Vegetable Lasagna with Roasted Squash, Pepper & Fennel
⏱ 60 min prep · 🍳 30 min · 🍽 6
Squash, bell pepper, and fennel go into the oven until the edges caramelize, while you build a tomato sauce and a nutmeg-laced white sauce with three cheeses on the side. Budget close to an hour from start to a fully assembled dish ready for the oven — this is a Sunday project, not something you pull off between school pickup and a 6pm dinner bell on a Tuesday.
The dish yields six servings. Freeze what you don't eat right away in individual containers, and you've got a dinner ready for the nights nobody has the energy to cook from scratch. Reheat frozen portions covered at 350°F (180°C) for 25 minutes; bake a fresh dish at 400°F (200°C) for 30 minutes.
The béchamel and three cheeses give it enough weight to stand on its own as a main course, no meat required — which makes it the dish you can serve without checking who's vegetarian this week.
Ingredients
- pasta
- 118.294 ml pesto
- 100.000 g ost (hvitost)
- 2.000 stk fersk mozzarella
- 100.000 g ost (hvitost)
- 100.000 g parmesanedoste
- 44.360 ml smør
- 44.360 ml mel
- 700.000 ml melk
- 50.000 g parmesanedoste
- 50.000 g ost (hvitost)
- 2.464 ml revet muskatnøtt
- to taste krydder (diverse)
- 1.000 stk løk
- 1.000 stk egg
- 1.000 stk squash
- 180.000 g paprika
- 180.000 g paprika
- 1.000 stk fennikel
- 4.929 ml krydder (diverse)
- 4.929 ml sukker
- 9.858 ml olivenolje
- 4.929 ml balsamicoeddik
- 5.000 stk hvitløk
- 1.000 stk løk
- 14.787 ml olivenolje
- 29.574 ml tomatpuré
- 200.000 ml rødvin eller eddik
- 240.000 g tomat
- to taste krydder (diverse)
- to taste sukker
- 4.929 ml krydder (diverse)
Instructions
Prepare vegetables by washing, cutting into dice or slices, tossing with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, seasoning with salt, pepper, and sugar.
Roast vegetables in a preheated 200°C oven for 30 minutes, then transfer to a bowl.
Make the tomato sauce by heating olive oil, sautéing minced onion and garlic until soft, adding tomato paste and cooking briefly.
Deglaze with red wine until nearly evaporated, then add canned tomatoes and season with salt, sugar, and chili flakes; simmer for 10 minutes.
Prepare or obtain the pesto.
Grate the cheeses (Parmesan, Ridderost, Jarlsberg) and shred the fresh mozzarella.
Create the cheese sauce by melting butter, whisking in flour until smooth, gradually adding milk while stirring, seasoning with salt and nutmeg, and incorporating the grated cheese; reduce heat.
Assemble the lasagne by layering sauce, pasta sheets, roasted vegetables, nuts, pesto, and cheese, creating 4-5 pasta layers.
Finish with cheese sauce, pesto, grated cheese, a drizzle of olive oil, and freshly ground pepper.
Bake at 200°C for 30 minutes, then rest for 15 minutes before serving.
This is the dish for households where the week gets decided by soccer practice, birthday parties, and three different pickup times — six servings means Monday's dinner is already in the fridge before the week has even started. If you've got a kid who picks out anything green, this is where the vegetables get folded into the roasting pan and the white sauce instead of negotiated over at the table every night. It also tolerates substitution without complaint: swap in whatever actually looked good at the store that week, because the lasagna cares more about the vegetables being roasted and tender than about which ones they are. And because it's hearty enough to carry a meal on its own, it's just as at home on a Sunday when a vegetarian guest turns up unannounced.
FAQ
Can I freeze vegetable lasagna?
Yes — the béchamel holds up to freezing much better than a tomato-only lasagna, which tends to turn watery once thawed. Portion it before freezing so you're not defrosting the whole dish for one dinner. Move frozen portions to the fridge the night before, then reheat covered at 350°F (180°C) for 25 minutes. Use it within 2 months — the noodles start losing texture after that.
How long do leftovers keep in the fridge?
4 days in an airtight container. The cheese sauce tends to separate in the microwave, so reheat in the oven at 350°F (180°C) if you have the time — slide it in while you set the table and it'll be hot by the time everyone sits down. Check that the center is fully heated through before serving.
Can I swap the squash, pepper, and fennel for vegetables my kids actually eat?
Fennel is the one that gets swapped most often — leek or eggplant give the same roasted texture without the anise flavor. Carrot and sweet potato also work, roasted at 400°F (200°C) for 30 minutes, and give a sweeter filling. Stick to roughly 1.5 pounds of vegetables total, or the lasagna loses its shape when you cut into it.
Can I assemble it the day before and bake it later?
Assemble it the night before, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate. Pull it out about 30 minutes before it goes in the oven — if it goes in cold, add about 10 minutes to the bake time. Bake at 400°F (200°C) for 30 minutes and check the center with a knife before pulling it out.
Do the lasagna sheets need to be boiled first?
No. Layer fresh or dried sheets straight into the dish — the white sauce (about 3 cups milk) combined with the tomato sauce provides enough liquid to cook the noodles through in the oven. Just make sure every layer is covered in sauce on both sides, or the edges that poke out will turn chewy.
Can I tone down the spice for younger kids?
Yes. The red pepper flakes and black pepper in the tomato sauce can be left out entirely without throwing off the balance — the pesto and cheese sauce carry most of the flavor anyway. Put chili oil on the table for the adults instead, and everyone adjusts their own plate. The nutmeg in the white sauce is mild enough that it works fine even in the kid version.