Thin slices of sweet potatoes bake fork tender in a Sweet Potato Lasagna that's a wonderful cross between savory and slightly sweet. In so many ways it's a regular lasagna, with all those familiar textures that we love between each cheesy layer. But wait until you taste the difference from swapping out lasagna noodles for thinly sliced sweet potatoes.
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Ingredients to Have on Hand
Sweet Potato Lasagna is a great way to cut a few carbs out of our lasagna routine.
Although the flavor combination is robust and unique, it's really just lasagna without the cooked noodles.
- Sweet potatoes
- Elephant garlic
- Ricotta cheese
- Parmesan cheese
- Mozzarella cheese
- Fresh basil
- Marinara sauce
- Red pepper flakes
- Egg
- Garlic powder
It's easy to make Sweet Potato Lasagna, and using a store-bought pasta sauce it an excellent short cut.
Add elephant garlic, fresh basil and three types of cheese to round out the flavors.
If you're looking for a unique lasagna recipe to share, this is it!
Elephant Garlic Recipe
This recipe puts elephant garlic to use in a whole new way. The garlic is grated, then baked in the lasagna layers.
When we think of elephant garlic we more frequently think of it oven-roasted. The whole bulb is wrapped in foil with a little olive oil then baked until the large cloves are tender.
There's no question, it's delicious to serve elephant garlic that way, especially on warm bread or crackers.
But elephant garlic is actually very versatile and less "garlicky" than regular garlic.
Depending on how large the bulb of elephant garlic is, you'll use almost all of it for this lasagna recipe.
Store-Bought Marinara Sauce
There are lots of options for red sauce when we make Sweet Potato Lasagna. Making a sauce from scratch is delicious, Tomato Cream Sauce is so easy and tasty and Sunday Gravy (Spaghetti Sauce) is a great choice too, but I like to take a short cut when I make this recipe.
Rao's Marinara is my favorite store-bought pasta sauce. (Amazon Affiliate link.) Added bonus, you can pour it straight from the jar as you assemble the lasagna.
One look at the ingredient list and you'll see why. There's no water, no fillers, no added sugars - it's just sweet Italian plum tomatoes and other fresh ingredients.
Pasta-Free Lasagna
There's no cooking noodles with Sweet Potato Lasagna because there's no pasta in the recipe. But honestly, I don't think you'll miss those noodles and if you are like me, you won't miss boiling them either.
Sweet potatoes are gluten free which makes this recipe a wonderful meal to serve friends or family who can't eat gluten, but who love great flavors!
Layer the Lasagna
Once the sweet potatoes are sliced, sweet potato lasagna is easily assembled. It's layered just like your favorite, traditional lasagna recipe.
Cheesy Filling
I recommend using whole milk ricotta cheese because it's creamier and mellows the flavor of the garlic, delicious with red paper flakes mixed in.
You won't notice the heat from the red pepper flakes, but they blend great with the parmesan and ricotta cheese.
Slice the Sweet Potatoes
I like to use my cabbage slicer with this recipe, it's handy tool, and a lot like a mandolin. It slices the sweet potatoes quickly, and makes each slice just like the other.
You can use a sharp knife to slice the sweet potatoes, but you'll want to ensure each slice is the same thickness - about as thick as a coin, like a quarter or a nickel.
The sweet potatoes need to be sliced thin, this will help with the cooking time and ensure the entire dish cooks evenly, so you don't end up with chunky or crunchy sections of the lasagna.
Top Tips and FAQ
Elephant garlic is different than regular garlic so it's not interchangeable in recipes. Elephant garlic is big is size, but its flavor is much more mild than regular garlic.
If you opt to use regular garlic in your sweet potato lasagna, reduce the amount to only a few teaspoons of chopped, fresh garlic. 
There's no need to cook the sweet potatoes ahead of time. Just be sure to slice them really thin (about the same thickness as a quarter) and they'll bake beautifully in the lasagna layers.
Yes, if your family prefers a more traditional meaty lasagna, sprinkle cooked Italian sausage - or even ground beef - on top of the final sweet potato layer and before you add the cheese.
Although I designed this recipe to be meatless, as my family can attest to, it is also delicious with meat.
More Meatless Recipes
Whether we are topping pasta with a fresh homemade sauce or tossing salad with a freshly made dressing, here are a few more meatless recipes I think you'll love!
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DJ says
OMG, you had me at sweet potato! This was just about the best lasagna I ever tasted. Who would've thought to use sweet potato? Great idea.
Jere Cassidy says
I love this and another great way to use sweet potatoes. May try a mandoline next time to get thinner slices of the potatoes.
Melinda O'Malley Keckler says
Thank you Jere! I agree, it's important to slice the sweet potatoes really thin. 🙂
Dee Broughton says
I love this. I'm always looking for a pasta free lasagna and never thought about using sweet potatoes. I'm definitely going to give this a try.
Melinda O'Malley Keckler says
Great! Let me know what you think. This is a wonderful recipe that works great when we are serving folks who are either trying to cut carbs, are gluten free or vegetarian.
Helen at the Lazy Gastronome says
What a delicious lasagne!! It's so flavorful and rich - you'll never miss the meat!
Gloria says
I have not tried a lasagna I did not like. I have never tried one with sweet potatoes. Looks like I have to make this for dinner on the weekend. I am sure it will be a hit with the family.