Spinach Artichoke Lasagna
This healthy vegetarian lasagna includes lots of fresh spinach, jarred artichokes, and the simplest homemade tomato sauce.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on November 19, 2024
Ever tried artichoke in lasagna? If not, you’ve been missing out. This vegetarian recipe is freshly flavored, hearty and cheesy, but not too heavy. It’s a marvelous option for date night at home or a special Sunday dinner.
This spinach and artichoke lasagna recipe has been one of my personal favorites for nearly a decade, and it has raving reviews. Today, I’m sharing it again with new photos and a step-by-step video. You’ll also find plenty of serving suggestions below to round out your meal.
I originally created this recipe for our friend Scott. He came to the blog looking for a lasagna recipe to cook for his wife, Sara, and I had nothing to offer! This recipe formed the backbone for my Best Vegetable Lasagna and Vegan Lasagna, so if you have enjoyed those, you’ll certainly love this one.
This recipe taught me the beauty of no-boil lasagna noodles, which are so much easier and quicker to work with. It also features a simple, no-cook, diced tomato sauce with basil and garlic that tastes so fresh. Try it, and you’ll see!
Spinach Artichoke Lasagna Notes & Tips
You’ll find the full recipe below. Here are a few tips and options to be aware of before you get started.
- This recipe is designed for no-boil lasagna noodles, which saves a few steps and makes for easier layering.
- I used cottage cheese in this recipe instead of the classic ricotta. It’s a little trick I learned from America’s Test Kitchen (they are full of tricks!). Cottage cheese has a better flavor and texture than ricotta when it comes to lasagna. I am not a fan of cottage cheese on its own, but it’s perfect in this recipe!
- If you are in a pinch for time, you could substitute store-bought sauce for the homemade sauce below.
- You could also get by with frozen spinach instead of fresh, but the fresh spinach flavor really plays nicely with the fresh-tasting tomato sauce.
- If you don’t love artichokes or can’t find any, you can skip them altogether for a classic spinach lasagna recipe.
- The recipe below makes heavy use of a food processor, but if you don’t have one, you can use a blender.
- If you don’t have a food processor or blender, buy crushed tomatoes instead of diced, skip the blended cottage cheese step and chop the spinach mixture after it’s done cooking.
Watch How to Make Spinach Artichoke Lasagna
Spinach Artichoke Lasagna Serving Suggestions
While this lasagna already offers a serving of hearty greens, it’s great with a side salad. The most simple side salad options include this Lemony Kale Salad or Super Simple Arugula Salad. Or, improvise your own with my Italian Dressing or Lemon Vinaigrette.
Other side dish options include green beans—try these Best Ever Green Beans, Perfect Roasted Green Beans, or Green Bean Salad with Toasted Almonds and Feta (I think the Mediterranean flavors would complement the spinach and artichoke).
For date night at home, you could end the meal with a special dessert. I love Betty’s Pots de Crème for the small portion and rich flavor. Foolproof Basque Cheesecake tastes amazing, and it’s best made in advance. For just two people, try these chocolatey Mini Lava Cakes for Two!
More Hearty Italian Recipes to Try
Here’s a short collection of cheesy baked Italian dishes. Browse more Italian recipes here.
- Baked Ziti with Roasted Vegetables
- Best Vegetable Lasagna
- Lentil Baked Ziti
- Spinach Stuffed Shells
- Italian Eggplant Parmesan
Please let me know how your lasagna turns out in the comments! I love hearing from you.
Spinach Artichoke Lasagna
This healthy vegetarian lasagna includes lots of fresh spinach, jarred artichokes and the simplest homemade tomato sauce. This lasagna tastes even better the next day! Recipe yields one 9-inch square lasagna, which is enough for 8 to 9 servings.
Ingredients
Tomato sauce (or substitute 2 cups prepared marinara sauce)
- 1 can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes
- ¼ cup roughly chopped fresh basil
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, pressed or minced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Spinach artichoke mixture
- 2 cups (16 ounces) low fat cottage cheese
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup chopped red onion (about 1 smallish red onion)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 4 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
- 1 cup jarred or defrosted frozen artichokes, drained, quartered if necessary
- 12 ounces baby spinach, preferably organic
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Remaining lasagna ingredients
- 9 no-boil lasagna noodles
- 2 cups (5 ounces) shredded fontina cheese or low-moisture, part-skim mozzarella
- Garnish: sprinkling of additional chopped fresh basil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. To prepare the tomato sauce, first pour the tomatoes into a mesh sieve or fine colander and let them drain off excess juice for a minute. Transfer drained tomatoes to the bowl of a food processor. Add the basil, olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper flakes. Pulse the mixture about 10 times, until the tomatoes have broken down to an easily spreadable consistency. Pour the mixture into a bowl for later (you should have about 2 cups sauce).
