Skillet Lasagna With Spinach and Summer Squash

By Sarah Copeland

Total Time: 50 minutes
Rating: 4(1,072)
Notes: Read community notes

Lasagna in the summer? It’s fine food for those long, breezy summer days when you need to fill your belly without turning on the oven. This one-pan stovetop lasagna is a true crowd-pleaser, with rich tomato, oozing cheese and just enough squash and spinach to skip salad for the night. Using no-cook lasagna, you can cook this entirely over a low flame, covered. (Use foil if you don’t have a lid that fits your pan.) Be sure to start with a well-seasoned cast-iron pan, and never let the tomato sauce boil, which can be hard on your pan and on the flavor of your sauce. If your cast-iron seasoning isn’t in tip-top shape, try this in a stainless-steel skillet instead; you’ll still get all the depth and aroma, and that same stove-to-table ease that will make this a repeat meal all year long.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

2tablespoons olive oil
1medium onion, thinly sliced
4garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1zucchini, chopped (6 ounces)
1yellow squash, chopped (10 ounces)
2packed cups baby spinach leaves
1(28-ounce) can whole peeled San Marzano tomatoes
1teaspoon salt
½teaspoon black pepper
8sheets (half a 9-ounce package) no-cook or oven-ready lasagna noodles
8ounces fresh ricotta cheese (about 1 cup)
1½ounces finely grated Parmesan, plus more for serving (about ⅓ cup)
8ounces fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
Handful of small basil leaves, for serving

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

Step 1
Heat oil in a well-seasoned large cast-iron skillet over medium-low heat. Add onion and cook until softening, 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, 5 minutes more. Increase the heat to medium, add the zucchini and yellow squash and cook until soft and lightly golden, 10 minutes more, adding the spinach in the last 2 minutes of cooking. Stir constantly until the spinach is wilted. Transfer the cooked vegetables to a plate.
Step 2
While the vegetables cook, crush the tomatoes with a potato masher in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Spoon a thin layer over the bottom of the pan (about ⅓ of the tomatoes). Add 4 lasagna sheets, breaking off the edges to fit into the curved edges of the pan. Top with half the vegetables, and drop half the ricotta by spoonfuls over the top. Repeat with another ⅓ of the tomatoes, the remaining vegetables and ricotta. Top with another layer of 4 lasagna sheets, the remaining sauce, and layer the Parmesan and mozzarella over the top.
Step 3
Sprinkle with salt and pepper, cover and cook over a low simmer until the pasta is soft and the cheese has completely melted, 5 to 10 minutes. Uncover and continue to cook on medium-high until the tomato has thickened, 5 minutes more. Set aside to cool slightly, 5 to 10 minutes, before cutting. Sprinkle basil and more Parmesan over the lasagna and serve.

Tip

Some cast-iron skillets come with a matching lid, which is useful for making the skillet operate a bit like a mini stove-top oven, cooking evenly and basting the food with flavor and steam. If you don’t have one, use a lid from another pan, or two layers of thick foil, folded at the center and large enough to cover your pan.

Ratings

4 out of 5

1,072 user ratings

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Cooking Notes

MissMarple4 years ago

This was a solid recipe (easily assembled while hanging out with my 1-yr old) but I thought it looked a little underwhelming at the end so I just popped it in the oven at 450 for 15 minutes to crisp up the top. I think that’s an entirely worthwhile extra step if you can bear to turn on the oven.

GAD5 years ago

Cooked all steps in a Dutch oven to see if this has potential for a camping meal. Added one pound of pork sausage and browned it with the onions. Used entire pasta sheets across as they fit easily in the DO. This has potential in the outdoor camp kitchen.

max4 years ago

This was a really tasty, light lasagna. I made it in the Dutch oven. It was a bit watery from the zucchini/squash and tomato, so next time I’ll probably use an extra can and drain the tomatoes before crushing. I also used almost double the ricotta.

the mad hungarian5 years ago

I used a little more of most things, and did not measure; 2 (smallish) zucchini, added a small onion to the large one, a little extra spinach and ricotta. Delicious. Also good at room temperature for a special lunch the next day.

