Sweet Potato Lasagna

This sweet potato lasagna recipe is my favorite kind of comfort food. Filled with herbs, cheese, and marinara sauce, it's super cozy, but healthy, too.

Jeanine
Donofrio

Phoebe
Moore

Updated: May 6, 2020

I’m so excited about this sweet potato lasagna recipe because it combines two of my favorite foods: sweet potatoes and lasagna! Instead of regular lasagna noodles, I use paper-thin sheets of sweet potato. I’m always a fan of finding inventive veggie substitutes for pasta and rice, but this sweet potato lasagna is what veggie dreams are made of. The tender sheets of sweet potato combine with a creamy filling, cozy herbs, and marinara sauce to create a comforting dish that just so happens to be good for you!

I made my sweet potato noodles with the KitchenAid® Artisan® Stand Mixer Vegetable Sheet Cutter Attachment. It’s fun and easy to use, but if you don’t have it, don’t worry. This cozy sweet potato lasagna is still fair game. Find my tips for making it with a knife or mandoline in the post below!

Sweet Potato Lasagna Ingredients

Since these noodles aren’t noodles, I had to do some experimenting to figure out what works and what doesn’t as a filling. When I tried making this recipe with a classic ricotta filling, it was too moist. As a result, I turned to a few unconventional ingredients to make it less moist, but super flavorful. Here’s what’s in it:

• Sweet potatoes! Because sweet potatoes are all different shapes and sizes, your noodles won’t be perfectly rectangular. That’s ok! Get crafty and piece them into a thin layer as best you can.
• Marinara sauce – I often make lasagna with diced canned tomatoes layered throughout. They added too much moisture to this recipe, so instead, I spread a single layer of tomato sauce at the bottom of the baking dish.
• Ricotta and feta cheese – Because ricotta was too moist on its own, I mixed in feta cheese to thicken it up. The feta also adds a tangy bite, which contrasts deliciously with the earthy sage in the filling.
• Fresh basil and sage – Sweet potatoes and sage are one of my all-time favorite flavor combinations, so I had to add sage to my sweet potato lasagna filling. I also mix in a generous amount of basil for fresh Italian flavor.
• Garlic and red pepper flakes – They add a little kick to the creamy, cozy filling.
• Fresh spinach – Because I love my lasagna with lots of veggies! I layer the raw spinach straight into the lasagna. No need to cook it beforehand!
• Mozzarella and Parmesan cheese – Who doesn’t love their lasagna with a layer of brown, bubbly cheese on top?

Find the complete recipe with measurements below.

Sweet Potato Lasagna Recipe Variations

• No mixer? No problem. Instead, use a mandoline or sharp knife to slice the sweet potatoes into thin planks. If your sweet potato slices are not paper thin, increase the baking time in order for them to become tender. I also recommend covering the lasagna for the first half of the baking time so that the cheese doesn’t get too brown on top.
• Bulk it up. Because the vegetables cook down as they bake, this recipe yields a relatively thin lasagna. For us, it was 4 large servings or 6 smaller servings. To increase the number of servings, add 2 layers of regular lasagna noodles in addition to the sweet potato layers.
• Swap the herbs. If you don’t have sage on hand, use finely chopped fresh thyme or rosemary instead.

Let me know what variations you try!

This recipe couldn’t be simpler – from start to finish, it took me less than 30 minutes to assemble. The noodles don’t need to be pre-cooked, so all you have to do is mix together the filling and layer everything up! And did I mention? Because veggies replace the pasta in this sweet potato lasagna, it’s totally gluten-free! A warm and cozy dinner awaits.

Sweet Potato Lasagna Serving Suggestions

Along with a slice of homemade focaccia or crusty bread, this sweet potato lasagna makes a fantastic meal on its own. If you’re serving it as part of a larger dinner, I recommend pairing it with roasted veggies like cauliflower, broccoli, or Brussels sprouts. It would also be delicious with any of these salad recipes:

• Caesar Salad
• Citrus Salad with Fennel and Avocado
• Rainbow Kale Salad
• Shredded Brussels Sprouts Salad
• Roasted Beet Salad
• Fall Salad with Pomegranates

For more salad ideas, check out this post!

More Veggie Pastas and Grains

If you love this sweet potato lasagna, try making one of these plant-based pasta or grain substitutes next:

• Zucchini Noodles
• Spaghetti Squash
• Cauliflower Rice
• Broccoli Rice

4.9 from 22 reviews

Sweet Potato Lasagna

 

Print

Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

35 mins

Total time

55 mins

 

This no-noodle sweet potato lasagna is lighter than the classic dish, but it's just as delicious, made with fresh spinach, homemade marinara, and a creamy herbed ricotta filling.

Author: Jeanine Donofrio

Recipe type: Main Dish

Serves: 4 to 6

Ingredients

for the filling:

• 1 (15-ounce) container whole milk ricotta cheese
• ½ cup crumbled feta cheese
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• ¼ cup chopped fresh basil
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage, more for the topping
• ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

for the lasagna:

• Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
• ½ cup marinara sauce
• 2 sweet potatoes, cut paper thin (enough for 3 layers)*
• 2 cups fresh baby spinach
• ½ to ¾ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmigiano cheese
• ¼ cup chopped parsley, optional

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
2. In a medium bowl, mix together the ricotta, feta, garlic, basil, sage, red pepper flakes and a few generous pinches of salt and pepper.
3. Lightly grease an 8x8 or similar size baking pan with olive oil. (Pictured is a 7x10 inch pan) Spread the marinara sauce over the bottom of the baking dish and top with the first layer of sweet potato slices. Spread with half of the ricotta cheese mixture and add a layer of 1 cup baby spinach. Add the next sweet potato layer, the remaining ricotta cheese, and the remaining spinach. Top with the last layer of sweet potatoes, the shredded mozzarella, and the Parmigiano cheese.
4. Bake for 35 minutes, uncovered. If cheese starts browning too much, cover the pan with a sheet of aluminum foil. Add the remaining fresh sage during the last minute of baking time.
5. Remove from the oven and let sit for 15 minutes before slicing. Sprinkle with parsley, if using.

Notes

If your sweet potatoes are not paper thin, you will need to increase the baking time in order for them to become tender (and cover for half of the total baking time).

This lasagna is not very tall after it bakes since the vegetables cook down a bit. This recipe yields 4 large servings for us (or 6 smaller servings). To bulk this up and increase the number of servings, you could add 2 layers of regular lasagna noodles in addition to the sweet potato layers.

3.4.3177