- Rinse out the food processor and return it to the machine. Pour half of the cottage cheese (1 cup) into the processor and blend it until smooth, about 1 minute. Transfer the mixture to large mixing bowl. No need to rinse out the bowl of the food processor this time; just put it back onto the machine because you’ll need it later.
- Warm 2 tablespoons olive oil a large skillet over medium heat. Once the oil is shimmering, add the chopped onion and ¼ teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring often, until the onion is tender and translucent, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Add the artichoke to the skillet, then add a few large handfuls of spinach. Cook, stirring and tossing frequently, until the spinach has wilted. Repeat with remaining spinach. Continue cooking for about 12 minutes, stirring frequently, until the spinach has dramatically reduced in volume and very little moisture remains in the bottom of the pan.
- Transfer the spinach artichoke mixture to the bowl of the food processor and pulse until the contents are finely chopped (but not puréed!), about 12 to 15 times. Transfer the mixture to the bowl of whipped cottage cheese. Top with remaining cottage cheese and mix well. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Now it’s lasagna assembly time!
- Spread ½ cup tomato sauce evenly over the bottom of a 9-inch square baker. Layer three lasagna noodles on top, overlapping their edges as necessary. Spread half of the spinach mixture evenly over the noodles. Top with ½ cup tomato sauce, then sprinkle ½ cup shredded cheese on top.
- Top with three more noodles, followed by the remaining spinach mixture. Sprinkle ½ cup shredded cheese on top. (We’re skipping the tomato sauce in this layer.) Top with three more noodles, then spread the remaining tomato sauce over the top so the noodles are evenly covered. Sprinkle evenly with 1 cup shredded cheese.
- Wrap the lasagna with a layer of parchment paper over the top (or cover tightly with aluminum foil, but don’t let the foil touch the cheese). Bake, covered, for 18 minutes, then remove the cover, rotate the pan by 180 degrees and continue cooking for about 12 more minutes, until the top is turning spotty brown. Remove from oven and let the lasagna cool for 15 minutes before sprinkling with chopped basil and slicing.
Notes
Recipe roughly adapted from several lasagnas in The Complete Vegetarian Cookbook, with reference to Serious Eats and Gimme Some Oven.
Make it gluten free: Substitute gluten-free no-bake lasagna noodles, such as Jovial brand.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
I hear you on the bad lasagna (any casserole, really) photos! That’s always been one of the most difficult foods for me to get good photos of. This lasagna sounds like total comfort food, and I love that it’s all veggie!
Your photographs make my taste buds water!!
Just made this. Excellent! Modifications I made were using GF noodles, and mixing 4oz of fennel goat cheve into cottage cheese.
This lasagna sounds amazing! I’ve never thought to use cottage cheese? Does it give a different taste/texture than ricotta? And if I used jarred artichokes, does it make the lasagna too “wet”? I didn’t know if the moisture from the jarred artichokes would give the lasagna an excess of liquid. Great recipe, can’t wait to try it!
Hey Heather, I don’t think anyone would know that you used cottage cheese instead of ricotta, but in theory it has more “tang” to it, which could lend more of a spinach and artichoke dip flavor. And no, jarred artichokes are no problem (I used jarred). In the recipe, I specify to add them to the skillet before the spinach so they have plenty of cooking time to release excess moisture.
Kate
I am vegan – could I substitute tofu for the ricotta or cottage cheese?
(JJ) Can’t rate yet – till I cook!!
Hi Judy, I think that would work, but I’m not 100% sure because I haven’t tried! Cashew ricotta cheese might work as well.
Wow that looks super tasty. I also had a bad experience with the last lasagne I cooked. I completely forgot to pre-boil the pasta sheets and hence it was a very crunchy lasagne!
Oops! Well, next time, look for “no boil” noodles and you can legitimately skip the boiling step!
No cook lasagna noodles are the best. As is spinach.
I thought I’d seen every spinach and artichoke dish out there… but lasagne, doi!!! What a great idea :) I also love the idea of a no cook sauce, what a timesaver.
