Easy Vegetable Skillet Lasagna
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Healthy and super delicious, this easy one skillet meal can be prepared AND cooked in less time than it takes to do just the prep work for a traditional baked lasagna.
On the table in just 30 minutes, my easy vegetable skillet lasagna is loaded with zucchini, yellow squash, onions, and mushrooms in a zesty and cheesy tomato sauce.
Believe it or not, this simple vegetarian lasagna is cooked and served all in one pan, too. Sauté the veggies, simmer the sauce, and cook the noodles in one skillet. Stove-to-table and easy clean-up, what’s not to love?
The best part? The delicious flavor! This lasagna has the perfect balance of sauce, noodles, and cheese and tastes amazing.
Looking for more tasty 30 minute pasta dinners? My lemon chicken scallopini will make your taste buds think you’re dining in one of the finest bistros in Italy! Or, you may like penne pasta with pumpkin pasta sauce — another healthy meatless pasta dinner.
Why you’re going to love it!
- Fresh ingredients. Chock full of healthy veggies.
- Bursting with flavor. Even carnivores will love this meatless lasagna!
- Quick and easy. Make it in one pan in just 30 minutes!
Easy Vegetable Skillet Lasagna: behind the recipe
The idea of a healthy vegetable lasagna wasn’t at the top of my husband’s dinner wishlist, but after trying my easy zucchini skillet lasagna he had to admit a no-meat lasagna was actually pretty good. Now, that’s saying a lot coming from my John!
He thinks a meal without meat is just a snack. You know, he’s a meat-and-potatoes kind of guy.
Sometimes, though, it’s good to mix things up. Even for a guy that’s normally not a zucchini fan.
“Try it, you’ll like it,” I say.
“Not bad,” he says as he takes another bite. I’ll take that as a thumbs up!
Key ingredients
With squash plentiful this time of year, I like finding new recipes that let zucchini shine. Here’s what you’ll need for this fresh and healthy skillet lasagna:
- Zucchini — one medium-size (about 6 to 8 inches)
- Yellow squash — one medium-size (about 6 to 8 inches)
- Mushrooms — one 8-ounce package
- Oven-ready lasagna noodles — It’s very important to get the ones that don’t need to be cooked first!
- Diced tomatoes — I use the petite-diced canned tomatoes canned.
- Tomato paste — adds body to the sauce
- Garlic — fresh or jarred minced
- Oregano — dried or fresh
- Ricotta cheese
- Mozzarella cheese — thin slices
- Parmesan cheese
- Italian flat-leaf parsley
How to make zucchini skillet lasagna
STEP 1: Sauté the veggies
- Use a deep 12-inch skillet so you have plenty of room. I like to use my cast iron because it looks nice for serving at the table.
- Add the garlic (adds so much flavor!), diced tomatoes and tomato paste, then simmer with the vegetables for 5 minutes.
STEP 2: Add cheese and noodles
- Add ricotta cheese by the spoonfuls directly into the simmering sauce.
- Break the lasagna noodles in half and nestle into the sauce and cover with thin mozzarella cheese slices.
tip
- Be sure to use the no-cook or oven-ready lasagna noodles that don’t have to be cooked ahead of time for this recipe. They are perfect since they help soak up water from the zucchini resulting in the perfect sauce to noddle ratio.
STEP 3: Simmer
- Top with a lid and cook just 15 minutes, until the noodles are tender and the cheese is all melty.
- Serve directly from the skillet garnished with Parmesan cheese and chopped fresh Italian parsley.
Frequently asked questions
Don’t overcook the lasagna, because doing so releases too much liquid. In this recipe, sauté the vegetables for just 5 minutes before adding the remaining lasagna ingredients.
Also, it’s important to use the no-cook/oven-ready type of dried lasagna noodles which absorb liquid as they cook.
Always up for debate, the number of lasagna layers can vary. In a baked lasagna, most pans will hold three layers, but I prefer to keep it at two for a saucier lasagna. This skillet lasagna only uses one layer of lasagna noodles, but is still hearty and satisfying.
For baked lasagnas, start with a thin layer of sauce, then noodles, the cheese mixture, more sauce, and repeat. Cover the top layer with mozzarella cheese.
For skillet lasagna, make wells in the sauce on the bottom, fill the wells with spoons of ricotta cheese, then lay noodles on top and cover with a little sauce and mozzarella cheese slices.
Serving suggestions
A nice tossed salad and a loaf crusty French bread are always good options for completing a lasagna dinner. We especially like spreading roasted garlic butter on our bread! Other delicious salad options include:
- Caprese Salad
- Chopped Italian Salad
- And for dessert, easy individual Chocolate Soufflés!
Easy Skillet Vegetable Lasagna
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 medium onion diced
- 1 medium zucchini cut into 1/8-inch slices
- 1 medium yellow squash cut into 1/8-inch slices
- 8 ounces sliced mushrooms
- 1 teaspoon salt divided
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 15-oz. can diced tomatoes
- 1 16-oz. can tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- 4 no-cook lasagna noodles
- 6 mozzarella cheese slices
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- ¼ cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
Instructions
- In a deep skillet over medium high heat, heat the olive oil. Add the onions, zucchini, squash, mushrooms, and ½ teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes, until the vegetables are beginning to soften. Stir in the garlic and cook another 30 seconds, until fragrant.
- Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, oregano, the remaining ½ teaspoon salt, and pepper. Increase the heat to high to bring the mixture to a rapid simmer, then reduce the heat to medium.
- Make 4 to 5 wells and spoon in the ricotta cheese. Break the lasagna noodles in half and lay on top, overlapping as needed. and spooning some of the liquid on top. Cover the noodles with the mozzarella cheese slices.
- Cover the skillet with a lid and cook for 15 minutes, until the noodles are tender and the cheese is melted.
- Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and chopped fresh Italian parsley and serve directly from the skillet.
Notes
Nutrition
Life Love and Good Food does not claim to be a registered dietician or nutritionist. Nutritional information shared on this site is only an estimate. We recommend running the ingredients through an online nutritional calculator if you need to verify any information.
About Sheila Thigpen
Recipe Developer, Food Photographer, Food Writer
Sheila Thigpen is the publisher of Life, Love, and Good Food — a Southern food blog — and the author of Easy Chicken Cookbook and The 5-Ingredient Fresh and Easy Cookbook. After 20+ years in the publishing industry, she retired in 2018 to focus on her own creative endeavors full time. She and her husband live near the beautiful Smoky Mountains and have a precious little granddaughter who has stolen their hearts. As an influencer, Sheila has collaborated with brands like Creamette, Kroger, HERSHEY’S, Hamilton Beach, Garafalo Pasta, OXO, Smithfield, Valley Fig Growers, and more.
Is it truly 16 oz of tomato paste?
Yes, this recipe actually does use 16-oz. tomato paste.
Skillet meals are my FAV!! This one did not dissapoint! In fact, I think they loved it every bit as much as my time-consuming lasagna recipe! Win for me!
It’s official: All the members of my family (me included) loved this recipe. No one realized there wasn’t any meat, either, because it was so flavorful! Veggie lasagna for the win!
My family loved this one pan zucchini lasagna! I am always looking for ways to use our abundance of garden veggies this time of year and this recipe was great for that. I added in one green bell pepper and used the shredded mozzarella I had on hand instead of sliced. This was my first time using the no-cook lasagna noodles and they turned out perfect. I definitely will be making this recipe again. Thank you Sheila!
Yay! I’m so glad you and the family enjoyed the lasagna recipe!