By Martha Rose Shulman
- Total Time
- 1 hour 30 minutes
- Rating
- 5(594)
- Notes
- Read community notes
Now that I’ve discovered how delicious roasted cauliflower is and how easy it is to do it, that’s the only way I want to cook it. It might be difficult to abstain from eating the cauliflower before you’ve gotten it into your lasagna.
Featured in: Layers of Flavor: Lasagna With Roasted Vegetables
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Ingredients
Yield:6 servings
- 1½pounds cauliflower (¾ of a medium head)
- 2tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- ¼ to ½teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 3cups marinara sauce, preferably homemade from fresh or canned tomatoes
- 7 to 8ounces no-boil lasagna
- 8ounces ricotta cheese
- 2tablespoons water, vegetable stock or chicken stock
- Pinch of cinnamon
- 4ounces (1 cup) freshly grated Parmesan
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
352 calories; 14 grams fat; 6 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 6 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 40 grams carbohydrates; 6 grams dietary fiber; 6 grams sugars; 17 grams protein; 781 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut away the bottom of the cauliflower stem and trim off the leaves. Cut the cauliflower into slices ⅓ inch thick, letting the florets on the edges fall off. Toss all of it, including the bits that have fallen away, with the olive oil, salt and pepper. Place on the baking sheet in an even layer. Roast for about 15 minutes, stirring and flipping over the big slices after 8 minutes, until the slices are tender when pierced with a paring knife and the small florets are nicely browned. Remove from the oven, toss with the red pepper flakes and set aside. Turn the oven down to 350 degrees.
Step
2
Blend the ricotta cheese, water or stock, cinnamon, salt and pepper. Set aside.
Step
3
Oil a rectangular baking dish and spread a spoonful of tomato sauce over the bottom. Top with a layer of lasagna noodles. Spoon a thin layer of the ricotta mixture over the noodles. Top with a layer of cauliflower, then a layer of tomato sauce and a layer of Parmesan. Repeat the layers, ending with a layer of lasagna noodles topped with tomato sauce and Parmesan.
Step
4
Cover the baking dish tightly with foil and place in the oven. Bake 40 minutes, until the noodles are tender and the mixture is bubbling. Uncover and, if you wish, bake another 10 minutes, until the top begins to brown. Remove from the heat and allow to sit for 5 minutes before serving.
Tip
- Advance preparation: You can assemble this up to a day ahead and refrigerate, or freeze for a month. The lasagna can be baked several hours ahead and reheated in a medium oven.
Ratings
5
out of 5
594
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Cooking Notes
Janelle
This is a solid dish and good variation on lasagna, but I recommend doubling the ingredients. The first time I made this I only had enough to make one full layer of noodles and cauliflower which led to a very thin lasagna. Doubling gives you enough to make enough layers to fill a regular-sized 9 x 13, or even slightly larger, baking dish.
seethatgrrl
9x12 pan. Trick… Place pre-cooked lasagna noodles in WARM water for a few min prior to assembling. Use nutmeg versus cinnamon. Use 1 head of cauliflower or even 1 1/2 -- nice to have veg layer on top. You will need more sauce and 10 oz of ricotta with 1 large egg and a little water and fresh oregano. I assembled the night before. Baked 40minutes covered a few hours before guests arrived. Before serving Heat 10 min covered then add cheese and cauliflower to top and place under broiler.
Jessica D.
Loved this, but found it improved with a bit more sauce than called for as to not dry out the noodles.
Denise
Added a couple of cups of frozen spinach to the ricotta (my mother's trick), and substituted nutmeg for cinnamon. Even my meat-eaters loved it.
Shereen
This was an huge hit. I'm guessing it's bland with store brand sauce. I highly recommend making it with The Times "classic marinara sauce" which is rich and flavorful (to that I recommend simmering for 1 hr+ or until thick, 1tsp sugar towards the middle if bitter, and extra basil at the end).
The changes I made to this recipe: I doubled sauce, cheese and cauliflower to fill dish. I also added Italian seasoning on the cauliflower seasoning. Other than that I followed exactly.
rpbg
Thanks to Denise for the nutmeg substitution suggestion. Really delicious.
