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Red Lentil Lasagne is what you make when you want to please the whole family. Packed with vegetables, lentils, and a creamy cheese topping, this comforting, freezer-friendly meal is one you'll want to make again and again.
If you're after a hearty, veggie-packed family dinner, this Red Lentil Lasagne delivers every time. Love cooking with lentils? You might also enjoy our Red Lentil Curry, Lentil Cottage Pie, Curried Lentil Bake, Lentil Burgers, or even Lentil Pancakes.
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Reasons to Love This Recipe
- Family-Friendly: A comforting, veggie-packed lasagne that appeals to all ages.
- Baby & Toddler Suitable: Soft texture makes it easy to chew; just use low-sodium or homemade stock for little ones.
- Make-Ahead Friendly: Assemble in advance and refrigerate for up to 2 days for a fuss-free dinner later.
- Freezer-Friendly: Great for batch cooking-store portions for quick lunches or busy nights.
- Nourishing Ingredients: Packed with lentils and vegetables, offering plant-based protein and fibre.
Ingredient Information and Alternative Suggestions.
- Flavour Base: Onion, celery, carrot, garlic, bell pepper, and bay leaf.
- Red Split Lentils: I haven't tested other lentil varieties-most should work, but will require longer cooking.
- Tomato Paste: Known as tomato purée in the UK.
- Passata: Smooth, strained tomatoes-ideal for kids who dislike "bits." If unavailable, substitute with canned crushed or chopped tomatoes or tomato sauce (USA)
- Stock: Use vegetable or chicken stock. For babies under 1, opt for homemade or low-sodium stock.
- Lasagne Sheets: I use no-boil lasagne sheets (no pre-cooking required).
- Cottage Cheese: Can be swapped with ricotta or a simple béchamel.
- Grated (shredded) Cheddar: Any good melting cheese works, like mozzarella, or even a combination of cheeses. A little parmesan is also a great way to add extra flavour.
Step by Step Instructions (with Images)
Prepare Fillings
- Sauté Veggies: Cook onion, carrot, celery, and garlic in olive oil until golden. Add bell pepper and cook until softened.
- Add Sauce Ingredients: Stir in lentils, passata, tomato paste, bay leaf, and stock
- Simmer: Cook until lentils are soft and sauce has reduced. Stir often and add more stock as needed.
- Blend Cheese: Blend cottage cheese until smooth using a food processor, blender, or stick (immersion) blender.
Assembly
- Spread half the lentil mixture in a 9" x 7" baking dish.
- Top with a single layer of lasagne sheets, snapping to fit.
- Spread remaining lentil mixture and top with another lasagne layer.
- Top with blended cottage cheese and sprinkle with grated cheese.
Top Tips
- Fussy Eating: If your kids are picky about "bits," try blending the lentil mixture before assembling. Alternatively, blend the vegetables before adding the lentils, passata, and stock for a smoother texture.
- Meal Prep: Double the lentil mixture, freeze the extra, and use it to top pasta or in a lentil pie.
- Customise: Swap or add other veggies like zucchini, spinach, or mushrooms to the lentil mixture for more variety and nutrients.
- Flavour Boost: For extra flavour add a pinch of dried oregano, basil, or smoked paprika to the sauce.
Serving Suggestions
This vegetarian lasagna is delicious on its own, but also pairs perfectly with a variety of side dishes. Try serving it with:
- Fresh side salad with mixed greens, cherry tomatoes, and a light vinaigrette for a refreshing contrast.
- Roasted or sautéed vegetables, like sautéed broccolini, oven-roasted broccoli for added flavour and nutrition.
- Garlic bread or crusty baguette to soak up the delicious sauce.
- A side of steamed green beans or peas for extra green goodness.
Storage and Reheating Instructions
This keeps well in both the refrigerator and freezer. Assemble but do not bake, allow to cool before covering, then refrigerate for up to 2 days or freeze for up to 2 months.
Either defrost in the refrigerator overnight or cook from frozen (increase cooking time to around 1 hour, cover with foil and remove in the last 15 mins)
Recipe FAQs
Yes, this red lentil lasagne is suitable for babies from around 6 months+, provided they are developmentally ready for solid foods and have either moved beyond purées or are following a baby-led weaning approach.
Here are a few things to consider:
Allergens: This recipe contains egg, dairy, and wheat-all common allergens. Introduce these individually on separate occasions before offering this dish, and monitor for any reactions.
