The BEST Hidden Veggie Lasagna
This hidden vegetable lasagne is a hearty, comforting dinner that the whole family will enjoy — and it’s absolutely packed with goodness. The rich beef and lentil sauce is blended with spinach, mushrooms, carrots, and zucchini, while the creamy béchamel sneaks in cauliflower and cheese.
It’s a kid-friendly twist on a classic family favourite, and one of my go-to recipes when I want a balanced meal that feels just as good as it tastes.
Would you believe this lasagne has more than five times the vegetables compared to the meat? That’s why it’s earned its name as my ultimate hidden vegetable lasagne. Even the béchamel sauce gets a veggie boost — a trick I’ve been using in recipes like my Healthy Macaroni Cheese, and it works a treat here too.
Why This Recipe
- Veggie-loaded: Over 1.5kg of veggies tucked in, but no one will notice.
- Balanced and nourishing: Lentils stretch the mince and add extra fibre and protein.
- Kid-approved: The blended sauces keep the vegetables undetectable.
- Family favourite: Classic comfort food with a nutrition upgrade.
- Flexible: Works with swaps for vegetarian, gluten-free, or dairy-free families.
Ingredients You Will Need
This Hidden Vegetable Lasagne recipe has been refreshed — but don’t worry, it hasn’t changed! The original version made a HUGE lasagne (perfect for my family of six and plenty of leftovers), but it was a bit too big for many families. The recipe below is now a half batch — ideal for a standard family meal. If you loved the big version, simply double the recipe to make one large lasagne or two smaller ones — one for now and one for later.
Ingredient Notes, Substitutes, & Allergy Swaps
- Ground Beef: Can be swapped for lamb, chicken, turkey, or a plant-based mince for vegetarian.
- Red lentils: Cook quickly and break down into the sauce — you can use brown lentils, but cook them first.
- Passata (tomato purée): Smooth and perfect for blending with veggies. Crushed tomatoes also work.
- Spinach, zucchini & mushrooms: Disappear completely when blended or grated — ideal for picky eaters.
- Cauliflower: Puréed into the white sauce for extra veg. Pumpkin or sweet potato also work.
- Balsamic Vinegar: This can be substituted for red wine vinegar, it brings brightness to the final meat and veggie sauce.
- Lasagne sheets: Use gluten-free sheets if needed.
- Flour: Substitute for cornstarch (corn flour) as a gluten-free alternative.
- Milk & cheese: For dairy-free, use plant-based alternatives.
Hidden Veggie Lasagna Illustrated Step By Step Guide
Below are illustrated step-by-step instructions to make my Beef & Veggie Lasagna Recipe, if you prefer just the written instructions then head straight to the printable recipe card below.
Meet and Veggie Sauce
Step one: Get out your grater! It is the perfect friend for prepping carrot, zucchini and even muchrooms for this lasagna recipe.
Step two: Add a drizzle of oil to a large, heavy-based pan and warm it over medium heat. Finely dice the onion and garlic, sauté these with the grated carrot and zucchini until tender.
Step three: Add the beef mince to the pan and cook until browned, breaking it up with a spoon as it cooks.
Step four: Add the grated or finely chopped mushrooms to the pan — they’ll shrink down and blend right in.
Step five: Noe to make a tomato spinach smoothie, blend the tomato puree with the spinach. You can actully blend the mushrooms in to the tomatoes as well if you didn't want to grate them.
Step six: Pour all your tomato smoothies into the browned mince mixture. Rinse the lentils well and add them to the pan along with the mixed herbs.
Simmer the sauce uncovered for around 20 minutes, adding a little water as needed — the lentils will soak up some of the liquid as they soften
Step seven: Keep simmering gently until the sauce is rich, thick, and full of hidden veggie goodness. Taste to check for seasoning and stir through the balsamic vinegar, it adds freshness, depth of flavor and a little sweetnes.
Cauliflower Cheese Béchamel
Step one: While the sauce cooks, steam the cauliflower until tender, then blend it smooth (a stick blender works perfectly).
Step two: Make a bechamel sauce, I like to use warmed milk to speed up the process. Warm the milk separately (I do this in the microwave), then heat oil in a saucepan. Add the flour and cook for 2 minutes, stirring continuously. Slowly add the warm milk while whisking until smooth and thick, then stir through cheese and your cauliflower purée for an extra veggie boost.
Step three: As you can see the smooth cauliflower puree blends seamlessly to make a cauliflower alfredo sauce!
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Assemble the Lasagna
Step one: Start with a thin layer of eat sauce in the bottom of your casserole dish. This stops the pasta from sticking.
Step two: Now layer it up then pasta, then white sauce. Repeat until all your components are used up — finish with either sauce on top (either the bechamel or meat suace, you just can't leave the pasta exposed on the top (your choice!). Sprinkle with a little extra cheese for that golden top.
Step three Sprinkle with a little extra cheese for that golden top.
Bake The Lasagna
Bake at 180°C (360°F) for 35-40 minutes or until golden and bubbling.
Let it rest for 5–10 minutes before slicing — it holds together better once slightly cooled.
Top Tips
Here is how you can make my Ultimate Hidden Vegetable Lasagna perfectly every time!
- Blend your veggies: A small blender makes super-smooth sauces that hide everything. In this recipe I have blended spinach into my canned tomatoes. You can get inventive with this, though; most soft vegetables will blend in well!
