12 Lasagna Recipes, From Meaty Bolognese to Vegan Variations

Come spring, summer, fall, or winter, we've got lasagnas to satisfy cravings year round.

I'm not usually one to pick lasagna over other pasta dishes, but when the weather starts to cool off I can't deny the comfort that can be found in this hearty mix of tender noodles and rich sauce. This winter I'm vowing to give lasagna the respect it deserves and I plan on making it in all of its delicious forms. We've rounded up 12 of our favorite lasagna recipes, from meaty lasagna Napoletana and the ultimate spinach lasagna to vegan takes on lasagna alla Bolognese and Italian-American lasagna. If it's still warm where you live, we've even got a couple summery varieties for you.

A couple notes: Many of our lasagna recipes call for ricotta, and store-bought ricotta is almost universally terrible. Your best bet is to use cottage cheese or whip up some homemade ricotta, which is actually really easy. Additionally, leftover lasagna can lose some of its most appealing qualities when it's reheated—the contrast between tender but firm pasta and the creamy sauce, for one—but you can jazz up your leftovers by slicing your lasagna into thin slabs and frying the slices up in a skillet until crispy on the outside and gooey on the inside.

Meaty Lasagna

Lasagne alla Bolognese (Classic Baked Lasagna Bolognese)

Rather than the thick layers of ricotta and mozzarella typical in an Italian-American lasagna, lasagna alla Bolognese is made with slow-cooked meat sauce, creamy béchamel, and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. To make an especially traditional lasagna alla Bolognese, try using spinach pasta instead of plain egg noodles.

List Link: Get the recipe for Classic Baked Lasagna Bolognese (Lasagne alla Bolognese)

No-Holds-Barred Lasagna Bolognese

This lasagna walks the line between a traditional lasagna alla Bolognese and an Italian-American version—we keep the ragù and béchamel, but melt some mozzarella into the béchamel and also layer in fresh ricotta. To up the umami we turn to an ingredient that you don't usually find in any version of lasagna: Asian fish sauce.

List Link: Get the recipe for No-Holds-Barred Lasagna Bolognese

Lasagna Napoletana (Lasagna With Sausage, Smoked Cheese, and Meatballs)

Lasagna Bolognese isn't the only game in town. Move south to Naples and you will find this decadent lasagna made with red sauce, small meatballs, slices of sausage, and four different types of cheese. Unlike our ragú Bolognese, which is made with either all beef or a mixture of beef, pork, and veal, we make our ragú Napoletana with just pork ribs.

List Link: Get the recipe for Lasagna Napoletana (Lasagna With Sausage, Smoked Cheese, and Meatballs)

Eggplant, Gruyère and Prosciutto Lasagna

Here in Los Angeles, when it finally starts to feel like summer is fading into fall, a recipe like this bridges the seasons perfectly with a garlicky mixture of eggplant, carrot, onion, and prosciutto. Since we're already throwing tradition to the wind, we make the lasagna with a mixture of mozzarella and Gruyère to give it a slight nutty flavor.

Vegetarian Lasagna

The Best Spinach Lasagna

We want our spinach lasagna to be as spinach-y as possible. To achieve this, we sauté the spinach (rather than blanching or microwaving it) for the best flavor and chop it finely in the food processor so that it ends up in every bite. Be sure to drain your spinach thoroughly before chopping it—no one wants a waterlogged lasagna.

List Link: Get the recipe for The Best Spinach Lasagna

Ultra-Creamy Spinach and Mushroom Lasagna

If you're looking for a vegetarian lasagna but miss the heartiness of a meat sauce, try this version that pairs the spinach with rich mushroom duxelles. We melt some grated mozzarella and Parmesan into the bèchamel to make the sauce extra creamy.

List Link: Get the recipe for Ultra-Creamy Spinach and Mushroom Lasagna

Creamy Brussels Sprouts and Mushroom Lasagna

We use mushroom duxelles in this lasagna, too, pairing the mushrooms with creamed Brussels sprouts. While you can slice the sprouts by hand, we prefer to use a food processor because finer shredding means the sprouts will both brown better and break down into the sauce more completely. Lest you hear Brussels sprouts and mushrooms and think this is health food, we also layer in plenty of cheesy béchamel.

List Link: Get the recipe for Creamy Brussels Sprouts and Mushroom Lasagna

Summer Vegetable Lasagna With Zucchini, Squash, Eggplant, and Tomato

If you just layer fresh eggplant, summer squash, and zucchini into a lasagna, you're going to end up with something closer to a soup than a casserole. Summer lasagna is all about moisture control, so we sauté the vegetables before assembly, which drives out excess moisture and intensifies the flavor of the veggies. Finishing with fresh basil adds a final summery touch.

List Link: Get the recipe for Summer Vegetable Lasagna With Zucchini, Squash, Eggplant, and Tomato

The Best Squash Lasagna

Moving from summer to fall, this lasagna is made with the autumnal flavors of squash and sage. We incorporate the squash two ways: roasted and puréed with cream cheese, nutmeg, and cinnamon and sautéed with apples and sage. We layer both squash preparations with a Gruyère béchamel, though you could also use Fontina or low-moisture mozzarella in the sauce.

List Link: Get the recipe for The Best Squash Lasagna

Vegan Lasagna alla Bolognese

Lasagna alla Bolognese isn't the easiest dish to make vegan given that its three main components—egg noodles, ragù, and béchamel—all contain animal products. The noodles are easy—you can get perfectly good lasagna noodles that are made with just flour and water. The other two ingredients are trickier—we use a vegan ragù made with mushrooms and seitan and a béchamel made with coconut oil, flour, and almond milk.

List Link: Get the recipe for Vegan Lasagna alla Bolognese

Vegan Italian-American Lasagna With "Ricotta"

Italian-American lasagna is even harder to veganize than lasagna alla Bolognese because it's made with several types of cheese. Mozzarella is hard to imitate, so we just replace it with vegan béchamel. As for the ricotta, we mimic its mild creaminess and slightly grainy texture by blending firm tofu into a cauliflower purée.

List Link: Get the recipe for Vegan Italian-American Lasagna With "Ricotta"

Gluten-Free Lasagna

Polenta Lasagna With Mushroom Ragù (Polenta Pasticciata)

If you think lasagna has to be made with noodles, think again. Polenta pasticciata is an Italian dish that translates to "messed-up polenta" and is basically polenta lasagna. To make it, all you need to do is layer polenta with ragù and Parmesan cream. We use our vegan mushroom ragù here, but ragù Bolognese works just as well.

List Link: Get the recipe for Polenta Lasagna With Mushroom Ragù (Polenta Pasticciata)

October 2018

Read More

• Homemade Ricotta

• Crispy Leftover Lasagna Skewers

• The Best Slow-Cooked Bolognese Sauce