Sodium: Use a homemade or no-added-salt stock/broth, and skip any added salt. You may also want to reduce the amount of grated cheese to keep sodium levels baby-appropriate.
Serving Tips: Let the lasagne properly cool before serving to avoid hot spots. For younger babies, cut into strips they can grasp. For older babies, serve in small bite-sized pieces.
For informational purposes only-each baby develops at their own pace. Make informed decisions for your child and consult a professional for personalised advice.
You can definitely make lentil lasagne with green lentils, but this recipe is developed specifically for red lentils, which cook faster and break down more easily.
If using green lentils, you'll need to adjust the cooking time and may need to add more liquid. The final texture will also be heartier and less soft, which some people may prefer.
More Pasta Recipes To Try
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Red Lentil Lasagne
Equipment
- Food Processor / Blender
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 Celery Stalk (finely chopped)
- 1 Onion (brown, white or red) (finely chopped)
- 2 Carrots (finely chopped)
- 1 Red Bell Pepper (Capsicum) (finely chopped)
- 2 Garlic Cloves (minced)
- 1 Bay Leaf
- 180g (1 cup) Red Split Lentils
- 1 tablespoon Tomato Paste (Puree)
- 500ml (2 cups) Passata *SEE NOTE 1
- 375ml (1½ cups) Vegetable or Chicken Stock (broth) *SEE NOTE 2
- ½ teaspoon Salt *Adjust to suit taste and do not add if making for a baby
- 6 Lasagne Sheets (approx.)
- 300g (1 ⅓ Cups) Cottage Cheese (pureed)
- 60g (1 cup) Cheddar, grated
Instructions
- Heat oil in large saucepan and sauté onions, celery, carrots and garlic on a low heat for 5 mins.
- Add the bell pepper (capsicum) and continue to sauté for a further 5 mins.
- Stir in lentils, tomato puree, passata, bay leaf and one cup of stock.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for around 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Check the mixture periodically, as it may stick to the bottom of some pans-add more stock as needed to prevent it from drying out.
- Pre heat oven to 180℃ / 350℉
- Spread half the lentil mixture to the bottom of a baking dish (approx. 9" x 7")
- Cover with a single layer of lasagne, snapping the sheets to fit.
- Spread the remaining lentil mixture on top and add another single layer of lasagne.
- Spread the pureed cottage cheese on top and then sprinkle the cheddar cheese.
- Bake for 30-40 mins (until fully heated and crispy on top)
Video
Recipe Notes
- If you don't have passata then you can substitute it with canned chopped/crushed tomatoes.
- Use homemade/low sodium stock if serving to baby / young children to reduce sodium levels.
- This keeps well in both the refrigerator and freezer. Assemble but do not bake, allow to cool before covering, then refrigerate for up to 2 days or freeze for up to 2 months.
Damion
Hi Amy, looking at the comments above, you appear to be in the UK and ask the ingredients are in metric, with the exception of the lentils which is in cups. How much is a cup of lentils in grams, please? My cups are ask different sizes!
Amy
Hi Damion, yes I am British. I apologise for not putting the g amount of the lentils. I use standard measuring cups. 1 cup is 250ml. I would weigh it out for you now but I have just moved to Australia and we haven't received our shipment yet so I don't have any scales. Sorry. I hope now you know the size of the cup that this helps.
Damion
No problems. I made an educated guess and it turned out great!
Thanks for the recipe.
Shana
I hope this isn't a dumb comment/question but can you use the green lentils instead? I couldnt find red lentils in our grocery store this morning.
Amy
Hi Shana, not a dumb question at all. I haven't actually tried it with green lentils. I'm sure it would work but the texture will probably be different. Green lentils tend to keep their shape when cooked whereas red split lentils form more of a thick puree. You may also need to cook the green lentils longer. Let me know if you try it and if it works. ?
Lucy
Just made this. Very yummy thanks! Big hit for the 71/2 month old. Like the cottage cheese idea. Will have to use that for mousakka too. Tip to anyone making this: Make sure you remember to rinse the lentils as forgot and had to make it all over again! Loving your website!
Amy
Hi Lucy, thanks for your feedback and so glad it was a big hit. Love your moussaka idea, I might just have to make it a future recipe! ?
Mandy
Hi thinking of making this but I would be the only one to eat it, could it be frozen. Thank you
Amy
Hi Mandy, I've never actually tried the whole recipe frozen but I'm sure that it would freeze well. I have frozen the lentil mixture a lot and it freezes well. Hope you have success and enjoy the recipe 🙂
Shay
My first lasanga and surprisingly easy!! I added slices of pumpkin and fell in love. My non vegetarian partner also thoroughly enjoyed. Thanks.