- Simmer uncovered: This keeps the sauce rich and lets the lentils soften — just add water gradually if needed.
- Layer properly: Always start with sauce at the bottom so the pasta doesn’t stick.
- Rest before serving: Letting it cool for 5–10 minutes makes slicing much easier.
How to Make This Recipe Suitable For Baby Led Weaning
- Go light on added salt and cheese.
- Cut cooled lasagne into soft strips or small squares.
- Offer alongside soft veggies or finger foods for texture variety.
- The blended sauces mean it’s naturally soft and easy for little mouths.
Ultimate Hidden Vegetable Lasagne
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Ingredients
Beef and Veggie Sauce
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ brown onion (finely diced) 85 grams
- 2 small carrot (finely diced or grated) 50 grams
- 1 small zucchini (finely diced or grated) 100 grams
- 1 clove garlic (crushed, smashed or minced)
- ½ pound ground beef 250 grams
- 3 cups Passata 750 mLs Tomato Purée
- 1 cup spinach leaves 30 grams, a very good handful or 2.
- 1 cup Mushrooms 100 grams / 3.5 oz
- ½ cup red lentils 90 grams, rinsed
- 1 Tablespoon Italian seasoning mixed dried herbs
- ¾ cups water/stock ¾-1 ½ cups as needed
- 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar or red wine vinegar
Cauliflower Bechamel Sauce
- ¼ head cauliflower 300 grams
- 3 Tablespoons olive oil (or butter)
- ¼ cup flour
- 2 cups Milk (warmed)
- 1 cup grated cheese increase depending on how rich and cheesy you want it
Other
- 8-9 oven ready lasagne sheets 9 oz, 250 grams
Instructions
Beef and Veggie Sauce
- Add oil to a large heavy based pan, heat
- Add the onion, carrot, and zucchini (grated or diced), sauté until soft.
- Add garlic, sauté for a further 2 minutes. I just smash the whole cloves of garlic with the blade of my knife, and add them pretty much whole.
- Add the ground beef, breaking up the clumps, cooking until browned. Once browned, add the grated mushrooms.
- While the mince is cooking move on to making a smoothie. Blend the tomato puree with the spinach until smooth (and the mushrooms if you prefer to blend rather than grate them).
- Add the tomato/spinach smoothie to the pan.
- Rinse the lentils, add to the pan.
- Add the dried herbs
- Simmer uncovered for 20 minutes. Watch the sauce, you may need to add ¾ to 1 ½ cups of water or stock to allow the lentils to soften. The lentils absorb liquid as they cook. I find it better to add the water as needed, so that you don't end up with a really sloppy mixture at the end.
- Finish off the meat sauce by seasoning with salt and pepper as desired and a dash of vinegar. The vinegar brings back the freshness.
Cauliflower Bechamel Sauce
- While the meat sauce is simmering, roughly chop the cauliflower, steam until tender then purée, I usually use a stick blender for the cauliflower.
- Now to make the bechamel sauce, start by warming the milk, you can do this in the microwave if you wish.
- In a saucepan heat the oil. Add the flour and cook for 2 mins.
- Gradually add the warm milk mixing continuously, you will end up with a smooth thick sauce, add the grated cheese. Once melted through, stir in the cauliflower purée
Assemble the Lasagna
- Start with a single layer of meat sauce, (this stops the pasta sticking to the dish). Top with pasta, then a single layer of white sauce, top with pasta again, and repeat, (Meat, pasta, white sauce, pasta). Keep going until everything is used up. You can finish on a meat sauce or white sauce layer as the top, it's up to you!
- Sprinkle the top layer with a little extra cheese
- Bake for 35 mins in the oven at 180 degrees Celsius, or 360 Fahrenheit
- Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before you slice and serve, it holds together a little better once it has all stopped bubbling
Notes
- Ground Beef: Can be swapped for lamb, chicken, turkey, or a plant-based mince for vegetarian.
- Red lentils: Cook quickly and break down into the sauce — you can use brown lentils, but cook them first.
- Passata (tomato purée): Smooth and perfect for blending with veggies. Crushed tomatoes also work.
- Spinach, zucchini & mushrooms: Disappear completely when blended or grated — ideal for picky eaters.
- Cauliflower: Puréed into the white sauce for extra veg. Pumpkin or sweet potato also work.
- Balsamic Vinegar: This can be substituted for red wine vinegar, it brings brightness to the final meat and veggie sauce.
- Lasagne sheets: Use gluten-free sheets if needed.
- Flour: Substitute for cornstarch (corn flour) as a gluten-free alternative.
- Milk & cheese: For dairy-free, use plant-based alternatives.
- Blend your veggies: A small blender makes super-smooth sauces that hide everything. In this recipe I have blended spinach into my canned tomatoes. You can get inventive with this, though; most soft vegetables will blend in well!
- Simmer uncovered: This keeps the sauce rich and lets the lentils soften — just add water gradually if needed.
- Layer properly: Always start with sauce at the bottom so the pasta doesn’t stick.
- Rest before serving: Letting it cool for 5–10 minutes makes slicing much easier.
Nutrition
Quick Start Guide To BLW
Baby led weaning doesn’t need to be complicated, grab my quick start guide to begin your little ones food journey.
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Love this recipe but suggest using a stockpot as huge.. I also froze it in tinfoil trays. Got three large trays.
I have very large fry pans! lol
What a great idea to use cauliflower in the Bechamel sauce! Very inspiring. Thank you for sharing.