Does fresh spinach need to be cooked before putting in lasagna?

This quick and easy spinach lasagna recipe is a simple and cozy casserole that comes together with just 20 minutes of prep! Full of vegetables and three different types of gooey, melty cheese, the healthy dinner is a delicious comfort food classic that the whole family will love. Serve the vegetarian lasagna with a side of garlic bread or focaccia and a crisp Caesar salad.

Vegetarian Lasagna

A warm and hearty spinach lasagna is the best way to get your family to eat their veggies! While my kids (and husband) have certain vegetables that they enjoy, it can often be a challenge to encourage new or different options. If there's one thing that I've learned after raising three boys, it's that combining greens with pasta or a cheesy casserole is always more appealing than plain, raw produce on a plate.

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​If you're trying to eat less meat, or if you're serving supper to a vegetarian guest, it helps to have a few good go-to recipes that you know everyone will enjoy. This vegetarian lasagna is just a twist on my popular spinach stuffed shells recipe, using all of the same flavorful ingredients in a lightened-up, healthier version of the more decadent, meat-based classic lasagna.

What Vegetables are Good in Lasagna?

Lasagna is a classic Italian casserole. While a traditional recipe includes layers of lasagna noodles, red sauce, cheeses, and meat, you can also switch it up with a vegetable-packed, meat-free recipe. The options are truly endless!

Just about any vegetables will work in a healthy vegetarian lasagna recipe -- from onion and mushrooms to bell peppers, tomatoes, zucchini, garlic, butternut squash, kale, eggplant, and corn. This particular dish features spinach as the star of the show -- frozen chopped spinach, to be exact.

That means that all you have to do is thaw the spinach and squeeze it dry. There's no need to sauté anything in a skillet, brown any meat, or even boil the noodles. Instead, this quick and easy lasagna comes together in a matter of minutes, with minimal assembly required!

Ingredients

This is just a quick overview of the ingredients that you'll need for a pan of spinach lasagna. As always, specific measurements and complete step-by-step cooking instructions are included in the printable recipe box at the bottom of the post.

• Frozen chopped spinach: thawed and squeezed really dry in a dish towel so that you don't end up with a watery lasagna filling.
• Ricotta cheese: adds a thick, creamy, cheesy layer to the dish. You can substitute with small curd cottage cheese for a lighter option.
• Mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese: these additional cheeses add flavor to the casserole and hold it all together. The more cheese the better, right?!
• Egg: helps bind the ricotta cheese layer so that it doesn't ooze out when you slice the casserole.
• Fresh basil, oregano, salt, garlic powder, and ground nutmeg: classic Italian herbs and spices that give this lasagna even more flavor.
• Marinara sauce: pick a high-quality store-bought jar or make your own at home with this easy recipe. You'll need a total of about 2 ¾ cups, which is more than a 24-ounce jar (but less than a full 45-ounce jar).
• No-boil ("oven-ready") lasagna noodles: these par-boiled noodles do not require boiling before you assemble the casserole. They cut the prep time in half, making this vegetarian lasagna quick and easy!

Can I use fresh spinach in lasagna instead of frozen spinach?

Yes, but you will need a lot of fresh spinach! The beauty of frozen chopped spinach is that it's already condensed, so you get a large amount of spinach at a very inexpensive price -- and you don't need to cook it before adding it to the ricotta mixture.

If you prefer to substitute with fresh spinach, a 10 oz package of frozen spinach is the equivalent of about a 1 pound bunch of fresh spinach. If you're buying fresh spinach, it's wise to buy more than you think you'll need because some bunches will need the stalks trimmed off and that will decrease the weight before cooking. You'll also need to cook the fresh spinach, drain it, and squeeze out the excess liquid before adding it to the cheese mixture.

How to Make Spinach Lasagna

This easy recipe for spinach lasagna can be assembled in advance for simple, stress-free dinners. It tastes hearty, rich, and flavorful -- especially for a lighter take on a comfort food classic!

