This vegetarian caprese skillet lasagna recipe is a delicious lighter take on lasagna. It’s really easy and all cooked right in the skillet!
I had one goal with this recipe: make a lasagna in one pan with minimal effort, good flavor, and a reasonable amount of calories. This is not a super rich and cheesy lasagna, but it is a lasagna that you can throw together mid-week without worrying too much about it being unhealthy. There is cheese in here (mozzarella fresca), but there isn’t a ton of it. I really liked this healthier take on lasagna.
I used the classic caprese flavors in here: mozzarella, basil, and tomatoes. Garlic and thyme amp up the flavor even more, but this is definitely a lighter recipe.
If you’re willing to turn your oven on in the summer, this would actually be a wonderful summer lasagna recipe to try.
If you love this flavor combo, you may also like my garlic caprese crostini melts.
This easy skillet lasagna is about as simple as lasagna gets.
How to make skillet lasagna
Sauté the onion, add the rest of the sauce ingredients to the pan, heat it through, add the lasagna noodles, then pop it in the oven. You then add the cheese and it’s done when it’s melted.
This one pan lasagna uses the no-bake lasagna noodles, so there’s no need to boil them before adding them to the skillet.
Hope you love this cast iron lasagna recipe!
Let me know if you’ve tried it in the comments below.
Would you try a lighter take on lasagna, or do you prefer saving it for a special treat?
Healthy Caprese Skillet Lasagna
This vegetarian caprese skillet lasagna recipe is a delicious lighter take on lasagna. It's really easy and all cooked right in the skillet!
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 medium onion chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 (14 fluid ounce) can diced tomatoes
- 2 cups skim or 1% milk
- 5 dashes Italian seasoning
- Handful basil torn
- 2-3 sprigs fresh thyme stems removed
- Salt & pepper to taste
- No boil lasagna noodles to taste (will vary depending on your skillet)
- 8 ounces fresh mozzarella sliced
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F and move the rack to the middle position.
- Sauté the onion in a cast iron skillet for 5-7 minutes.
- Add the garlic to the skillet and cook for about 30 seconds or until fragrant.
- Add the diced tomatoes, milk, Italian seasoning, thyme leaves, basil, and salt & pepper. Give it a good stir and let it heat through a bit.
- Break the lasagna noodles into pieces so you can layer them in the skillet. There's no exact science to this and it's fine if they overlap a bit (all noodles should be mostly submerged in the sauce). Leave about an inch or so from the top so it doesn't bubble over as it cooks.
- Place the skillet in the oven and bake for 40 minutes.
- Take the lasagna out of the oven and top with the sliced cheese. Return the skillet to the oven for another 10 minutes or until the cheese is nice and melty. You can broil it for a few minutes at the end to make the cheese brown a bit if you wish (just watch it carefully).
- Let the lasagna sit for about 5-10 minutes before serving.
Recipe Notes
- I suggest adding more salt to this recipe than you'd perhaps normally add. No-boil lasagna noodles tend to be a bit less flavorful, which is a tradeoff for a recipe that requires fewer steps.
- I used my trusty 10-1/4" Lodge cast iron skillet to make this recipe.
- Serves 4-6.
You may also like my vegetarian pasta e fagioli if you liked this recipe.
Mary Ann | The Beach House Kitchen says
Whoa Natasha! This looks awesome! Love that it’s a one skillet meal, and that it’s a bit lighter than the traditional lasagna. I don’t often make lasagna because it’s too much work and so rich. Can’t wait to try your recipe!
Natasha says
Thanks so much!! Yeah, I wanted to try something lighter, less work, and healthier. Let me know if you try it! 🙂
Karly says
Lasagna in a cast iron skillet. All the yes in the ENTIRE world! Gotta try this!
Natasha says
Thanks, Karly!! 🙂
Hilary says
Hi, just love looking at your recipes,you make them look so simple to make,can’t wait to try them.
Regards,hilary
Natasha says
Thank you! Hope you like them. 😄
Christina Seward says
This looks absolutely amazing! I can’t wait to try it!
Natasha says
Thanks so much, Christina! 🙂
Stephanie says
Absolutely delicious! I’m making it again tonight (2nd night in a row), since we had an unexpected guest last night. I didn’t get to have much of it so I’m eating more tonight! Going to add capers this time.
Natasha says
Yay!! That’s what I like to hear. 🙂 Thanks for letting me know! Love capers too!
Anne Vander Molen says
Horrible burnt dried up noodles! Not enough sauce to submerge even 4 noodles! And I used exact size of tomatoes…14 ounces! My supper is ruined! I have higher standards than most??
Natasha says
Hi Anne! I didn’t cover it. Did you put it on the middle rack? I’m not sure what went wrong. 🙁
Laura says
Maybe her skillet was a different size? A bigger skillet would require more sauce.
Natasha says
That’s true!
Anne Vander Molen says
Covered or uncovered in the oven? Burnt in 30 minutes and no sauce left
RH says
I love 1skillet recipes, and trying lasagna had me intrigued. I couldn’t help but to add to this wonderful blueprint you’ve put together…. I added some mild Italian sausage right after the onions softened, then some left over mushrooms. I used 1 pack of noodles, 8oz of cheese and doubled the recipe for everything else.
I cooked it in a 13.25″ skillet and it came out perfect. Everyone wanted seconds. Thank you!!
Natasha says
I am so happy that the recipe inspired you! Your version sounds delicious!! 🙂