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This vegetarian caprese skillet lasagna recipe is a delicious lighter take on lasagna. It’s really easy and all cooked right in the skillet!
You may also enjoy my Creamy Chicken Lasagna or Classic Homemade Lasagna.
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 Caprese Tortellini Pasta Salad, this Caprese Grilled Cheese Sandwich Recipe, The Best Caprese Crostini, or my Balsamic Caprese Pasta Salad.
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. You may also like my vegetarian pasta e fagioli if you liked this recipe.
Would you try a lighter take on lasagna, or do you prefer saving it for a special treat?
Healthy Caprese Skillet Lasagna
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 medium onion chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 (14 fluid ounce) can diced tomatoes with juices
- 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.
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.
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I have been using this recipe for years but with some tweaks:
I use a whole pint of heavy cream instead of the 2 cups milk.
I do double the tomatoes, sometimes even more.
Kroger brand no boil lasagna noodles are the best if aldi doesn’t have theirs available.
Way more Italian seasoning than she says above. As well as the other spices.
This is a huge hit in my house- just need to adjust a little!
So glad this recipe inspired you, Lindsey!! 🙂
What a huge disappointment. I will never try this recipe again. If you try it, I’d double the tomatoes. I did double the onions. Most of it is going in the trash. Dry and hard.
Hi i tried ur recipe. When i poured the milk , it curdled up. Any other alternative than milk
That’s unfortunate! So sorry that happened. This is why I now use cream or at least half-and-half in most of my recipes.