Spinach Mushroom Lasagna with Cottage Cheese and Ricotta

This meatless four cheese lasagna recipe with cottage cheese and ricotta is comfort food at its finest! Lasagna is the perfect easy make-ahead meal for a crowd or to freeze for later. This vegetarian lasagna features layers of sauteed spinach and mushrooms, lasagna noodles, marinara sauce, and a creamy ricotta & cottage cheese mixture with mozzarella and parmesan. It’s easy to make and ready to eat in one hour!

Use your favorite jarred marinara sauce for this recipe, or try it with my simple homemade marinara.

To me, the ultimate comfort food involves pasta, marinara sauce, and plenty of cheese, like my vegetarian cauliflower baked ziti. As a Registered Dietitian, I’m a firm advocate that all foods fit in a well-balanced, healthy diet – including pasta!

This homemade spinach mushroom lasagna features a cheese mixture of ricotta, cottage cheese, shredded mozzarella, and parmesan. The cottage cheese provides a creamy texture as the curds melt when baked, and adds a welcome boost of high quality protein.

This lasagna takes an hour to prepare from sauteeing the mushrooms and spinach, to baking the casserole in the oven. If you’d like to freeze it or save for later, lasagna is the perfect meal to assemble ahead of time!

Lasagna will feed 6-8 people.

Check out this post for more healthy pasta recipes, including vegetarian and vegan options.

Difference between ricotta and cottage cheese

Ricotta and cottage cheese are both fresh cheeses, but have some differences.

• Ricotta cheese is a fresh cheese made from the leftover whey (or watery byproduct of milk) that is separated from the curds during cheese making. It has a smooth and spreadable, slightly grainy texture and mild, slightly sweet flavor.
• Cottage cheese is a fresh cheese made from curdled milk. Cottage cheese can be made with small, medium, or large curds. It has a mild, salty flavor.

Ricotta vs cottage cheese nutrition

When it comes to nutrition, ricotta and cottage cheese differ significantly. Cottage cheese is lower in calories and fat, and higher in protein than ricotta cheese.

In terms of micronutrients, ricotta cheese provides more calcium than cottage cheese – 1 cup of ricotta cheese has 39% of your daily calcium needs! Ricotta cheese also has more vitamin B12 than cottage cheese, but both are excellent sources of it.

See the table below for a detailed ricotta vs cottage cheese nutrition breakdown:

	1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese	1 cup whole milk cottage cheese
Calories	369	220
Total fat (g)	25	10
Saturated fat (g)	16	6
Carbohydrate (g)	18	8
Protein (g)	19	28
Calcium (mg)	507	50

Using a ricotta and cottage cheese mixture for lasagna is a smart choice nutritionally, since you can reduce the calories and saturated fat, boost the protein, without compromising on flavor!

More recipes with cottage cheese to try – including creamy blended cottage cheese pasta sauce, cottage cheese toast, savory cottage cheese breakfast bowl, and cottage cheese pancakes.

Ingredients in lasagna with ricotta and cottage cheese

Everything you need to make this recipe, below:

• Ricotta cheese: I recommend using whole milk, or full fat, ricotta cheese for the richest flavor.
• Cottage cheese: You can use any variety of cottage cheese you like (full fat, low fat, small curd, large curd, etc.) I prefer to make this lasagna with full fat cottage cheese because it is creamier and richer.
• Shredded mozzarella cheese: Part-skim shredded mozzarella cheese gets super melty when baked into lasagna.
• Shredded parmesan cheese: Shredded parmesan cheese adds sharp, nutty, bold, and complex flavor to the cheese mixture.
• Marinara sauce: You can use two jars of store-bought marinara sauce, or make a double batch of my simple marinara sauce with canned tomatoes.
• Mushrooms: Sliced baby bella mushrooms are perfect for this lasagna recipe.
• Spinach: You can use baby spinach or chopped mature spinach. If you use mature spinach, trim off any long, tough stems. You could also swap out spinach for another leafy green, such as kale or chard.
• Lasagna noodles:For best results, I do not recommend using no-boil lasagna noodles. They can become soggy when cooked in a lasagna. Pre-boil your noodles for a pleasant chewy texture.
• Basil: Chopped basil is mixed into the ricotta and cottage cheese mixture to add a fresh flavor.
• Egg: Adding an egg to the cheese mixture helps bind all the cheeses together.
• Garlic: Plenty of garlic is sauteed with the mushrooms and spinach.
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper

Kitchen equipment needed

To make lasagna, you’ll need a large pot for boiling the noodles (at least 6 quarts), a saute pan or frying pan, a 9×13 glass or ceramic baking dish, a knife, cutting board, measuring cups, a mixing bowl, and mixing spoons.

How to make lasagna and how to layer lasagna (with pictures)

Let the lasagna sit for about 10 minutes when you remove it from the oven to allow the filling to settle. Then cut into squares to serve.

What to serve with lasagna

Since lasagna is a rich and filling dish, I love to serve it with something light, like a simple salad or roasted vegetables. Here are some recommended recipes to pair with lasagana:

• Simple kale and romaine salad
• Crunchy kale slaw with apples
• Blueberry basil salad with avocado
• Turmeric roasted cauliflower
• Roasted golden beets with goat cheese
• Crispy smashed air fryer brussels sprouts
• Lemon roasted cauliflower with capers

Storing lasagna in the fridge or freezer

You can store leftover baked lasagna directly in the baking dish covered with foil or plastic wrap in the fridge. Reheat individual portions in the microwave for 1-2 minutes, until heated through. Enjoy within 5 days.

How to freeze lasagna

If you plan on freezing this lasagna to save for later, fully assemble the lasagna, but don’t bake it.

Tightly wrap the dish in plastic wrap, getting out as much air as possible, then wrap in a layer of foil. Alternatively, wrap it in a double layer of foil.

Label the foil with the date frozen. Use within three months for the best taste and texture.

How to cook frozen lasagna

Remove the lasagna from the freezer and let it defrost in the fridge overnight.

30 minutes before baking, or while your oven preheats, remove the lasagna from the fridge and let it sit at room temperature.

Then, bake the lasagna as instructed in this recipe!

Tips to prevent lasagna noodles from sticking

1. Use a large enough pot with plenty of water. You’ll want to use at least a 6 quart pot filled with 4-5 quarts of water so the large noodles have enough room to move around.
2. Stir the noodles when you put them in the water. Give the noodles a good stir until the water comes back to a boil when you put them in the water.
3. Rinse the noodles after they are done cooking. Cold water will wash away some of the starches that can cause the noodles to stick together.
4. Lay the noodles out on a baking sheet. Separate the layers or noodles with sheets of parchment paper. This helps ensure the noodles don’t stick together as you are assembling the lasagna.

Let me know if you love this post by leaving a comment or star rating below, and check out Instagram and Pinterest for more healthy lifestyle inspiration. Thanks for stopping by!

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