Matt5 years ago

The instructions simultaneously say to never let the tomato sauce boil, and also to heat over medium-high for 5 minutes at the end. These seem incompatible. Am I wrong?

becaru5 years ago

By accident, I started out by making a batch of NYT marinara sauce, so I used that instead of the tomatoes. The resulting dish’s flavor was fabulous.

jen3 years ago

Really liked the idea of making lasagna on the stove top for a summer dinner. In reality, the bottom of this burned terribly. The instructions to turn the burner up to med-high is really the problem. Really need to first add more oil to the empty pan before layering the lasagna, cook this low & slow, use shredded mozzarella & jar sauce or crushed tomatoes next time, and plan for this taking 1.5 - 2 hrs to make with all the prep.

Big Lar4 years ago

Made this tonight and agree with others that it comes out watery and sticks to the bottom of the skillet, so be careful. Glad I followed suggestions and added more veggies. Nice taste overall.

Rosamunde5 years ago

My cast iron skillet is a little smaller, so used two lasagna noodles on bottom, two in the middle, and two on top. A sheet pan on top of the skillet serves as a lid. I love that this makes just about 4 servings - perfect for a smaller household! And I can make it in high summer without heating up the house. It's a winner!

Lee3 years ago

We made this for Christmas while staying in a cabin with no oven and just two burners. I used butternut squash instead of summer squash and it turned out fine. Used a 13” stainless skillet rather than cast iron.

Allison J5 years ago

This sounds delicious and how perfect that it can be made on the stovetop in the summer!! Yay win win! Thanks for the creativity and scrumptious dinner that my family will love!

Bob5 years ago

Made this last night. Easy and delicious!

LH in Austin4 months ago

Delicious and fresh. It took quite a bit longer to cook through but well worth the time. Yum!

Patty7 months ago

I enjoyed the preparation and the idea of stovetop was appealing but the cheese wouldn’t melt and the noodles were underdone so ended up baking it at the end. Flavors were good. Mushrooms might help.

me7 months ago

Good, Joy and Peter liked

buddsgirl9 months ago

This was easy! I took regular noodles and soaked for a bit before building in skillet. Leftovers were much better since the flavors had had time to meld. This will be made again in this house!

Will T9 months ago

1.) Add generous sprinkling of oregano and a dash of sugar to the sauce 2.) sub out the ricotta for a bechamel sauce

Melody is a fan!10 months ago

Used regular lasagna noodles (couldn’t find no-cook noodles) and added 10 minutes to covered cooking time. Needed more salt and flavor in sauce but otherwise delicious. Grateful to use up summer veggies without heating up the house.

Kay Kuma10 months ago

I love lasagna and this recipe is quick and easy! The first time I made it, the recipe needed meat for my taste, so I’ve since added one pound of Italian sausage and it’s fantastic. The last time I made it, I didn’t have yellow squash and tried fresh summer corn (two ears’ worth) and wow—it turned out great.

Paige11 months ago

This recipe is a great idea, but the cooking times and temps are way off. I followed the instructions exactly and the dish was boiling vigorously almost immediately…problem was the pasta was still crisp, and there was way too much liquid. I turned down the heat and extended the cook time, but still ended up with a burnt bottom and too much liquid. Should have listened to others who counseled longer time at lower heat.

my changes1 year ago

Use marinara. Cool with lid on for 10-20 min. Salt the veg

Syma1 year ago

I made a quick tomato sauce with garlic and herbs to amp flavor. Also added eggs and nutmeg to ricotta. Added some hot pepper and mushrooms to veggie filling. Baked in the oven. Delicious!!

SK191181 year ago

Neat dish for summer but mine was very watery. I did put in broiler for 5 min to crisp it up. Will see if wateriness resolves with reheating!

Casey1 year ago

I added an extra layer of veg/ricotta/noodle and popped it into the oven at 350 degrees after seeing other reviews where the bottom burned on the stovetop. Turned out wonderfully and I will make it again!

Ash1 year ago

Made this on a weeknight and read through all the comments first. I was a little wary of the commenters who noted the burning on the bottom and so I opted to use a nonstick calphalon in place of the skillet (I have never mastered the skillet and am always burning stuff in them). Turned out really really good. I did add some extra olive oil to the pan after removing the vegetables as someone else suggested, and I think that helped. My bottom layer of lasagna was overcooked, but not burned!

Diane1 year ago

Really tasty and easy meal to make. Used two zucchini instead of summer squash. Also used extra ricotta. Next time I think I’ll use crushed tomatoes instead. Like the convenience of using one pan.

jillyK1 year ago

This recipe is fantastic! So delicious and surprisingly easy but I would love to know the appropriate internal temperature for when it’s done. I have made it a few times and I think mine has been a little under done in the center. Knowing a temp would make it easier to know. Thanks!!!

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