Chana Masala Vegetarian Lasagna
Layers of ruffled noodles, a thick tomato-chickpea chana masala, spinach-paneer filling, and a cooling yogurt white sauce, all baked under bubbling mozzarella. It has the warm spice of your favorite chana masala with the comfort of a classic lasagna.
- Prep
- 35 min
- Cook
- 1 hr 40 min
- Wait
- 15 min
- Total
- 2 hr 30 min
- Makes
- 1 lasagna (8 generous squares)
Steps
Before you start
- Use a 9×13-inch (23×33 cm) baking dish that is at least 2 inches (5 cm) deep, and set it on a rimmed baking sheet in the oven. The lasagna is full and may bubble over.
- Thaw the frozen spinach in the fridge overnight, or microwave it for 3 to 4 minutes until fully thawed. You need to squeeze it very dry later.
- Shred the mozzarella from a block yourself if you can. It melts better than pre-shredded cheese. Take the yogurt out of the fridge 20 minutes ahead so it doesn't curdle in the hot sauce.
- Read the whole recipe first. The sauce simmers while you boil the noodles and make the fillings, so the steps overlap. Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C) when you start assembling.
Soften the onions
- Heat 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of the neutral oil in a 12-inch (30 cm) deep skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat for 1 minute.
- Add the chopped onions and ½ teaspoon of the sauce salt.
- Cook, stirring every minute or so, for 10 to 12 minutes.
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Ready when: Onions are soft, translucent, and golden at the edges, with a sweet smell and no raw sharpness.
Tip: If the onions brown too fast or stick, lower the heat and add 1 tablespoon of water.
Bloom aromatics and spices
- Stir in the garlic, ginger, and green chilies (if using) and cook for 1 minute.
- Add the tomato paste, coriander, cumin, turmeric, and chili powder.
- Stir constantly for 1 to 2 minutes so the spices toast in the oil.
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Ready when: The paste darkens to brick red and the spices smell toasty and fragrant.
Tip: Don't walk away. Ground spices scorch in seconds and turn bitter.
Simmer the chana masala
- Pour in the crushed tomatoes and water, and add the remaining ¾ teaspoon sauce salt.
- Scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
- Add the chickpeas and bring to a bubble.
- Reduce to medium-low and simmer, partly covered, for 18 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Mash about a quarter of the chickpeas against the side of the pan with a spoon to thicken the sauce.
- Off the heat, stir in the garam masala, kasuri methi (if using), lemon juice, and ¼ cup of the cilantro.
- Taste and add salt if needed.
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Ready when: The sauce is thick and spoonable, and a spoon dragged across the bottom leaves a trail that closes slowly. It should be thicker than a typical curry, not soupy. You should have about 5½ cups.
Tip: A watery sauce makes a soupy lasagna. If it is loose, simmer uncovered a few more minutes.
Boil the noodles
- While the sauce simmers, bring 5 quarts (5 L) of water and the noodle salt to a rolling boil in a large pot.
- Cook the noodles for 1 minute less than the package directions, usually 7 to 8 minutes, stirring in the first minute so they don't stick.
- Drain and lay the noodles flat in a single layer on a baking sheet brushed with 1 teaspoon of the oil.
- Brush the noodles lightly with a little more oil.
- Use the remaining oil to grease the baking dish.
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Ready when: Noodles are bendable but still have a firm bite in the center, because they finish cooking in the oven.
Tip: Don't stack the noodles while they are wet and unoiled, or they will glue themselves together.
Mix the spinach-paneer filling
- In a medium bowl, combine the squeezed-dry spinach, crumbled paneer, beaten egg, filling salt, and black pepper.
- Stir with a fork, breaking up any clumps of spinach, until evenly combined and the mixture holds together when pressed.
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Ready when: The mixture looks like a green, crumbly ricotta with no wet pools of water.
Tip: Squeeze the thawed spinach until no more drops come out. Extra water is the main cause of runny lasagna.
Make the yogurt white sauce
- Melt the butter in a 3-quart (3 L) saucepan over medium heat.
- Whisk in the flour and cook for 1 minute, whisking constantly, until it smells nutty but is not browned.
- Slowly pour in the milk while whisking.
- Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, whisking, until the sauce thickens and just starts to bubble.
- Remove from the heat and let it stand for 1 minute.
- Whisk in the yogurt, cardamom, and white sauce salt until smooth.
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Ready when: The sauce coats the back of a spoon and a finger drawn through it leaves a clean line. Final texture is like thick pourable cream, about 2¼ cups.