I once had a version of this at a dinner party one time, it was delicious, and very creative.
Looks like I’ll be making dinner soon. Thanks for this!
– Scott
You’re welcome! Please let me know how it turns out for you, Scott!
Ohmygod Kate…I came across this recipe a couple of months ago & have made spinach lasagne a couple of times (I couldn’t get my hands on artichokes), and whilst that was really delicious, tonight I made it with artichoke, and I swear girl, I have died and gone to heaven!!!
This is sooooooooooooooo good..I can’t believe I was a bit hesitant to add the ‘choke..
Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Hope you have a great Xmas xx
Thank you, Pooka! I’m glad you added the artichoke!
Oh man, I can relate to the failed lasagna experiment. But you nailed this one – gorgeous!
MMMM this looks delicious – it’s amazing what you can create for lasagne and make it nutritional!
Yes! Anything to make lasagna easier and faster is a winner in my book! I love the idea of artichokes in there. Sounds and looks delicious!
Stunning photos, Kate!! I’m dying to try the lasagna, and I’m intrigued by the use of cottage cheese instead of ricotta!
This looks divine! When we have family dinners at my mom’s house, we always end up having one regular lasagna with meat, and then one with just cheese for the ones who don’t eat meat. I’m pinning this in hopes that my mom sees it and is inspired to change things up. Totally excited that you used cottage cheese instead of ricotta because I am a cottage cheese in lasagna kind of girl.
Thanks, Amy! I think it’s awesome that your mom makes a meatless lasagna. Maybe you’ll find some spinach and artichoke in your next one!
I love that picture of the lasagna by the window! So gorgeous! Spinach and artichokes are one of my favorite combos. This is making the meal plan for next week. :)
Thanks, Emily! Hope you love it!
Mmmm…spinach and artichokes make the best combo! I’m actually eating a pasta with both of them for lunch right now so it’s not too hard for me to imagine how good this tastes. :)
And I just listened to an NPR podcast featuring ATK and they divulged some of their tips for making vegetarian recipes more flavorful which I thought was really interesting. I need to stop procrastinating and just buy their book already!
Oh, your lunch sounds good! I’m a huge fan of ATK! I think their new vegetarian book is a worthy investment. :)
So happy to learn about no bake ww noodles. Where can I find them. I have been making my own, but that definitely takes much more time. I also love ATK.. I love their vegetable lasagna with eggplant.
Whole Foods Market seems to have the best selection of DeLallo’s pastas, so I would check there first! You can also call DeLallo to ask for the nearest store at 1-877-DELALLO.
Yum.. looks healthy and delicious. Love veggie lasagnas.. Spinach is a must do in Lasagna for sure!!!
Mmm this lasagna sounds so good! I haven’t had lasagna in forever. Definitely need to try this one!
Wow, that is one good looking lasagna! I will put this on my menu/grocery list this week!!! Thank you for another spectacular looking dish!
Thank you, Jerilyn! Please let me know how it turns out for you!
Kate, you make me laugh! Its taking me a long time to learn that the lighting in my kitchen is woefully inadequate for food photography (aka: porn) and I also found out how difficult it is to make lasagna look good in a picture. (Tasting good is easier). This one sounds and looks like a winner!
Oh, I gave up on taking photos in my kitchen a long time ago! In my current living situation, I have to drag all of my ingredients to my office, which is better than dragging them to a hot-in-the-summer-freezing-in-the-winter sunroom like I did in my old place! I like to day dream about having a light-filled kitchen where I can photograph my lasagnas. Someday…
I am thoroughly amazed by the cottage cheese tip! I think there are few cases in which cottage cheese would be considered the best texture for something so its a great thing to know for lasagna :)
I had given up on lasagna but this one has convinced me to try again. Mainly because of the artichoke hearts which I just adore. Not to mention how delicious it looks.
No! You can’t leave out the mushrooms! The mushrooms are the essence of the lasagna! Or, maybe that’s pizza. :) To be completely honest, this lasagna looks perfectly fine the way it is.
Hahahaaa! The perfect reference. I am definitely digging this spinach and artichoke lasagna. I might revisit the mushroom lasagna idea next winter. I had such a great time chatting with you on Friday, Marly. Hope I didn’t talk your ear off!
