Skillet Lasagna With Spinach and Summer Squash

By Sarah Copeland

Updated July 31, 2019

  • David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
50 minutes
Rating
4(1,290)
Comments
Read comments

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.

  • or to save this recipe.

  • Subscriber benefit: Give recipes to anyone

    As a subscriber, you have 10 gift recipes to give each month. Anyone can view them - even nonsubscribers. Learn more.

    Subscribe

  • Share this recipe

  • Print this recipe

    or to print this recipe.

Advertisement

Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

  • 1 medium onion, thinly sliced

  • 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

  • 1 zucchini, chopped (6 ounces)

  • 1 yellow squash, chopped (10 ounces)

  • 2 packed cups baby spinach leaves

  • 1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled San Marzano tomatoes

  • 1 teaspoon salt

  • ½ teaspoon black pepper

  • 8 sheets (half a 9-ounce package) no-cook or oven-ready lasagna noodles

  • 8 ounces fresh ricotta cheese (about 1 cup)

  • 1 ½ ounces finely grated Parmesan, plus more for serving (about ⅓ cup)

  • 8 ounces fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced

  • Handful of small basil leaves, for serving

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

51 grams carbs; 82 milligrams cholesterol; 575 calories; 11 grams monosaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 15 grams saturated fat; 29 grams fat; 6 grams fiber; 1075 milligrams sodium; 29 grams protein; 10 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

Powered by

Preparation

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

Private Notes

Leave a Private Comment on this recipe and see it here.

Ratings

4 out of 5
1,290 user ratings
Your rating

or to rate this recipe.

Have you cooked this?

or to mark this recipe as cooked.

Comments

MissMarple

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.

GAD

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.

max

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.

rockfanNYC

Really tasty! Cooked as directed but added mushrooms when cooking the squash. Looking forward to lefttovers,

Sharon Knettell

Delicious. Not watery at all. I used whole wheat no boil lasagna noodles. Other than that I followed the recipe. Great recipe to freeze when it is too hot to cook. It made for me 6 generous servings.

Roseann Hanson

Delicious and easy (and great for summer when we don’t want to heat up our small kitchen in the Sonoran Desert), but the cooking time is too short—I had to increase simmering by another 20 minutes to make sure the noodles were not too hard. As someone else mentioned, this would make a great camp meal. A kitchen torch would easily brown the top cheeses, if sho desired.

Private comments are only visible to you.

Recipe Tags

or to save this recipe.