This vegetarian potato lasagne recipe swaps pasta for sliced potatoes to produce a delicious lasagne that's naturally gluten free and tastes amazing.
I love that this recipe rescues potatoes from the sidelines and lets them take centre stage as the star of a fabulous family dish.
Potatoes are low fat, boast high nutritional content (such as potassium and fibre), are locally grown in the UK, Ireland and 30 US states, reducing food miles, and they offer a healthy and versatile source for everyday cooking.
This vegetarian potato lasagne recipe takes about 30 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes, so if you can bear to wait an hour for a truly delicious dinner, I implore you to give this one a try.
Now, before I tell you more about how fabulously easy this dish is to make, let's first acknowledge a fact that probably already has my Italian readers shouting at the screen: lasagne refers to a type of pasta.
Therefore, if you remove the sheets of pasta from a lasagne, it isn't, in the proper Italian sense, a lasagne anymore. Italian readers, I'm sorry, but this vegetarian potato lasagne recipe is yummy and it is constructed like a lasagne, so I hope you'll forgive me.
Moving on!
To make the tomato sauce layer, you'll simply sweat onions, garlic, courgettes and peppers in a little olive oil before adding chopped tomatoes, basil and a bay leaf and simmering down into a gorgeous, rich tomato and vegetable sauce.
For the white sauce, you'll use my all in one method where flour (gluten free, if required), butter and milk all go into the pan and are whisked over a medium heat until smooth and thick. You'll then enrich the sauce with cheese and parsley. So good!
The potato layers are really simple too, you'll simply parboil potatoes and cut them into slices, then use to create layers of sauce and potatoes in a dish, just as you would with classic lasagne.
You'll finish by pouring the white sauce on top and scattering with extra cheese and a little parsley, then bake for 20 minutes until bubbling irresistibly.
Hungry? Here's my full vegetarian potato lasagne recipe, complete with lots of step-by-step photos to help you along the way.
Ingredients
For the tomato vegetable sauce
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 1 brown onion finely chopped
- 2 courgette (zucchini) small diced
- 3 peppers small diced
- 2 tsp dried sage
- 1.2 kg (2.6 lb) canned chopped tomatoes
- 15 g (0.5 oz) fresh basil thinly sliced
- 1 bay leaf
- salt and black pepper
For the potatoes
- 1.2 kg (2.6 lb) Desireé potatoes peeled
- 2 tbsp olive oil
For the white sauce
- 45 g (1.6 oz) slightly salted butter
- 45 g (1.6 oz) plain white flour (all purpose flour) gluten free flour, if required
- 640 ml (1.4 pt) milk
- 75 g (2.6 oz) mature cheese grated (vegetarian, if required)
- 1 tsp parsley
- salt and black pepper
For the topping
- 100 g (3.5 oz) mature cheese grated (vegetarian if required)
- 1 tsp parsley
Instructions
Make the tomato vegetable sauce
Warm the oil in a large non-stick pan.
Add the onion and garlic.
Sweat over a medium heat until translucent. This can take 8-10 minutes.
Add the courgettes, peppers, sage and a pinch of salt and pepper.
Fry for a further 5 minutes.
Add the tomatoes, basil and bay leaf.
Stir.
Bring up to a simmer, then leave bubbling away for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally until it has reduced.
Turn off the heat, season to taste and set aside.
Prepare the potatoes
While the tomato sauce is simmering, you can get on with the other elements. Peel the potatoes, cutting very large ones in half so that they’re all of a similar size.
Cover with water, bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes until just becoming tender.
Drain and leave until cool enough to handle.
Cut into thin 2-3mm slices and place on a plate, drizzling sparingly with a little olive oil as you go so that they don't all stick together.
Make the white sauce
Put the milk, flour and butter in a non-stick pan.
Whisk over a gentle until it begins to thicken. Taste to make sure the flour has 'cooked out' , meaning you can't taste it.
Add the grated cheese, parsley and pinch of salt and pepper.
Stir through until melted, then take off the heat and season further, if necessary.
Assemble the lasagne
Grease a large lasagne tray or casserole dish.
Spread a half of the tomato sauce.
Cover with a single, slightly overlapping layer of potato. Repeat with the other half of the sauce and another layer of potato.
Pour the cheese sauce on top, spreading to the edges.
Sprinkle the grated cheese on top of the lasagne, followed by the parsley and a good pinch of pepper.
Place in the oven at 200C (180C fan/400F) and bake for 20 minutes. Check half way and if the top is looking like it's browning too soon, just cover the dish with a hat of silver foil and return to the oven to finish baking.
Push a sharp knife into the centre of your lasagne to make sure the potatoes are cooked through - there should be no resistance.
Your lasagne will firm up as it cools, so if you want to serve neat slices allow it to cool for 15 minutes before cutting and plating up.
Hopefully you're inspired to try this recipe, but also think about how else you could use potatoes to bring variety and convenience back to your family mealtimes. Has it helped you save time at mealtimes?
For another delicious potato-based main, try these mini stuffed baked potatoes.