1. Squeeze all of the water out of the thawed spinach. I like to use a dish towel to wring it out.
2. Combine the spinach with ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan, egg, basil, oregano, kosher salt, garlic powder, and nutmeg in a medium bowl. Season with black pepper too, if you like.
3. Spread a thin layer of marinara in the bottom of the baking dish.
4. Top with a layer of noodles, half of the spinach mixture, and a layer of the tomato sauce.
5. Repeat the layers.
6. Finish with another layer of noodles, the remaining marinara sauce, and a layer of mozzarella and Parmesan on top.
7. Cover the dish with foil and bake in a 400°F preheated oven for 35 minutes.
8. Remove the foil and bake the lasagna, uncovered, for another 5-10 minutes. The casserole is ready when the cheese is browned on top, the noodles are tender, and the filling is hot and bubbly.
9. Let the lasagna stand for at least 15 minutes before slicing and serving.
10. Garnish each piece with additional grated Parmesan cheese, chopped fresh herbs, or crushed red pepper flakes.

What to Serve with Spinach Lasagna

This hearty, homemade vegetarian lasagna is delicious when paired with a Caesar salad, a shaved fennel salad, or a simple green salad dressed in red wine vinaigrette. You might also like to offer a side of garlic bread or homemade focaccia bread to complete the meal.

Make Ahead Lasagna with Spinach

Assemble the lasagna in advance, but do not bake. Wrap tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to 48 hours before baking, or freeze for up to 3 months.

When ready to bake, allow the refrigerated lasagna to sit on the counter and come to room temperature for at least 30-60 minutes before baking. If you're baking a frozen lasagna (directly from the freezer), bake the dish covered in a 400°F oven for 1 hour. Then remove the cover and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes (or until the pasta is tender and the dish is heated through).

Storage

Leftover lasagna will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. You can also freeze the leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 months.

How to Reheat

Cover the lasagna loosely with foil. Warm the dish in a 350°F oven just until heated through, about 30 minutes. You can also reheat individual slices of lasagna in the microwave until warm, about 30-60 seconds.

Recipe Variations

• I prefer ricotta cheese because it has a thicker, smoother, creamier texture than cottage cheese. For a lighter choice, you can substitute with small curd or whipped cottage cheese. If the cottage cheese looks like it has a lot of liquid, strain it before combining it with the rest of the ingredients.
• If you're feeling adventurous, try making your homemade lasagna from scratch with homemade lasagna noodles.
• When using homemade lasagna noodles or boiled lasagna noodles (rather than the no-boil noodles), reduce the oven temperature to 375°F.
• Add ground beef, ground turkey, chicken, or Italian sausage to the marinara sausage if you're not concerned with preparing a vegetarian lasagna recipe.
• White Vegetarian Lasagna: substitute Alfredo sauce for the marinara sauce.
• Cooking for Two? Divide the full recipe between two smaller 8-inch square baking dishes. That way you get two meals with the same amount of effort, and you can freeze one for a later date. Alternatively, you can cut all of the ingredients in half and prepare one lasagna in an 8-inch square dish. The baking instructions remain the same.

Tips for the Best Spinach Lasagna Recipe

• The egg is an important component of the ricotta mixture because it helps the cheese layer "set" so that it doesn't ooze out when you slice into the casserole. That said, if you have an egg allergy, you can omit this ingredient -- the finished texture just won't be quite the same.
• Use whole milk ricotta cheese for the richest, creamiest, smoothest texture.
• For a thicker lasagna, double the ricotta mixture and add another layer or two of noodles and sauce. Just make sure that your pan is really deep!
• To bulk up the filling and include even more nutritious veggies in the casserole, saute sliced mushrooms, chopped bell peppers, diced onion, garlic, zucchini, or other vegetables of choice and stir them into the marinara sauce.
• Let the lasagna rest for at least 10-15 minutes before slicing. This will help the cheese set so that it slices cleanly and doesn't ooze out.
• Garnish each slice of lasagna with chopped fresh herbs, additional grated Parmesan cheese, or crushed red pepper flakes (for a little bit of spice)!

More Lasagna Recipes to Try

• Homemade Lasagna
• Ravioli Lasagna with Ricotta and Spinach
• Vegetable Lasagna
• Chicken Lasagna
• Turkey and Pesto Slow Cooker Lasagna
• Lasagna Soup

This quick and easy spinach lasagna recipe is a simple and cozy casserole that comes together with just 20 minutes of prep!