My favorite lasagna EVER is from the original (I think?) Moosewood cookbook. It has a a mushroom wine sauce, plus the usual ricotta and mozzarella. It is vegetarian, but isn’t overflowing with veggies as many veggie lasagnes tend to be. Sadly my husband does not like mushrooms, so I haven’t made it in over 12 years :( Yours looks delicious though, and I am super excited about the no boil whole wheat noodles. Hopefully our Whole Foods carries them.
Oh, that lasagna sounds fantastic! I hope you can find the noodles!
Yum! This looks delicious!
Gosh, well I’m glad I’m not the only one who’s had lasagna problems! this recipe though sounds right up my alley! Great photos Kate :)
Believe it or not, this sounds like my recipe for Passover Matza Lasagna, right down to the 9×9 pan. I always have KFP cottage cheese, but not ricotta, so I process it down. Simple sauce, spinach, and sheets of matza (ever-so-slightly moistened with water or tomato sauce) for the layers. I will have to add the artichoke hearts this year!
Oh yum! I’ve never come across matza lasagna. Your recipe sounds fantastic!
Yum! Lasagna is THE holiday meal in my family, and this looks like a delish healthy twist :)
This looks delicious!
I LOVE this lasagna! Spinach and artichoke it totally my thing! These pictures are stunning!
I love lasagna, and this delicious lasagna recipe is the perfect comfort food! Great job on the pics!
THIS will be the
first lasagna
i ever make!
2015 resolution.!
however,
i have to be gluten freedom
so would I just look
for “no-boil GF noodles?”
(i seriously have zero
lasagna experience.
help.)
Yep, I think those exist and I imagine they would work just the same as glutenous no-bake lasagna noodles. Good luck! I think this is a great lasagna for first timers. I’m totally hooked!
Another amazing recipe, kate! Made this for dinner last night and leftovers were DELICIOUS for lunch.
Hooray! Thanks for letting me know, Deepthi!
Kate this recipe looks delicious and I imagine it tastes just as amazing. I love that this is a healthy twist to a lasagna meal.
My lasagna is currently in the oven and I can’t wait to taste it!! Do you think this would freeze well? I’m always on the lookout for easy weeknight dinners.
Hope you loved the lasagna, Katie! I suspect it would freeze well, although it will take a while to defrost. I have some in my freezer and haven’t gotten around to defrosting any yet, but I’ll let you know if I run into any problems!
I recently tried those Delallo noodles and they are officially my new favorites!! Love all the fresh flavors in this lasagna…totally justifies eating all those carbs and cheese!
They are seriously the best! I don’t need a nap after I eat this lasagna, so that’s saying something, right?
I made this recipe. I used non fat cottage cheese because I was going to get plenty of fat with my olive oil and my cheese. I used Mozzarella Cheese. Everything was organic except the cheeses. Can’t find organic cheeses around here. I made my own lasagna noodles. I used organic white flour. I did not cook it. I used dried spices and changed the names and amounts to 1/2 Tbs. dried basil, 1 Tbs. dried Oregano leaves and 1 Tbs. dried Thyme leaves. I love that combination. This was awesome! I over cooked it a bit because I didn’t realize that I only printed the 1st page so guessed on the time. I made two dishes, a larger one and a smaller one. The smaller one was the only one over cooked but it was just as tasty as the one baked the right length of time!! Hard to believe but true. I gave some to a friend and she loved it. My husband and I also had some and he liked it as well as I LOVED it! Very filling and very yummy! Thank you for the wonderful recipe! I will definitely make this again.
Sharon, thank you so much for your feedback! Delighted to hear that you enjoyed this lasagna so much. I could go for some right now…
I just made this for Easter lunch & it was a huge hit! Thanks Kate =)
So happy to hear it! Thanks, Ashley-Marie!
This classic spinach-artichoke pairing made into lasagna is genius! I’m so glad you came back to lasagna after that first experience because: YUM! I totally agree – cottage cheese is WAY better in lasagna (plus it doesn’t bake up all dry like ricotta). Cottage cheese FTW!
Thanks, Sarah! Totally with you on the cottage cheese vs. ricotta debate.
Made this lasagna last night and my husband loved it! Of course, I did too. I didn’t have fresh basil and I’m sure that would have taken it to a higher level of deliciousness but it was still very good. He really liked the flavor the red pepper flakes imparted. I had never creamed cottage before – I’m thinking creamed cottage cheese would be very nice on a baked potato. Great recipe and I will be making this again.
