healthy vegetable lasagna with white sauce: guilt-free comfort

Cozy, comfort food doesn’t have to make you feel uncomfortable afterwards. You’ll love this healthy vegetable lasagna with white sauce with roasted fall veggies, no-bake {easy} gluten-free, high-fiber noodles in a silky white sauce.

Falling leaves fluttering from branches, whiffs of burning firewood, hiding away in sweatshirts better fitted for a small elephant—isn’t this the time of year that you just want cozy, comfort food?

You may want comfort food but not all the discomfort that ensues afterward like a lead balloon. That feeling like you’ll pop if you swallow even an ounce of water. Or the voices playing in your head like a broken record, reminding you that you “did it again”.
(Other words too, but we don’t speak of those).

This healthy vegetable lasagna with white sauce changes the game and proves that comfort food doesn’t have to induce discomfort.

Enjoy roasted, fresh fall veggies in creamy, white sauce bubbling away as the noodles slightly crisp around the edges and the flavors of oregano, thyme, and “one clove is never enough” garlic mesh together in perfect harmony. 

vegetable lasagna: comfort food, hold the discomfort

It’s very difficult to stop the white pasta runaway train after it’s left the station. I’ve spent a lifetime trying, and subsequently, failing. 

White pasta, and other foods with refined flour, are designed to make you eat more. We digest them quickly and easily because there are no additional nutrients to slow down digestion.

At the risk of getting sciency (sorry!), white flour has been stripped of the bran and germ during the milling process so all that’s left is the starchy center which has no nutritional value. That starch creates a blood sugar spike as soon as we eat it, which releases too much insulin, dipping blood sugar lower than normal so then we want to eat again. It’s a vicious cycle. 

This healthy vegetable lasagna with white sauce is loaded with nutrients which slow down digestion and make us feel full sooner. It has fiber, protein, healthy fats and whole grains. Plus, I’ve offered suggestions below on some alternative dairy products which are easier to digest. 

All of these key ingredients allow you to have the nostalgia and joy that comes from pasta dinners but in a healthier way so you can walk away from the table feeling good.

noodles for vegetable lasagna in white sauce?

Ask mentioned above, it’s best to use whole grain, high fiber noodles that slow down digestion. My favorite noodles to use are Jovial’s organic brown rice noodles. One box will give you 12 sheets which is what you need for this recipe (enough for a 9×13 dish). Aaaaand, you do not have to cook them ahead of time (yay).

Here’s a lot more good news: they’re loaded with whole grains, they work with any sauce and they’re free of gluten, milk, eggs, wheat and many other things.

Unlike traditional white flour lasagna noodles, these noodles have nutrients such as fiber and protein.

Another option that works well are Explore Cuisine green lentil lasagna. My family had absolutely no idea when I substituted these noodles for traditional ones (nor did they when I used the brown rice noodles above).

These noodles have similar benefits to the brown rice noodles but with even more protein and fiber.

If you’ve never tried either of these, I encourage you to do so, I think you’ll be very pleasantly surprised!

what herbs to use for vegetable lasagna

The herbs in this lasagna add incredible Italian flavors. The recipe calls for fresh herbs or herb pastes but you can use dried if that’s all you have.

The typical rule of thumb for substituting dried herbs for fresh is 1 teaspoon of dried to 1 tablespoon of fresh herbs.

I enjoy using Nature’s Promise stir-in herb pastes where I can (found near the fresh herbs in the produce isle of your local grocery store). They last longer that fresh herbs and there’s less chopping.

staying away from dairy? here are some suggestions:

I try to minimize my dairy intake these days. I find I’m not able to digest it like I used to (I completely break-out and at 45 yrs. old, I’m so over break-outs!)

If you try to limit your dairy intake, I have some suggestions for you.

Instead of parmesan cheese, try using grated pecorino romano which is made from sheep’s milk versus cow’s milk. Typically sheep’s milk cheese is easier to digest than cow’s milk.

Note, you’ll want to use about 1/3 less of it because it does have a stronger flavor profile and is saltier and tangier than parmesan cheese.

Another option to try is fresh buffalo mozzarella (mozzarella di bufala) which is made from the milk of water buffalo versus cow’s milk. The only negative is that it’s more expensive and sometimes hard to find (Whole foods and Wegmans carry it). But, if you’re craving mozzarella and can’t have the traditional version, this is a great option.

You can choose to omit the mozzarella all together and this veggie lasagna will still be delicious!

how to make healthy vegetable lasagna in white sauce

I definitely save my lasagna making for the weekends because it does take a little longer (but so worth it). To save time, you can easily prep the roasted veggies and tomato sauce ahead of time and refrigerate until it’s time to assemble the vegetable lasagna.