Christa
It really is 4 ounces, even though yes, normally, 8 ounces = 1 cup--but that's liquid measure. Four ounces of grated Parmesan comes out to 1 dry measuring cup.
naomi dagen bloom
Think I'd make this without lasagna noodles and use entire head of cauliflower.
Leobot
Tasty. I did make a double batch of marinara sauce and just roasted the whole head of cauliflower--this was enough to fill a 9x13 baking dish using 3/4 a container of noodles. I found those proportions to be pleasant. Assembled it the day before with no problem. Leftovers made for a nice packed lunch.
JennyN
The lasagna was excellent, but I wanted a quicker pasta the next time, so I made it with penne and left off the ricotta (though you could toss it, along with nutmeg, with the cooked penne before adding the sauce). I made my marinara with plenty of fresh basil, added it to the pasta, then tossed it with the roasted cauliflower. We added fresh pepper and Parmigiano at the table. This keeps the spirit of the lasagna but is way faster. Chunkier texture.
Abi
This was absolutely better than I expected. Thanks for the nutmeg recommendation. Additionally, it’s best to prep 1.5 amount of sauce and ricotta than the recipe calls for. Absolutely delicious. The cauliflower blew me (a meat-eater) away.
fanny
Very good meatless alternative to regular lasagna. Loved it!
Laura
Double everything, use stock and nutmeg (not water and cinnamon). Made this a few times and added extra vegetables each time (mushrooms, spinach, roast zucchini). Always a hit.
D Papacosta
Love the flavour of the roasted cauliflower. I added spinach to the ricotta, and put some mozzarella on top.
billfrog
What worked for me/what experience taught:Roasting took 2x listed time, using a light pan, dark pans likely cook quicker.Full cauliflower, 8x8 pan, full jar pasta sauceTossed in 4-5 smashed garlic cloves to roast with C., next time a few more +/or cut up to distribute flavor moreCauliflower becomes a great intermediate texture between the ricotta and the noodles, one that is firm but also melts. It could take a bit more flavor - more seasoning next time, add flavor bombs-olives? eggplant?
senorfuzz
Subbed for vegan ricotta and took the nutmeg and doubling marinara advice - turned out grand.
Steph
Made in a 9"x 9" based on the comments and had the perfect amount of ingredients. Worth making the Time's simple marinara sauce first. Very tasty.
meegan
per serving 488 cal 27 carb
Norín
I used the whole head of cauliflower and had no trouble filling a 9x13. It was really good. It doesn't need anything, but I like the idea of spinach in the ricotta (my mom uses parsley in the ricotta) and I think I will saute some mushrooms to include. A little mozzarella on top would not hurt! Enjoyed this and will make again.
Kate
This was so good.
Kim
I agree with the commenter who said if you're looking for a "special" lasagna, this isn't it. While it's delicious, it's not different enough to be all that interesting. Like others, I added a couple cups of frozen spinach and an egg to the ricotta. I also made my own marinara sauce. In the end, it was just lasagna. A yummy one, but nothing elevated it much beyond the routine.
Cheat version!
Ok, I did this recipe again but cheated this time. I used left over cauliflower cheese from the Sunday roast. Kept it in the fridge for the next day. Sliced and layered like it says. It was so delicious! Even if I must say so myself. My family went back for seconds. Never happened before! Xx
honeywhite
I have made this recipe a few times, but this time used the classic marinara recipe and included more of the ricotta mixture (also didn't have no-boil noodles, so used regular lasagna noodles that I soaked in very warm water for 30 minutes). Huge improvement over what was already excellent!
Shanster
This is a great, lighter lasagna! I used the whole head of cauliflower, and it fit perfectly in an 8X8 baking pan with 2 layers/6 noodles. I used the Julia Child Provencale tomato sauce recipe found here on NYT that I had saved in the freezer, so the only ingredients I had to buy were the cauliflower and ricotta-Everything else is pretty standard pantry/fridge staples. I couldn't resist adding some fresh mozzarella to the top since I had some leftover, but I'm not sure it needed it. Quick & easy
Meg
Delicious. Next time I’m roasting some garlic cloves and a jalapeño along with the cauliflower for some additional flavor and spice.
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