There is something so comforting about pulling a bubbling pan of homemade lasagna out of the oven. The smell fills the kitchen, everyone gathers around the table, and suddenly the busyness of the day slows down for a little while. I personally don’t know a single person that doesn’t love lasagna.
This hidden veggie meat lasagna has become one of my favourite meals to make because it is flexible, nourishing, filling, and incredibly forgiving. You truly do not need fancy ingredients or a perfectly planned grocery haul to make a delicious homemade lasagna. I make 3 of these at a time and freeze two for later.
In our home, this recipe changes almost every single time I make it.
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The Secret Sauce
Sometimes I use zucchini, carrots, onions, peppers, mushrooms, spinach, or whatever vegetables are hanging around in the fridge needing to be used up. Sometimes it is leftover roasted vegetables from another meal. I simply roast whatever vegetables I have on hand and blend them right into my premade marinara sauce.
That is the “secret sauce” of this recipe.
Roasting the vegetables first adds so much flavour and natural sweetness to the sauce. Once blended, the vegetables practically disappear, creating a rich and hearty marinara packed with extra nourishment. It is one of my favourite ways to reduce food waste, while adding more vegetables into our meals without anyone even noticing. You could also leave the roasted vegetables chunky and chopped up for a more rustic feel.
Real Life Cooking Made Simple
This recipe is also proof that homemade meals do not need to be complicated or perfect to be delicious.
I keep things simple by using brown rice lasagna noodles that do not need to be preboiled. Skipping that extra step makes homemade lasagna feel so much more manageable on busy days. The brown rice noodles don’t bloat me like the wheat noodles do, and if you have someone that doesn’t tolerate gluten at all, you are covered. I love recipes that work with real life. And honestly, I use whatever cheese I have on hand too.
Learning to Cook with What You Have
Instead of mozzarella cheese on the lasagna in the photo, I only had parmesan, so I used that. Mozzarella is wonderful, but I have also used cheddar, marble, gouda, and random little bits of cheese left in the fridge drawer. It always turns out delicious.
Lasagna is one of those beautiful meals that does not need exact perfection to work well. It is hearty, flexible comfort food that can easily adapt to what you already have available. I think there is something really freeing about learning to cook this way, and I wish I knew this earlier.
So many recipes online can make us feel like we need every exact ingredient before we can create a nourishing meal for our family. But some of the best meals come from using what we already have and making simple adjustments along the way.
A Thoughtful Meal to Share
This hidden veggie lasagna has also become one of my favorite meals to make ahead.
Recently I prepared a few pans at once and brought a couple to a sweet friend who had just welcomed a new baby. There is something incredibly meaningful about giving someone a homemade meal during a busy or exhausting season of life. A ready to bake dinner can feel like such a gift when someone is adjusting to newborn life, recovering from illness, or simply overwhelmed by a full season.
I use this enamel pan for making lasagna at home. Or you can buy a multi-pack of aluminum pans for freezing/gifting.
Perfect for the Freezer
I also love keeping one or two pans tucked away in the freezer for our own family.
There are always nights when I do not feel like cooking, when the day gets away from me, or when unexpected visitors stay for dinner. Having a homemade lasagna ready to pull from the freezer feels like such a blessing on those days. Pair it with a simple salad or fresh sourdough bread and dinner is done with very little effort. It does take over an hour from frozen to bake though, so requires a little bit of pre-planning.
Nourishing Does Not Need to Be Complicated
Meals like this remind me that nourishing our families does not have to look complicated or expensive.
Simple ingredients can create incredibly satisfying meals when prepared with care. And while this lasagna is packed with hidden vegetables and nourishing ingredients, it still feels cozy, comforting, and familiar. That combination is one of my favorite ways to serve healthier meals to my family without making anyone feel like they are eating “health food.”
This recipe has become such a staple in our home because it is practical, adaptable, freezer friendly, and deeply comforting all at the same time.
And all the extra vegetables blended into the sauce, that can stay our little secret.
Healthy Hidden Veggie and Meat Lasagna (Kid-Approved)
Equipment
- large bowl
- sheet pan
- 9 x 13 lasagna dish or other deep oven-friendly pan approx. same size
- Wooden Spoon
- Aluminum foil
Ingredients
- 2 cups shredded cheese mozzarella works well or a mixture
- 2 cups ricotta cheese
- 1 Tbsp dried parsley
- 1 lb ground beef grass fed is best
- 4 cups fresh mixed vegetables of any kind approximate amount, can be whatever you have on hand
- 3 cups marinera sauce one 24 oz. jar
- 16 oz. no boil lasagna noodles one box – we use brown rice noodles
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees
- Chop up mixed vegtables and place on sheet pan
- Roast vegetables until soft and brown
- Turn up oven to 425 degrees
- Blend roasted vegetables and marinera sauce in high speed blender to create a soupy texture, set aside
- Split shredded cheese in half and save half for topping later
- Mix together cheeses, parsley and eggs in large bowl, set aside
- Brown ground beef in skillet on stove, ensuring all small chunks
- Add marinera and roasted vegetable mixture to ground beef pan and mix
- Add layer of roasted vegetable marinera meat sauce to bottom of lasagna pan
- Add layer of cheese mixture
- Add layer of lasagna noodles
- Repeat layering steps ensuring that last step is cheese mixture
- Top with saved shredded cheese
- Baked covered with aluminum foil for 40 mins
- Remove foil and bake an additional 20 mins or until cheese is brown and bubbling
- Remove from heat and rest for 15 mins before serving
- I like to sprinkle with more dried parsley before serving
Cooking Instructions From Frozen
If baking your lasagna straight from frozen, remove it from the freezer and place it directly into the oven while still covered.
Bake at 375 degrees for approximately 60 to 75 minutes covered with foil.
Once the center is hot and bubbling, remove the foil and bake an additional 15 to 20 minutes until the cheese is golden and bubbly on top.
If your lasagna is in a glass dish, allow it to sit at room temperature for about 20 to 30 minutes before placing it into the oven to help prevent cracking from temperature shock.
Let the lasagna rest for 10 to 15 minutes before slicing and serving.
