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lasagna without ricotta cheese or cottage cheese
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Easy Lasagna Without Ricotta Or Cottage Cheese (Meatless)

Easy and simple vegetarian cheese lasagna no meat recipe for beginners, without using ricotta cheese or cottage cheese. The basic lasagna recipe with no ricotta cheese is so cheesy and so delicious!
Course Main Course
Cuisine American, Italian
Keyword easy lasagna recipe without ricotta cheese, lasagna recipe no meat, lasagna with no ricotta, lasagna without ricotta cheese, meatless lasagna recipe, vegetarian lasagna
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings 10
Calories 279kcal
Author PA

Ingredients

  • 1 package lasagna (I used the brand Barilla which had 18 sheets)
  • 5 cups shredded cheese (I used cheddar and mozzarella)
  • water enough to cook lasagna
  • 5 tablespoons olive oil (or as needed to grease the lasagna sheets)
  • 1 tablespoon extra oil to grease the baking pan
  • ½ teaspoon salt adjust to taste

For the sauce

  • 3 cups marinara sauce (adjust as needed)
  • 2 medium sized yellow onions chopped finely (can use other onions as well)
  • 6 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 4 tablespoons butter

Seasonings:

  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 2 teaspoons dried oregano powder
  • 2 teaspoons dried parsley

Instructions

To prepare the sauce

  • Heat the 2 tablespoons of olive oil for the sauce (see ingredients list for the sauce) in a pan and add chopped yellow onions and garlic, for 10 to 12 minutes until the onions and garlic are well sauteed.
  • Once the onions and garlic are sauteed and no water is left (it's good to lightly brown the contents), add the butter and saute for few more minutes.
  • Add the prepared onion garlic mixture to the marinara sauce and also add all the spice powders (onion, garlic, parsley, oregano), mix well and keep this prepared sauce aside.

To prepare the lasagna

  • Cook the lasagna sheets according to instructions in the package.
    Make sure to use enough water (boiling water) to cover the lasagna sheets, or it won't get cooked properly. After you put the sheets in to the boiling water, give it a minute so the sheets will become slightly soft and you can gently press with a spatula so the sheets will get immersed in the water. If there is no enough water, make sure to add more water.
  • Once the lasagna sheets are cooked, drain the hot water and I recommend adding some cold water to the same pan, which will help you to easily transfer the lasagna sheet from the pan. Transfer the cooked sheets to a foil greased with little oil.
  • Once the sheets are transferred to the foil or any flat surface, grease your palm with some olive oil and sprinkle some olive oil over the sheets and gently grease each sheet with olive oil, which will help to prevent the sheets from sticking together.
  • Preheat the oven to 375 degree Fahrenheit.
  • Grease a large baking pan with oil(you may use a 13*9 inch baking pan or use any baking pan that can fit the sheets).
  • Add few spoons of prepared sauce to spread over the baking pan.
  • Add lasagna sheets on top of the sauce in a single layer.
  • Add more sauce over the sheets and spread evenly.
  • Add shredded cheese over the sauce in a single layer.
  • Place the next layer of lasagna sheets in a single layer.
  • Again, repeat the process by adding a single layer of sauce which is topped with enough cheese in a single layer.
  • Repeat this process until the top layer of lasagna sheets are placed (do not add cheese above the top layers now).
  • Once the topmost layers are placed in a single layer, add enough sauce and spread the sauce evenly.
  • Cover the baking pan with foil and bake in the preheated oven for about 20 minutes.
  • After 20 minutes of baking, remove the covering foil and top the lasagna with shredded cheese as desired.
  • Cover the baking pan again with foil and bake for another 10 more minutes.
  • After 10 more minutes of baking, open the pan and see if the cheese is melted enough. You may keep the pan opened, and bake for another 5 more minutes if needed so that the cheese will be bubbly and golden brown (do this only if you desire, you may also broil it for the final 3 to 4 minutes if you like).
  • Allow the lasagna to cool down for few minutes, slice and serve!

Notes

To make the slicing the serving easier, slice the lasagna in small squares starting from the end and lift the slices using a large spatula.
I like to top mine with dried oregano or parsley flakes and also dried red chili flakes to spice it up.
You may add any other toppings or even suitable fillings (add accordingly as you fill the sheets for baking but make sure not to add too much) for even more flavors as you desire.
This is a basic, simple and easy lasagna recipe which is very flexible and you can modify it as you please!
If you are using 18 lasagna sheets as called in this recipe, you may use 2 baking pans to bake the lasagna, using 9 sheets in each pan or you may use a single large pan to bake all the layers simultaneously (if you use a single pan, the layers will be little thick as there are many number of layers).
I used a single baking pan to bake all the lasagna sheets so I had 6 layers of lasagna with lasagna sheets in each layer.
If you use two baking pans, you can have smaller number of 3 layers lasagna, so do it whichever way you like it.
Make sure to use a large baking pan which can hold all layers and its fillings.
A 9*13 inch baking pan can be used easily for making lasagna, you can also use disposable baking pans of this size which can hold all contents.

Nutrition

Calories: 279kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 24mg | Sodium: 889mg | Potassium: 339mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 583IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 262mg | Iron: 1mg