Amy
I'm so glad it was a success! Thanks for the feedback 🙂
Lili
This may be obvious, but what do you mean by "puree"? Pureed what? Also, is it a red bell pepper? I just want to be sure to do this correctly ( :
Amy
Hi Lili, yes it is a bell pepper. It is tomato puree, I will change that - thanks for highlighting 🙂
Pamela Fisher
I'm still kind of confused:
1 tbsp puree
500g passata
I thought passata is the same thing as tomato puree? Please clarify what I'm doing here hahaha.
Amy
Hi Pamela, where are you from? I'm from the UK but think I remember tomato puree being called tomato paste when I lived in the USA. Here Passata is sieved tomatoes, tomato puree is thicker and more concentrated (like a paste). Hope this helps 🙂
Pamela Fisher
Oh ok. I'm in Canada. I think that all makes sense. Ok so tomato paste would be the smaller amount. I think I've got this 🙂 Thanks! Looking forward to trying it tomorrow!
Saga
Wow, this looks a m a z i n g. Since I have no concept of size/volume etc, around how many servings is this? Would love to make it for when my family comes over, we are usually around 5 adults and 2 kids. Thanks for the recipe (and hi from Sweden!)
Amy
Thank you! I'd say this would serve 5/6 (along side some veggie and depending on how much you like to eat). It usually serves the four of us with a little extra for the next day. Both my boys eat a lot though and my husband even more! If you are serving with a big salad / veggies I'd say to make 1.5. Hope it is a success!
Megan
Thank you for this recipe! Easy to follow and smells so delicious I can't wait for it to come out the oven. 🙂
Amy
Thanks Megan! Hope you enjoyed it 🙂
Megan
Thank you for this recipe! Easy to follw and smells so delicious I can't wait for it to come out the oven. 🙂
Debra from Bowl Me Over
That handsome young man of yours eats pretty good! 😀 Just a quick note of thanks for stopping by #TryaBiteTuesday - hope to see you back this week, pinning & sharing!
Amy
Thanks Debra!
becky
Wow that looks soooooo good! Do you have any top tips for cooking with lentils as I am rather rubbih and the 2 previous times i have tried, i have failed (IE: ended up throwing the burnt pan away and phoning a takeaway!).
Thanks for sharing on #ToddlerApprovedTuesday
Amy
Thanks Becky! I just continue to check the lentils and add more water as required. Hope you have more success next time:)
Jacqueline Meldrum
That looks glorious and nice to see Finn tucking in. He's obviously enjoying it. I'll have to try making it for Cooper. Thanks for entering it into Meat Free Mondays, it's my first featured recipe for the week and it's up now.
Amy
Thanks Jacqueline 🙂 and thanks so much for featuring me!
Laura
This sounds delicious and different from most veggie lasagnes. I'm pinning it for when I cook for my vegetarian friend.
Amy
Thanks Laura, I hope you and your friend enjoy 🙂
Trista, Domesticated Momster
This sounds yummy and easy. Have you ever tried making it in the crockpot? I love making lasagna in the crockpot. So yummy! Thank you for sharing this with #foodpornthursdays.
Amy
Never tried it, I'm not great with a crockpot - everything seems to come out too runny when I try. Will need to experiment more!
Kat
I'm always looking for highest vegetarian lasagne recipes and this one looks fab. I think my baby girl will love this one, I'll definitely try it x #foodpornthursdays
Julia
Just made this - instant hit! Thanks Amy ?
Amy
Great to hear! X
Emily
What could I use instead of cottage cheese? My little one is lactose intolerant...
Amy
Hi Emily, Thanks for your comment. I'm not sure what you could replace this with, sorry. Could you make a white sauce with soy milk?
BM
Try puréed cauliflower
Georgie
Cashew cream! I use it in place of white sauce all the time ?
Bek
What is the Purée?
Amy
Hi Bek, sorry that should say tomato puree (or tomato paste depending on where you are from )
Megan Sprinkle
I know that vegans will use tofu for the cottage cheese layer in lasagna such as the following: https://tasty.co/recipe/vegan-lasagna.
Nicky Brine
I have made this twice, and it is absolutely beautiful.
Amy
Fab! So glad you like it Nicky and thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment 🙂
Fanny
Can you replace the cottage cheese with ricotta cheese ?