This spinach lasagna is layers of noodles, sauteed spinach, marinara sauce and three different kinds of cheese, all baked to golden brown perfection. A hearty vegetarian main course option that’s perfect for feeding a large group.
You can never go wrong with a cheesy baked pasta, some of my favorite renditions include chili mac, buffalo chicken pasta, and this lasagna loaded with plenty of spinach and cheese.
Lasagna is a comfort food classic, no one can resist all those layers of tender pasta with plenty melted cheese. This spinach lasagna contains a generous amount of greens, and is loaded with flavor. You won’t miss the meat, I promise!
How do you make spinach lasagna?
This dish starts with a spinach and ricotta filling, which is a mixture of cooked chopped spinach, ricotta, mozzarella, parmesan, herbs and spices. Build the lasagna by placing marinara sauce in the bottom of a baking pan. Layer on cooked lasagna noodles, the spinach-ricotta mixture and the marinara sauce. Repeat the layers until the pan is full, making sure that the marinara sauce is the top layer. Bake the lasagna covered, then uncover, add a layer of shredded cheese, and bake the lasagna until the cheese is melted and golden brown. Once the dish is baked, let it cool for a few minutes, slice it and serve.
Tips for spinach lasagna
- I recommend using whole milk ricotta and mozzarella cheese for the best flavor. That being said, if you’re looking to save a few calories, you can substitute in the part skim versions.
- Use freshly shredded cheese, not a bag of pre-shredded cheese. The bagged shredded cheese from the grocery store often contains anti caking agents and does not melt smoothly.
- Use your favorite brand of marinara sauce. I typically use Newman’s Own or Classico brand.
- This dish can be assembled up to 6 hours before you plan to bake it. Store it covered in the fridge until you’re ready to eat.
- You can store any leftover lasagna in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Make sure to squeeze all the excess water out of the cooked spinach. This will prevent your lasagna from getting watery as it bakes.
- You can use 2 boxes of frozen spinach instead of fresh spinach. If you use frozen spinach, make sure to squeeze the water out of the spinach after you thaw it.
Spinach lasagna variations
This spinach lasagna is a delicious as-is, but you can add some of your favorite flavors to customize it to your tastes.
- Meat: Add meat to the marinara sauce such as crumbled and cooked Italian sausage, cooked ground beef or diced grilled chicken.
- Veggies: Feel free to add other vegetables such as mushrooms, zucchini, bell peppers or carrots.
- Greens: You can substitute kale, escarole or other cooked greens for the spinach.
- Cheese: Try adding some other cheeses such as fontina, provolone, or pecorino romano.
Do you have to cook lasagna noodles?
For this recipe, you have to cook the lasagna noodles before building the lasagna. Cook the noodles in salted boiling water according to the directions on the package, then lay the cooked noodles on a flat surface so that they won’t stick together.
How to reheat lasagna
To reheat a pan of refrigerated lasagna in the oven, simply cover it with foil and bake it at 350 degrees F. The lasagna will take around 30 – 40 minutes to reheat. You can reheat a single slice of refrigerated lasagna in the microwave by cooking it on high for 2 minutes. If the lasagna is not heated all the way through after two minutes, rotate it and microwave in 20 second increments until it’s hot.
Can you freeze lasagna?
You can freeze lasagna in a pan or as individual servings. Make sure the lasagna is in an airtight container or bag. You can bake a lasagna from frozen, just make sure to add another 20-30 minutes to the cooking time. To reheat individual slices, heat in the microwave for 3-4 minutes or until warmed through.
This lasagna will delight your friends and family and is perfect for parties, pot lucks and everyday dinners!
More pasta recipes you’ll enjoy
Spinach Lasagna
Ingredients
For the filling
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 24 ounces fresh spinach leaves
- 15 ounces ricotta cheese
- 2 eggs
- 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/2 teaspoon salt plus more to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper plus more to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
For assembly
- 1 box lasagna noodles
- 24 ounce jar marinara sauce
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- cooking spray
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
Instructions
For the filling
- Melt the butter in a large pan over medium high heat. Add as much spinach as will fit in the pan and cook until it wilts. Continue adding handfuls of spinach to the pan until it's all wilted. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Let the spinach cool slightly, then squeeze the excess water out of the spinach. Coarsely chop the spinach.
- Place the spinach, ricotta, eggs, Parmesan, 1 cup mozzarella, salt, pepper and Italian seasoning in a large bowl. Stir to combine.
For assembly
- Cook the lasagna noodles according to package directions.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Coat a 9"x13" pan with cooking spray.
- Spread a small amount of sauce on the bottom of the pan. Add a layer of noodles, then spread 1/3 of the cheese mixture over the noodles.
- Top the cheese mixture with 1/3 of the marinara sauce.
- Repeat the layers, ending with the marinara sauce.
- Cover the lasagna with foil, then bake for 45 minutes.
- Uncover the lasagna, then add the remaining 2 cups of mozzarella cheese. Bake for an additional 15 minutes or until cheese is melted and browned.
- Sprinkle lasagna with parsley. Let stand for 5-10 minutes, then cut into slices and serve.
