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Home » Recipes » Dinner

Cottage Cheese Lasagna

By Erin · September 26, 2022 · Leave a Comment

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Vegetarian
lasagna on a plate and in a baking dish with text overlay

Delicious vegetarian Cottage Cheese Lasagna is made with layers of lasagna noodles filled with veggies, cottage cheese, marinara, and of course mozzarella cheese. Cottage cheese is a healthy alternative to ricotta cheese and you'll never know the difference! 

a piece of lasagna on a plate with a fork

If there's one thing you should know about me, it's that I love homemade lasagna. Correction: I love cottage cheese lasagna.

If you couldn't tell, I'm on a big cottage cheese kick. You can easily enjoy it first thing in the morning in the form of a cottage cheese breakfast bowl, or in the afternoon as cottage cheese dip. Both are delicious, easy and protein-packed!

This recipe is a hearty vegetarian dinner that's perfect for serving a crowd, and it'd pair perfectly with my braised greens, maple roasted carrots or even this sautéed asparagus. 

Recipe features

  • Similar to your favorite vegetarian lasagna, but with cottage cheese instead of ricotta, which has a very similar texture and flavor.
  • Made with no meat and is instead filled with vegetables like carrots, onion, zucchini, and spinach.
  • The perfect recipe for serving a crowd, and you can prep the filling ahead of time to make it even faster. 
  • Cottage cheese has many health benefits, including high in protein and calcium.
cooked lasagna in a baking dish cut into slices

Ingredients

Noodles - I prefer using longer lasagna noodles, vs. the short, fatter ones, because I think they're easier to layer. But, that's just a personal preference. 

Vegetables - A combination of carrots, onion, zucchini, spinach, and garlic works well. Feel free to make substitutions, specifically for the zucchini and spinach, if you're not a fan. 

Cottage cheese - Small curd and full fat works best; you want it to resemble ricotta as much as possible. 

Parmesan cheese - Optional; I like stirring the grated parmesan and cottage together, but you don't have to use it. 

Marinara sauce - Use your favorite pasta sauce! I typically opt for arrabbiata because I like a spicy sauce.

Mozzarella cheese - Shredded. 

Instructions

Step 1: Cook the vegetables. Pulse the carrots, onion and zucchini in your food processor a few times, then transfer them to a large skillet. Sauté with a bit of olive oil over medium heat until soft, about 5-8 minutes, then add the spinach and garlic and cook for 1-2 more minutes. 

Step 2: Cook the noodles. While the vegetables are cooking, bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the noodles until they're al dente; drain and run cold water overtop so they don't stick together. NOTE: don't overcook the noodles! Otherwise, they'll be too soft to work with.

cooked veggies in a skillet on the left and mixed with cottage cheese in a bowl on the right

Step 3: Make the filling. Transfer the cooked veggies to a large bowl, then add the cottage cheese, parmesan, salt, and pepper and stir everything together. 

Step 4: Assemble. See the recipe card below for the full instructions. Essentially, you'll layer noodles, topped with cottage cheese mixture, marinara sauce, and mozzarella cheese in a large baking dish. 

marinara sauce and three lasagna noodles in a rectangle baking dish
lasagna topped with veggies and cottage cheese on the left and with pasta sauce and shredded cheese on the right

Step 5: Bake. Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil, then place it in the oven and bake the lasagna for 15 minutes. Remove the foil, then continue baking for 10-12 minutes until the cheese is melted. Sprinkle fresh parsley or basil on top, slice and enjoy! 

Tips and tricks 

  • Whole milk/full fat cottage cheese is going to resemble ricotta the most, so that's what you'll want to use in this recipe.
  • Don't over-mix the vegetables! When you pulse them in your food processor, you want to pulse them no more than 8 times. Or, you can chop them by hand.
  • Don't forget to add salt and pepper to taste to the cottage cheese mixture.
  • Make sure you spray the baking dish with cooking spray! Otherwise, the sides of the noodles may stick.
  • Substitutions:
    • Zucchini - Can omit, or use yellow squash or diced tomatoes
    • Spinach - Try kale instead (just make sure to remove the stems)
    • Vegetable mixture - Meat can be used instead of vegetables; see below in the Q&A section for how to do so
    • Parmesan - Omit, or try asiago cheese 

How to correctly layer lasagna? 

You'll want to layer the lasagna in this order: Marinara sauce on the bottom of the pan, three lasagna noodles, HALF of the cottage cheese/veggie mixture, 1 cup marinara, ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese. Then repeat this process one more time. The final layer will be: three lasagna noodles, 1 cup marinara sauce and 1 cup mozzarella cheese. 

