If you're after cozy comfort food without meat, this spinach lasagna is it. With sautéed spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, pine nuts, tomato sauce, ricotta and parmesan cheese it's so packed full of flavor you'll be craving it for days. And it's all done in under 1 hour, with just a few simple steps.
My Neighbor Says This Is the Best Recipe I've Ever Created
My neighbor and number one taste tester (meaning, she has tried A LOT of my recipes) always requests this lasagna. She says it's without a doubt the best recipe I've ever created - and she usually loves my recipes, so that's high praise.
I also love it, and would choose this vegetarian lasagna before any traditional meat-and-bechamel lasagna any day. It's got so much great flavor from sautéed spinach and sun-dried tomatoes, a nice crunch from pine nuts, and creamy cheesiness from ricotta cheese and parmesan.
Make it even better by making the tomato sauce from scratch - I promise, it's worth it. But, it also works with store-bought sauce for those nights when you just don't have the time.
Lots of Veggies and Two Types of Cheese
A Good Lasagna Needs Its Cheese(s)
You can't make lasagna without cheese, at least in my house. This version has ricotta and parmesan cheese, which creates a great mix of creaminess and cheesiness. If you want to add even MORE cheesiness - go for some mozzarella in the layers as well.
Fresh Lasagna Noodles Make It FAST
I always use fresh lasagna noodles because they don't need to be boiled first, which cuts a step and makes the recipe faster. You can use dried "no boil" lasagna noodles as well, or regular dried lasagna noodles - just check the box to see how to prepare them before layering.
Store-Bought or Homemade Tomato Sauce
Homemade tomato sauce is always better and I used my garlic basil tomato sauce for this recipe. You can use another homemade tomato sauce you like, or get a few jars at the store. It's tasty either way, it's just even better with homemade sauce.
Extra Gourmet Option: Add Pesto
I tested this recipe with pesto to start, and it came out delicious. Then I tested it without, and it was almost as good. So I decided to leave it out. Pesto is just one more (often expensive) ingredient to add, and I did not find it entirely necessary.
But! If you do want to make this lasagna extra-extra - go ahead and add pesto as well! I used almost a jar, and you can use either classic basil-pine nut pesto or sun-dried tomato pesto for maximum sun-dried tomato flavor.
Just Sauté, Layer & Bake!
1. Sauté
Start by sautéing the spinach. Heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat, then add chopped garlic, followed by spinach. Allow to wilt fully. You can cover the pan to make this go faster.
After wilting, you want to make sure to get rid of any excess liquid. The best way to do this is to let it sauté a few more minutes uncovered (if you covered it to wilt), and if there's any liquid left after that, go ahead and drain it.
2. Layer
Now it's time to layer the lasagna. Start with tomato sauce to cover the bottom, but not too much.
Then add three layers with two lasagna noodles, tomato sauce, spinach, ricotta, pine nuts, sun-dried tomatoes and parmesan cheese.
After these three layers, add a final layer with two lasagna noodles, tomato sauce and parmesan cheese.
3. Bake
Bake in the middle of the oven for 40 minutes, until it's browned and crispy on top and cooked all the way through. Allow to rest 10 minutes, then serve!
Top Tips for the Best Spinach Lasagna
Do sauté the spinach. Don't be tempted to add it raw - this will add too much liquid to the lasagna.
You can make this without spinach. If you don't have time to sauté it, it's better to just leave it out. If you do, I do recommend adding pesto instead, for more flavor.
Make sure the noodles are covered in sauce. If not, they will come out crispy instead of cooked.
Resting makes it better. You can always serve it straight away if you're really in a hurry, but it will be a bit messier and the slices will not look as nice. I also find the flavor is better once it has had time to sit for a bit.
Storing, Freezing & Reheating Instructions
This recipe makes for amazing leftovers, whether you store them in the fridge for a few days or the freezer for a few months.
Storing: Store leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Freezing: Store leftovers in the freezer in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
Reheating the whole lasagna in the oven: Tent with foil and reheat at 350°F (175°C) for 20 minutes, until heated through.
Reheating single servings in the microwave: Reheat in 1-minute increments, stirring between each segment.
What To Serve With It
- Simple Arugula Salad with Sun-dried Tomatoes & Honey Lemon Vinaigrette5 Minutes
- Easy Overnight Focaccia1 Hours 30 Minutes
- Garlic Roasted Broccoli25 Minutes
- Air Fryer Texas Toast Garlic Bread11 Minutes
More Quick & Easy Pasta Bakes
- Ricotta Spinach Tortellini Bake30 Minutes
- Dump-And-Bake Chicken Spinach Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomatoes1 Hours 20 Minutes
- No-Boil Ravioli Casserole35 Minutes
- Buffalo Chicken Pasta Bake1 Hours
Recipe
Spinach Lasagna with Sun-Dried Tomatoes & Pine Nuts
Print RateIngredients
- 8 fresh lasagna noodles uncooked; or dried and cook according to package instructions
- 3 cups tomato sauce homemade or store-bought
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 12 oz spinach
- 4 cloves garlic chopped
- ½ teaspoon fine table salt
- â…› teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 cup sun-dried tomatoes well drained and chopped
- â…“ cup pine nuts
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- 1 cup shredded parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 °F
- Start by sautéing the spinach. Heat olive oil in a large skillet or pan over medium heat, then add in chopped garlic and sauté 1 minute without browning. Add in spinach and allow to wilt, mixing often. You can cover the pan to make this go faster. When spinach has wilted fully, remove the lid and sauté 2 more minutes to allow the liquid to evaporate. If there's still liquid there after 2 minutes, drain what's left. Then mix in salt and pepper and remove from the heat.2 tablespoon olive oil, 12 oz spinach, 4 cloves garlic, ½ teaspoon fine table salt, ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
- Bring out an oven safe dish that is about 9x13'' (23x33 cm). Pour in â…• of the tomato sauce in the bottom of the pan.3 cups tomato sauce
- Now create 3 layers with each layer looking like this:2 lasagna noodles⅕ of the tomato sauce⅓ of the spinach, pine nuts, sun-dried tomatoes and ricotta cheese¼ of the parmesan cheese8 fresh lasagna noodles, 1 cup sun-dried tomatoes, ⅓ cup pine nuts, 1 cup ricotta cheese, 1 cup shredded parmesan cheese
- Then create a final layer with 2 lasagna noodles topped by the remaining tomato sauce and parmesan cheese.
- Bake in the middle of the oven for 40 minutes, until cheese is melted and golden and the lasagna is heated through. Allow to rest 10 minutes before serving.
Video
Notes
Storing, Freezing & Reheating Instructions
This recipe makes for amazing leftovers, whether you store them in the fridge for a few days or the freezer for a few months. Storing: Store leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Freezing: Store leftovers in the freezer in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Reheating the whole lasagna in the oven: Tent with foil and reheat at 350°F (175°C) for 20 minutes, until heated through. Reheating single servings in the microwave: Reheat in 1-minute increments, stirring between each segment.Nutrition
Nutritional information is approximate and automatically calculated, and should only be viewed as an indication.
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