Tip: Add the yogurt off the heat and never boil it afterward. Hot, bubbling sauce makes yogurt split and turn grainy.
Build the bottom layersOven 375°F / 190°C
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C) with a rack in the center.
- Spread 1 cup of the chana masala over the bottom of the greased dish.
- Lay 3 noodles lengthwise on top, side by side, trimming or overlapping slightly to cover the sauce.
- Top with half of the spinach-paneer filling in dollops, gently spreading it level.
- Spoon over 1¼ cups chana masala, then ¾ cup of the white sauce, then sprinkle with ¼ cup of the mozzarella.
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Tip: Spoon the white sauce in dollops and spread gently so it doesn't drag the chana masala around.
Finish layering
- Add a second layer: 3 noodles, the remaining spinach-paneer filling, 1¼ cups chana masala, ¾ cup white sauce, and the remaining ¼ cup mozzarella from the middle portion.
- Finish with the last 3 noodles.
- Cover them completely with the remaining chana masala (about 2 cups), then the remaining white sauce (¾ cup), spreading all the way to the edges so no noodle is exposed.
- Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup mozzarella on top.
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Ready when: The top noodles are fully buried in sauce and the dish is filled to about ½ inch (1 cm) below the rim.
Tip: Exposed noodle edges bake into hard, dry crisps, so tuck them under the sauce.
Bake coveredOven 375°F / 190°C
- Place the dish on a rimmed baking sheet.
- Cover tightly with foil that has been lightly greased on the underside so the cheese doesn't stick.
- Bake at 375°F (190°C) for 30 minutes.
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Ready when: The edges are bubbling at the sides of the dish when you lift a corner of the foil.
Bake uncoveredOven 375°F / 190°C
- Remove the foil and continue baking at 375°F (190°C) for 18 to 20 minutes.
- If you want deeper color, broil on high for the final 1 to 2 minutes, watching closely.
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Ready when: The cheese is melted with golden-brown spots, the sauce bubbles at the edges, and an instant-read thermometer in the center reads 165°F (74°C).
Tip: Use the thermometer to be sure the center has cooked through, since it contains egg.
Rest, garnish, and slice
- Let the lasagna rest on a rack, uncovered, for 15 minutes.
- Sprinkle with the remaining ¼ cup cilantro.
- Cut into 8 squares with a sharp knife and lift out with a wide spatula.
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Ready when: The sauce has stopped bubbling and a knife makes a clean cut that stays put.
Tip: Cutting right out of the oven makes the layers slide apart. The rest is worth the wait.
Good to know
Tips
- Keep the chana masala thick. It will loosen slightly in the oven as the noodles absorb liquid.
- Squeeze the spinach until it is truly dry, and use low-moisture mozzarella, not fresh, to avoid a watery lasagna.
- For a vegan version, use a plant-based yogurt and milk with olive oil in the white sauce, swap the paneer for crumbled firm tofu, skip the egg, and use vegan cheese.
- Serve with a simple salad of sliced cucumber, red onion, and lime juice, or a spoonful of mango chutney, to cut through the richness.
Make ahead
"Make the chana masala up to 3 days ahead and the spinach-paneer filling and white sauce up to 1 day ahead; refrigerate separately in covered containers. Press plastic wrap against the surface of the white sauce to prevent a skin. You can also assemble the whole lasagna, cover it, and refrigerate up to 24 hours. Bake it covered for 40 minutes straight from the fridge, then uncovered for 20 minutes, until the center reaches 165°F (74°C)."
Storage & reheating
"Room temperature: no more than 2 hours. Refrigerator: cover tightly and keep up to 4 days. Freezer: wrap individual squares well and freeze up to 3 months; thaw overnight in the fridge. Reheat squares covered with foil at 350°F (175°C) for 20 to 25 minutes, or microwave a single square for 2 to 3 minutes at 70% power, until hot throughout (165°F / 74°C)."
Substitutions
- paneer → whole-milk ricotta (¾ cup / 180 g). Drain it in a sieve for 15 minutes first. The filling will be creamier and less chewy.
- dried lasagna noodles → no-boil lasagna noodles. Skip the boiling step and use 9 sheets. Add 3 tablespoons (45 ml) extra water to the chana masala and bake covered 10 minutes longer.
- low-moisture whole-milk mozzarella → low-moisture provolone or mild white cheddar. Either melts well. Use the same weight.
- frozen chopped spinach → fresh baby spinach (12 oz / 340 g). Wilt it in a dry skillet over medium heat, then cool and squeeze it dry before chopping.