Here are the steps:

1. Prep & cut veggies and herbs (onions, garlic, peppers, zucchini, thyme, oregano)
2. Prep and roast vegetables in the oven (zucchini, peppers, garlic)
3. Sauté onions on the stove top. Add canned tomatoes, herbs, salt and spinach. Simmer. Put aside.
4. Make the white sauce starting with a roux, then add milk of choice, broth, nutmeg, thyme, garlic cloves, salt and parmesan cheese.
5. Assemble:
   1. Add a spoonful of the tomato sauce on the bottom of the pan,
   2. Layer 4 noodles.
   3. Layer 1/3 of the white sauce, veggies, 1/2 of the tomato sauce and parmesan cheese
   4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 once.
   5. Top the lasagna off with a 3rd layer of noodles, the remaining 1/3 white sauce and parmesan cheese.
6. Cover and place in the oven for 50 minutes.
7. Take the tin foil off, add mozzarella cheese and cook for 15 more minutes.

other cozy, healthy dinners:

• the only Italian stuffed peppers you’ll ever need
• beef lo mein (paleo, keto, whole30 variations)
• cozy butternut squash noodles with chicken and stunning cream sauce
• ribollita soup
• amazing chicken sausage pasta in easy tomato sauce

make this vegetable lasagna

Jovial Lasagna Gluten-Free Pasta

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Cento San Marzano Organic Peeled Tomatoes

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Anthony’s Cassava Flour

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9×13 Clear Baking Dish

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healthy vegetable lasagna with white sauce: guilt-free comfort

5 from 13 votes

Recipe by Karen Course: DinnerCuisine: ItalianDifficulty: Easy

Servings

6

servings

Prep time

30

minutes

Cooking time

1

hour 

5

minutes

Calories

375

kcal

Enjoy this gluten-free vegetable lasagna, with it’s roasted, fresh fall vegetables and creamy, garlicky white sauce just bubbling away as the noodles slightly crisp around the edges and the flavors of oregano, thyme, garlic, and Italian seasoning mesh together in perfect harmony.

Ingredients

• 2-3 yellow or green zucchinis, cut into 1 inch pieces

• 2 large peppers (any color), cut into 1 pieces

• 2-3 garlic cloves

• 1 large sweet onion, diced

• 1 can (28 oz) of San Marzano tomatoes, whole or diced

• 1 tbsp. fresh oregano or oregano paste (or 1 tsp. dried oregano)

• 1 tbsp. Italian seasoning paste or 1 tsp. of dried Italian seasoning

• 1/2 tsp. + 1/4 tsp. kosher or sea salt

• 1/2-3/4 tsp. red chilli pepper flakes

• 1 bag (4 cups) fresh spinach

• 1/4 cup unsalted butter (or clarified butter or ghee)

• 1/4 cup cassava flour (or tapioca flour or regular all-purpose flour)

• 1.5 cups milk of choice

• 2 cups chicken broth (or bone broth)

• 1/2 tsp. nutmeg

• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese (or 2 tbsp. grated pecorino Romano cheese)

• 12 sheets (9 ounces) lasagna noodles (brown rice, green lentil or regular). see post for ideas.

• 1/2 tbsp. fresh thyme (or 1/2 tsp. ground thyme)

• 8 ounces shredded mozzarella (or 8 ounces sliced buffalo mozzarella)

Directions

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Place cut zucchini, peppers and garlic cloves on 2 sheet trays. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt. Cook for 18-20 minutes until veggies are browned and slightly soft. Remove from oven and put aside.

  • 

• In a large sauce pan, sauté onions for 4-5 minutes until soft. Add San Marzano tomatoes, oregano, Italian seasoning, salt and red pepper flakes. Simmer for 10 minutes. If tomatoes are whole, use a spoon or potato masher to break up the tomatoes until they’re in smaller pieces. Add spinach right before sauce is finished simmering, making sure it wilts in with the sauce. Taste and add more salt if necessary. Put aside in a bowl and wipe out the pan to use for the béchamel (white sauce).

  • 

• Add butter and cassava flour to the sauce pan. Cook on medium for 2-3 minutes until butter has melted and it’s well combined. Add milk, broth, garlic cloves, thyme, nutmeg and salt. Whisk continuously until it’s thickened (until you see the whisk marks). Take off heat and add parmesan or pecorino.

  • 

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. To assemble the lasagna, use a 9 x 13 baking dish. Spoon a little bit of the tomato mixture along the bottom of the pan. Add 4 lasagna noodles. Layer 1/3 of the white sauce, roasted vegetables, 1/2 of the tomato sauce and sprinkle more parmesan cheese if desired. Repeat one time. To finish, add a 3rd layer of noodles and top with the remaining white sauce.
  

  • 

  • 

• Bake at 375 degrees F, covered with tinfoil for 50 minutes. After 50 minutes, carefully remove the dish from the oven and sprinkle (or place sliced) mozzarella. Place back in the oven, uncovered, for 15 minutes.
• Remove lasagna from the oven (should be bubbly with soft noodles) and let it rest for 15 minutes so it’s easier to cut. Slice and serve.

Notes

• Nutrition facts based on Jovial brown rice noodles and almond/coconut unsweetened milk.

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Lastly, if you make this vegetable lasagna with white sauce be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram!

what if you could…

enjoy desserts without feeling guilty afterward?

Life can still be sweet without refined sugar! Whether you need to lose weight, reduce your carb intake due to medical issues, or are simply looking for healthy recipes the entire family can enjoy, we’ve got just the guide to get you started!

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