Print this vegetarian potato lasagne recipe
Vegetarian Potato Lasagne Recipe
Ingredients
For the tomato vegetable sauce
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 1 brown onion finely chopped
- 2 courgette (zucchini) small diced
- 3 peppers small diced
- 2 tsp dried sage
- 1.2 kg (2.6 lb) canned chopped tomatoes
- 15 g (0.5 oz) fresh basil thinly sliced
- 1 bay leaf
- salt and black pepper
For the potatoes
- 1.2 kg (2.6 lb) Desireé potatoes peeled
- 2 tbsp olive oil
For the white sauce
- 45 g (1.6 oz) slightly salted butter
- 45 g (1.6 oz) plain white flour (all purpose flour) gluten free flour, if required
- 640 ml (1.4 pt) milk
- 75 g (2.6 oz) mature cheese grated (vegetarian, if required)
- 1 tsp parsley
- salt and black pepper
For the topping
- 100 g (3.5 oz) mature cheese grated (vegetarian if required)
- 1 tsp parsley
Instructions
Make the tomato vegetable sauce
- Warm the oil in a large non-stick pan.
- Add the onion and garlic and sweat over a medium heat until translucent. This can take 8-10 minutes.
- Add the courgettes, peppers, sage and a pinch of salt and pepper and fry for a further 5 minutes.
- Add the tomatoes, basil and bay leaf.
- Stir, bring up to a simmer, then leave bubbling away for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally until it has reduced.
- Turn off the heat, season to taste and set aside.
Prepare the potatoes
- While the tomato sauce is simmering, you can get on with the other elements.
- Cut any of your large potatoes in half so that they’re all of a similar size.
- Place in a pan and cover with water. Bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes until just becoming tender.
- Tip into a colander to drain and leave until cool enough to handle.
- Cut into thin 2-3mm slices and place on a plate, drizzling sparingly with a little olive oil as you go so that they don't all stick together.
Make the white sauce
- Put the milk, flour and butter in a non-stick pan.
- Whisk over a gentle until it begins to thicken. Taste to make sure the flour has 'cooked out' , meaning you can't taste it.
- Add the grated cheese, parsley and pinch of salt and pepper.
- Stir through until melted, then take off the heat and season further, if necessary.
Assemble the lasagne
- Grease a large lasagne tray or casserole dish.
- Spread a half of the tomato sauce, then cover with a single, slightly overlapping layer of potato. Repeat with the other half of the sauce and another layer of potato.
- Pour the cheese sauce on top, spreading to the edges.
- Sprinkle the grated cheese on top of the lasagne, followed by the parsley and a good pinch of pepper.
- Place in the oven at 200C (180C fan/400F) and bake for 20 minutes. Check half way and if the top is looking like it's browning too soon, just cover the dish with a hat of silver foil and return to the oven to finish baking.
- Push a sharp knife into the centre of your lasagne to make sure the potatoes are cooked through - there should be no resistance.
- Your lasagne will firm up as it cools, so if you want to serve neat slices allow it to cool for 15 minutes before cutting and plating up.
Video
Nutrition
If you enjoyed this recipe then you'll likely also enjoy this easy lentil and pomegranate salad or even my date energy balls.
Pin this vegetarian potato lasagne
More luscious lasagne recipes to try
Have you got my book?
'This is a great kids cookery book. Emily is a star' - Simon Rimmer
'The book I'd like to force into any mother's kitchen' - Prue Leith
"A fab book with a plan." - Jane Devonshire, 2016 Masterchef UK winner
'Emily has managed to combine her mummy knowledge and passion for food to make a truly helpful and brilliant cookbook' - Priya Tew, RD, BSc (Hons), Msc
Get Your Kids to Eat Anything is an achievable 'how to' for parents in the battle to overcome picky eating and 'make new the norm'. Emily Leary's unique 5-phase programme looks at the issue of 'fussy eating' in a holistic way that links imagination with food, and which situates parents alongside - not in opposition to - their children.
.
Vicki Montague - The Free From Fairy says
That looks yummy Emily!! Great idea using potato.
Annie says
I love this idea, even without the tomatoes and adding spinach-- lots of variations. Plus, lightly cooking the potatoes then letting them cool then heating again makes them Resistant Starch, all the better for our digestive systems! So, thank you for this post :)
Alida says
Wow, this is very inventive, I have never seen it before. It is very inspiring especially if you want a break from pasta. Well done!
Kaylene @ The Links Site says
I almost always have potatoes in the pantry but I don't always have lasagne sheets! I can't wait to try this recipe out it looks delicious!
lucy mcdonald says
I'm new to the blog and a big fan of the not-so-humble spud. Love its versatility - but you're right it is often overlooked!
Bintu | Recipes From A Pantry says
Hey Emily, what a fab, fab, fab recipe and use of potatoes. I am going to try this the next time Oh turns up with a 5 KG bag of taties.
Emily @amummytoo says
Yay, thanks. Hope you enjoy it.
Jo @ Jo's Kitchen says
Potato lasagne! what an amazing idea - I want to eat this now!
Emily @amummytoo says
Thanks - it is very yummy if I do say so myself.
Diana says
Wow this looks amazing! I love the idea of this vegetarian lasagne, never thought making it with potatoes, will have to try this next week x
Kerry at Kerry Cooks says
What a fab idea! I would never have thought of this but it looks sooo good!
Natalie Tamara says
This looks so good!I'm surprised to see it's not too high in calories either - definitely a bonus. Looking forward to giving this a try :)