Thank you, Ellen! I’m so glad you both enjoyed the lasagna. I have a habit of adding red pepper flakes to just about everything. :) Good idea to add cottage cheese to a baked potato—it has a much higher protein content than sour cream, so it’ll keep you full longer, too.
Kate, thanks for making this lasagna. I have tried many veggie lasagnas and most have been too watery or bland. My family devoured it! You can barely taste the artichokes but they provide depth in flavor. Now, how can you make this a freezer ready meal. Do you par bake and then freeze.
Flor, I’m so glad you all enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for letting me know. I’m sorry, I wish I knew how to tell you to freeze and defrost it, but I haven’t tried that yet. Here’s a guide that might help: http://www.savvyeat.com/freeze-lasagna/
This looks AMAZING!!
Kate may I ask you, do you have any suggestions for vegans? I have so many vegan friends who won’t touch cottage cheese and ricotta etc…
Best wishes,
Naomi
Thanks, Naomi! I haven’t attempted vegan lasagna, but cashew-based “creams” have been growing on me lately. Here’s a cashew ricotta recipe I just found: http://www.simple-veganista.com/2012/10/cashew-ricotta-cheese.html I don’t know how you could replicate the golden, cheesy top, but I suspect it would still be pretty great with out it!
hi Kate,
I love all your recipes! Question, I have whole wheat regular noodles already, is the recipe formulated for no cook noodles only? I don’t want mine to turn out runny. Thanks so much!
Hi Miss Anne! I’m sorry, I haven’t tried this recipe with pre-boiled noodles. I suspect that the no-cook noodles absorb some of the moisture, so I’m not sure how it will turn out.
I am definitely trying this tonight. I had the same question as Miss Anne Stovall (though I know it’s really delayed!), and I found some people who soaked their “regular noodles” for 15 minutes in anywhere from room temp to hot water to “soften” the noodles and add moisture prior to baking. This will be the strategy I try as I try to use up my hoards of lasagna noodles! thanks for the recipe Kate!
Great recipe; thank you for sharing with Scott and all the rest of us! My husband and I are just starting to explore a diet with fewer animal products, and this was a great way to kick off a week of meatless meals! I am hopelessly unable to follow any recipe exactly as written, but managed to restrain myself to just one modification: adding a couple layers of zucchini (two small squash, quickly and evenly sliced into thin discs, with my trusty Kitchen-Aid attachment)… The cook time was just long enough to take out the crunch, without turning it to mush. Replacing ricotta with blended cottage cheese will now be my standard procedure for any lasagna; I’m sold on the flavor and the friendlier nutrient profile! I’m so glad we landed on your site, and can’t wait to try some of your other recipes! Thanks, again! :o)
Thank you, Melissa! I’m so glad you found my blog! This lasagna is my favorite and I’m looking forward to coming up with more seasonal variations of it. Thank you for your feedback and for saying hello!
I made this lasagna last night and it was delicious! never thought I would knew how to make lasagna, my husband was impressed;)
Thanks Kate!
I am so glad to hear that! High five, Cecilia!
I made this Saturday and baked it on Tuesday; I didn’t freeze it but I’m sure I could have and it would have been fine. It was so, so delicious. It really was like having spinach artichoke dip in my lasagna. And the tomato sauce is really delicious and tastes so fresh – which I have never before experienced in a lasagna. Thank you so much for this recipe!
Thank you, Caryn! I’m so glad you appreciated this lasagna. It’s my favorite!
Hi Kate, would fresh lasagna sheets work in place of dried?
Hey Sahar, that’s a good question! I think the dried sheets help absorb some liquid. I’m not sure if this lasagna would be too goopy with fresh sheets or not!
Made this a few months back and loved it. Any advice on scaling up to a 2-quart dish if I’m hoping to feed a larger crowd?
Hey Ryan! That’s a good question. I’ve never made a lasagna that big, so I’d say your guesses are as good as mine!
Just made this tonight. It’s another hit at our household. At this point, I pretty much only cook from recipes on your blog. And my family loves it!
Woohoo!!! Thank you, Kendra! :)
Do you have a particular food processor you recommend? I have been in the market to purchase one for a while, and I see you use the processor for many of your recipes as well..
Yes! The white 7-cup Cuisinart. You can see the one I use in my shop here.
Hi Kate, just found your phenomenal page! This will be the first recipe I try for Sunday dinner:) can’t wait to delve deeper in to your recipes!