Skip to main content
Main

Vegetarian Lasagna

A layered baked pasta dish with tomato sauce, vegetables, ricotta mixture, and mozzarella cheese.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 14 ingredients
Jump to recipe ↓

Why it works: Tomato and celery are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 4% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,377 recipes. Both carry 4'-methylacetophenone, which smells bitter almond. The science ↓

Vegetarian Lasagna

Oven350 °F
Time25 minutes

Ingredients

Directions

Make the sauce

  1. Substitute ½ teaspoon dried oregano for ½ teaspoon dried basil.

  2. Cut up canned tomatoes for the sauce.

  3. In a large saucepan, stir together undrained tomatoes, tomato sauce, celery, green or sweet red pepper, basil, bay leaves, and garlic.

  4. Bring to a boil; reduce heat.

  5. Simmer uncovered for 20–25 minutes or until sauce is thick, stirring occasionally.

  6. Remove bay leaves.

Prepare the filling

  1. Cook noodles and broccoli separately according to package directions; drain well. Set aside.

  2. Meanwhile, in a bowl, stir together egg, ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese, and ¼ teaspoon pepper.

  3. Stir in broccoli.

Assemble and bake

  1. Spread about ½ cup of sauce in a 13×9×2‑inch baking dish.

  2. Top with half the noodles, half of the broccoli mixture, and half of the remaining sauce.

  3. Repeat layers, ending with sauce.

  4. Bake uncovered at 350 °F for 25 minutes; sprinkle with mozzarella.

  5. Bake 5 minutes more or until heated through.

  6. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

589Calories
40 gProtein
30 gFat
38 gCarbs

Counts 12 of 13 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 12 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Ricotta Cheese1/2 cup (124g) part-skim174
Parmesan Cheese1 oz (28g)110
Mozzarella Cheese1 oz (28g)85
Egg1 large egg (50g)78
Broccoli1 cup chopped (156g)55
Onion1 medium (110g)44
Tomato1 medium (123g)22
Chili1 tsp (2.7g)8
Celery1 stalk (40g)6
Garlic1 clove (3g)4
Bay Leaf1 leaf (0.6g)2
Basil5 leaves fresh (2.5g)1
Lasagnanot in our table0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Tomato + celerytop 4% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together3,377 recipes

    Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).

  2. Celery + peppertop 5% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together16,012 recipes

    Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).

  3. Celery + broccolitop 6% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together807 recipes

    Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).

  4. Broccoli + oniontop 6% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together3,294 recipes

    Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).

  5. Celery + oniontop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together18,518 recipes

    Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Lasagna noodles
Form the layered structure that holds the sauce and filling together.
Tomato sauce
Provides moisture and body, thickening as it simmers into a rich base.
Ricotta cheese
Gives the filling a creamy, moist texture that sets lightly when baked.
Egg
Binds the ricotta and parmesan mixture so it holds its shape when baked.
Mozzarella cheese
Melts over the top to create a stretchy, lightly browned finish.
Broccoli
Adds bulk and texture to the filling layer.

The step that matters

Simmer the sauce until thick. Watery sauce will thin the layers and make the lasagna soggy, so the sauce should reduce and thicken on the stove before assembly.

Swap the onion

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (tomato, celery, pepper, egg, parmesan cheese, broccoli, sauce):

  1. Capsicumfits better
  2. Spinachfits better
  3. Mustardfits better
  4. Onionthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against tomato, celery, pepper, egg, parmesan cheese, broccoli, sauce. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

You might also like

Tomato SoupTomato Soup526 recipesCream of Celery SoupCream of Celery Soup113 recipesCream of Tomato SoupCream of Tomato Soup107 recipesMacaroni and CheeseMacaroni and Cheese102 recipes