna out too much? I’d really like to add mushrooms and spinach and make it chock full of veggies.
    Reply
    • Lou

      November 14, 2018 at 10:25 am

      Hi Tyler, I've never tried it, but you could definitely add some more veggies between the layers. I would recommend using thawed, frozen spinach and really squeezing out as much of the liquid as possible before layering it between the zucchini and eggplant. In terms of mushrooms, you'll definitely need to cook them first so they can release their excess moisture. I'd go with either spinach or mushrooms in this case. Let me know how it goes!
      Reply
  10. Nick

    July 12, 2018 at 11:06 pm

    We use meat sauce but replace the pasta noodles with eggplant and zucchini instead, it's really good!
    ★★★★☆

    4 stars

    Reply
    • Lou

      August 11, 2018 at 11:21 am

      That sounds great Nick, I'm glad you enjoyed! Thanks for letting me know.
      Reply
  11. Gala

    May 05, 2017 at 1:08 pm

    Very interesting recipe to try! I never made vegetarian lasagna. Thank you for sharing!
    Reply
    • Lou

      May 07, 2017 at 5:08 pm

      Thanks Gala, let me know how it goes!
      Reply
  12. Lori Gersten

    April 20, 2017 at 6:38 am

    Thank you! I love this recipe! I have made this multiple times , although I have used blended cottage cheese instead of the ricotta because that's what I have around . I make it on Sunday and eat it for lunch all week , my co-workers are always jealous. I also thought to make it for a dinner party because there were a few vegetarians - everyone loved it!
    Reply
    • Lou

      April 20, 2017 at 5:44 pm

      Thank you, Lori! I'm so happy that you love this recipe and that your guests did too--it's one of my favourites. :)
      Reply
  13. Food Mumbai

    February 22, 2016 at 5:32 am

    I've never heard of such veg zucchini... Can I use any non-veg, especially pork in this recipe... please let me know... Thanks for sharing
    Reply
    • Lou

      February 23, 2016 at 2:59 pm

      Hi there, sometimes zucchini is also known as "courgette" so perhaps you've seen it labeled as that before. I've never tried this recipe with pork, but I'm sure you can cook some ground pork with the marinara sauce and use that for a meat sauce. Let me know how it goes! :)
      Reply

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Hi, I'm Louisa Clements & welcome to Living Lou. I've been creating simple, fresh & flavorful recipes for the modern kitchen for 14 years.
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