Course Dinner

Cuisine American, Italian

Keyword spinach lasagna, spinach lasagna recipe, vegetarian lasagna, vegetarian lasagna recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Resting Time 15 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes

Servings 8 people

Calories 306kcal

• 1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed
• 15 ounces ricotta cheese (or sub with 16 ounces small curd cottage cheese)
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
• ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil (or 1 teaspoon dried basil)
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• Pinch of ground nutmeg
• 2 ¾ cups store-bought or homemade marinara sauce (from a large 45-ounce jar or from 2 smaller jars)
• 9 oven-ready "no-boil" lasagna noodles

• Preheat oven to 400°F. Grease a deep 9 x 13-inch baking dish; set aside.

• Squeeze all of the liquid out of the spinach. I like to use a dish towel for this, and just keep squeezing until you wring out as much water as possible. Place spinach in a large bowl.

• Add ricotta, 1 cup of the mozzarella, ¼ cup of the Parmesan, egg, basil, oregano, salt, garlic powder, and nutmeg to the bowl with the spinach. Stir really well with a fork to combine.

• Spread about ½ cup of the marinara sauce in the bottom of the prepared baking dish.

• Top with 3 no-boil lasagna noodles (or as many as you need to cover a single layer in the dish), ½ of the ricotta mixture, and ¾ cup of marinara sauce.

• Add 3 more noodles to the dish, the remaining ½ of the ricotta mixture, and ¾ cup of marinara sauce.

• Finally, add another layer of 3 noodles, spread remaining ¾ cup of marinara sauce on top, and sprinkle with the remaining 1 cup of mozzarella cheese and the remaining ¼ cup of Parmesan cheese.

• Cover the dish with aluminum foil.

• Bake for 35 minutes. Remove foil, and bake for another 5-10 minutes (or until heated through and cheese on top is browned). Let stand for at least 15 minutes before slicing and serving.

• I prefer ricotta cheese because it has a thicker, smoother, creamier texture than cottage cheese. For a lighter choice, you can substitute with small curd or whipped cottage cheese. If the cottage cheese looks like it has a lot of liquid, strain it before combining it with the rest of the ingredients.
• If you're feeling adventurous, try making your homemade lasagna from scratch with homemade lasagna noodles.
• If using homemade lasagna noodles or boiled lasagna noodles (rather than the no-boil noodles), reduce the oven temperature to 375°F.
• Add ground beef, ground turkey, chicken, or Italian sausage to the marinara sausage if you're not concerned with preparing a vegetarian lasagna recipe.
• White Vegetarian Lasagna: substitute Alfredo sauce for the marinara sauce.
• Cooking for Two? Divide the full recipe between two smaller 8-inch square baking dishes. That way you get two meals with the same amount of effort, and you can freeze one for a later date. Alternatively, you can cut all of the ingredients in half and prepare one lasagna in an 8-inch square dish. The baking instructions remain the same.
• The egg is an important component of the ricotta mixture because it helps the cheese layer "set" so that it doesn't ooze out when you slice into the casserole. That said, if you have an egg allergy, you can omit this ingredient -- the finished texture just won't be quite the same.
• Use whole milk ricotta cheese for the richest, creamiest, smoothest texture.
• For a thicker lasagna, double the ricotta mixture and add another layer or two of noodles and sauce.
• To bulk up the filling and include even more nutritious veggies in the casserole, saute sliced mushrooms, chopped bell peppers, diced onion, garlic, zucchini, or other vegetables of choice and stir them into the marinara sauce.
• Let the lasagna rest for at least 10-15 minutes before slicing. This will help the cheese set so that it slices cleanly and doesn't ooze out.
• Garnish each slice of lasagna with chopped fresh herbs, additional grated Parmesan cheese, or crushed red pepper flakes (for a little bit of spice)!

Serving: 1slice of lasagna | Calories: 306kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 20g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 77mg | Sodium: 919mg | Potassium: 431mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 886IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 403mg | Iron: 1mg

Can I use fresh spinach instead of frozen in lasagna?

Why is my spinach lasagna watery?

Can I use fresh spinach instead of frozen in a recipe?

Does spinach need cooked?