I love your recipes. I will be trying this recipe, it looks delish. Would you create a seafood lasagna recipe and post it. I would love to make one but don’t have a recipe. Preferably with a white sauce. Thank you!!
This was wonderful [my family loved it]. I couldn’t find my mother’s lasagna recipe, and so I found yours that seemed the closest. I made my own sauce with tomato, bell pepper, carrots, garlic, onion…. i used fresh spinach…. I didn’t precook the pasta [i live in Peru and only have these really thin lasagna noodles – but my mom never precooked the pasta anyway]. I also put mushrooms in the spinach mix, and as I ran out of sauce, I put a layer of fresh cut tomatoes on the top then covered with some fresh mozz in cheese topping. It was fabulous, really. Thank you.
This worked really well (although I cut it back to 1/3 of the recipe because I cook for 2 (I used 1 egg) and still had leftover for another meal. My next effort I made it with my own home made marinara and added some chili peppers to the spinach and cheese mixture.. Lasagna enchilada was also delicious.
Thank you for this delicious recipe. I made it over the weekend and my whole family loved it. It came out perfect! God Bless You!
This recipe is simple and delicious! I did the sauce a little different, i sautéed onions and garlic, added the sauce, seasoned and added in some mushrooms. My husband loved it, first time making lasagna without meat, I didn’t miss it! This is a keeper!
Hello,
Thank you for this wonderful recipe. Just took the Lasagna out of the oven. Yummy!
Again, thank you Sara!
Could I prepare it but not cook it and freeze it or cook it then freeze it
I’d cook then freeze!
This is a wonderful recipe! My grandchildren loved it. I added about 1/2 cup of pesto sauce to the spinach filling (the refrigerated Kirkland’s Pesto from Costco is excellent) and the results were outstanding. Thank you for the recipe!
Could this be made with frozen spinach?
Yes just make sure you wring all the excess water out of it!
This recipe was easy and a HUGE hit! It was absolutely delicious! (I also used Club Lucky marinara which has a little kick.). Only thing I added was some garlic when I sautéed the spinach. Thank you!
Really good, delicious! But don’t know why it refers to the spinach mix/filling as the “sauce” in the first part of the assembly instructions. I added a touch of nutmeg to my spinach mix for some depth of flavour. Scrumptious 🙂
Could I assemble the lasagna the night before and cook the next day?
Yes that should be fine!
Thank you so much for this great recipe. This is the first time a lasagna I attempted to make did not turn out awful — for which my family is very grateful!!
This is an easy and delicious recipe, not too cheesy and the spinach adds a nice flavor. I put ground beef into the marinara sauce, and added a bit more sauce than the 24 oz called for in the recipe. I also used the oven ready noodles (gluten free) and it turned out perfect! Saved so much time using the oven ready noodles. Makes a hearty, thick lasagna enough for 6-8 people. It’s even better the next day.
Hi!
I was just wondering if you can make this lasagna the day before your going to serve it?
Thanks,
Kathy
Yes that should be fine!
So glad I stumbled upon this recipe! I made this recipe for Thanksgiving and was so pleased! My Italian side of the family always has lasagna as our main course for Thanksgiving. I was far away from home this year and my husband and I no longer eat red meat so this was so nice to feel a little more “at home” on the holiday.
I actually used spicy marinara sauce and the extra kick made it great as well!
This recipe was better than any lasagna I’ve ever had! Thank you!
So cheesy and delicious! We couldn’t stop eating it! I took it for lunch the next day and it was just as yummy!
My first time trying a lasagna recipe, I was nervous and followed your instruction to T. It came out so great! My family commented “it taste like restaurant” so that was a good feeling. This will always be my go-to veggie lasagna going forward. YUM!
I don’t often leave comments on blogs – even though I cook off of them very often – but this one deserved attention! I’d make this recipe again in a heartbeat – and I’ve made a LOT of lasagna in my day. A few commenters asked about using no-boil noodles, so I thought I’d give my two cents on that – which is what I used. (Also, I used a baby spinach, chard and kale mix from the store – which was delicious!!)
When building the lasagna, I used 3 no-boil noodles across the bottom, which didn’t quite fill the 9×13 pan – so the whole thing kind of had an outer moat of space around it. I just spread the cheese spinach mixture and the sauce right on the noodles and kept everything in the middle. I did increase the recipe to a jar and a half of sauce, because I added 1 lb. of ground turkey sausage – which made the sauce really thick. I added another layer of noodles AFTER the last cheese/spinach mixture and then added the rest of the sauce on top of the last noodles.
When it baked, the noodles – and basically, the whole thing expanded and filled the whole pan perfectly! It was absolutely delicious! If I could add a photo, I’d show you how lovely it looked – but since I can’t you’ll just have to take my word on it! Thank you for this wonderful recipe!
Great flavor. Absolutely delicious! I used pasta sauce instead of marinara and I definitely needed more than 24oz.
We try to eat vegetarian at least once each week so I gave this recipe a try and it was really tasty! Thank you!
I did not have any ricotta so I used burrata. I also used fresh mozzarella, Parmigiano-Reggiano, and oven ready noodles. It was marvelous! A definite keeper.