Can I use cottage cheese in place of ricotta cheese? 

Sure can! That's why I created this recipe. I almost always have cottage cheese in my fridge, but rarely have ricotta. Cottage cheese is a protein-packed alternative to ricotta, and I doubt you'll be able to tell the difference. 

Can I add meat to cottage cheese lasagna? 

Sure! If you'd prefer something similar to traditional lasagna, you can add 1 lb. ground beef, ground turkey or even Italian sausage to the filling. To do this, cook the meat first, then set it aside. Omit the zucchini and spinach; otherwise, there will be too much filling. 

a piece of lasagna on a plate

Storage

Refrigerator: Cover the baking dish with a lid, then store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Freezer: Lasagna is an excellent freezer meal! Simply cook it, then cover it with aluminum foil and place the entire baking dish in a freezer-safe bag (or, transfer the lasagna itself to a small container). You can freeze lasagna for up to 3 months. 

Reheating: If you're reheating from frozen, you should thaw the cottage cheese lasagna in the refrigerator overnight. Then, reheat it in the oven at 375° until it's warmed through. 

More crowd-pleasing recipes 

  • Chicken Sausage Soup
  • Creamy Vegan Pasta Bake
  • Slow Cooker Chicken Stew

If you made this recipe, be sure to leave a comment and star rating below. Thanks!

a piece of lasagna with cottage cheese on a plate with a fork

Cottage Cheese Lasagna

Delicious vegetarian Cottage Cheese Lasagna is made with layers of lasagna noodles filled with veggies, cottage cheese, marinara, and of course mozzarella cheese. Cottage cheese is a healthy alternative to ricotta cheese and you'll never know the difference! 
5 from 1 vote
Print Pin Rate
Prep Time: 35 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Servings: 12 pieces
Author: Erin

Ingredients

for the cottage cheese mixture:

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 3 carrots chopped
  • 1 small yellow onion diced
  • 1 zucchini chopped
  • 5 oz. spinach chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves minced
  • 16 oz. full fat cottage cheese small curd
  • ¼ cup parmesan cheese shredded
  • salt and pepper to taste

for the lasagna:

  • 9 lasagna noodles
  • 2 ½ cups marinara sauce
  • 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
  • fresh basil for garnish

Instructions

  • Start by chopping the carrots, onion and zucchini and place them in a bowl. Then, chop the spinach and mince the garlic and place them in a separate bowl. Now, preheat the oven to 400°.
  • Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet, then add the carrot/onion/zucchini mixture and sauté until soft, about 8 minutes. Then add the spinach and garlic and sauté for 2 minutes. Transfer the cooked veggies to a large bowl.
  • While the veggies are cooking, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, then cook the lasagna noodles until they're al dente -- be careful not to over-cook or they'll be too soft to work with and fall apart.
  • Add the cottage cheese and parmesan to the bowl with the veggies and stir to combine. Add salt and pepper to taste.
  • Next, assemble the lasagna: spread ½ cup marinara sauce on the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish, then place 3 lasagna noodles on top. Spread HALF of the cottage cheese mixture on top, then 1 cup of the marinara sauce, then ½ cup of mozzarella cheese. Repeat this same process, starting with 3 lasagna noodles for the second layer. For the final layer, add the last 3 lasagna noodles, then top them with 1 cup of marinara sauce and 1 cup of mozzarella cheese.
  • Cover the dish with aluminum foil, then place it in the oven and bake it for 15 minutes. Remove the foil, then bake for an additional 10-12 minutes or until the cheese is melted.
  • Top the lasagna with chopped fresh parsley or basil, then slice it into 12 pieces. Enjoy!

Notes

*Calories are per slice and are an estimation
*Make sure to use full fat/whole milk and small curd cottage cheese so that it closely resembles ricotta cheese 
*Storage:
  • Refrigerator: store in a covered baking dish in the refrigerator for up to 5 days
  • Freezer: Or, store in a covered dish in the freezer for up to 3 months
  • Reheating: thaw lasagna in the refrigerator overnight, then reheat in the oven at 375° until it's warmed through 

Nutrition

Calories: 217kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 23mg | Sodium: 534mg | Potassium: 422mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 4105IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 183mg | Iron: 1mg
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About Erin

Erin is the recipe developer, writer and photographer behind the healthy food blog, The Almond Eater. She's been blogging since 2014 and loves to create food for many different diets, including vegan, gluten free and/or Whole30 recipes.

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