One Pan Vegetarian Eggplant Lasagna
This One Pan Vegetarian Eggplant Lasagna recipe makes lasagna without all the fuss. It’s an easy twist on the classic, combining eggplant, melty cheese, rich tomato sauce—all cooked together on the stove top in a single pan. Perfect for weeknight dinners when you want comfort food with minimal cleanup.
Prefer to skip the details on this easy meatless lasagna ? Use the Jump to Recipe button above to head straight there. But if you’re curious about tips for working with eggplant or how to make this one pan eggplant lasagna perfectly every time, please keep reading!
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Ingredients
This vegetarian eggplant lasagna comes together with simple ingredients:
- Eggplant: Whether you go with Chinese, Japanese, or the more common globe eggplants, smaller eggplants are less likely to be bitter. Pick eggplants with smooth skin that are slightly firm and feel relatively heavier.
- Sauce: Use a jarred marinara or your favorite homemade tomato sauce to supplement the canned tomatoes.
- No-boil lasagna noodles: These are essential for a quick and easy one pan lasagna. You really don’t need to boil them first!
- 3 Cheeses: Ricotta, mozzarella, and Parmesan turn this into a three cheese eggplant lasagna.
- Flavor boosters: Chopped Kalamata olives, red pepper flakes, and the final basil garnish all round out the salty, umami finish.
Please see the recipe card below for complete information on ingredients and quantities.
Variations and substitutions
- Sub chopped mushrooms or zucchini for the eggplant.
- Stir in fresh spinach before dolloping on the ricotta cheese.
- Sub canned beans for pasta like in this cheesy white bean tomato bake.
Recipe tips and tricks
This recipe is a variation on the skillet lasagna from the America’s Test Kitchen TV Show Cookbook. The best thing about this one pan eggplant lasagna is that it all comes together entirely on the stovetop, saving time and dishes. In fact it is so simple that it makes my eggplant casserole recipe (a deconstructed eggplant parmigiana) look fussy. .
It’s not 100% essential, but salting and sweating eggplant does decrease the amount of oil that the eggplant takes up, resulting in an improved final texture. That’s a good thing if you have a finicky eater in your family.
From there it’s just about adding one ingredient after another. Probably the biggest tip is to make sure to keep the skillet covered so that the noodles steam and then cook fully in the sauce.
There are lots of ways to vary this meatless lasagna based on what ingredients you have in the house. And what the picky eaters are willing to eat in their veggie lasagna!
Recipe FAQs
That’s a great question. “Lasagna” is singular, and “lasagne” is plural (from the Latin word lasanum meaning “a cooking pot”). “Lasagne” is used when talking about the noodles. When talking about the casserole, U.S. convention uses “lasagna,” whereas “lasagne” is used elsewhere.
Unlike regular lasagna, this stovetop lasagna is best right after you make it. You can store leftovers in the refrigerator for three to five days, and lasagna freezes very well. It just won’t be as pretty. Reheat it in a microwave or in a casserole pan in the oven, with a little bit of water at the bottom and covered with foil.
If you don’t have no-boil lasagna noodles, you can use regular lasagna noodles, but they will take longer to cook, and you will need to add water to the pan to make sure things don’t stick.
Related one pot recipes
Want more one pot and one pan dinners? Try:
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Recipe
One Pan Vegetarian Eggplant Lasagna
Ingredients
- 2 medium Japanese eggplants or one small globe eggplant roughly chopped into half inch pieces, no need to peel
- salt for sweating and to taste
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ¼ cup yellow or white onion chopped fine
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 10 to 12 Kalamata olives pitted and coarsely chopped
- 28 ounce can chopped tomatoes
- ¼ cup homemade or store bought tomato sauce
- 1 pinch red pepper flakes
- 12 no-boil lasagne noodles broken up roughly
- ½ pound fresh mozzarella chopped
- ¼ cup (1 ounce) Parmesan grated, plus more for topping
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- ¼ cup fresh basil leaves chopped
Instructions
- About 30 to 60 minutes before starting to cook, salt the chopped eggplant in a sieve, toss until covered, and let sit in the sink.2 medium Japanese eggplants or one small globe eggplant, salt
- When ready to cook, rinse off the salt and pat some of the water off with a paper towel or kitchen towel.
- Using a large (12 inch) skillet with a lid, heat the olive oil over medium-low heat, and then cook the onion until starting to soften, about 5 minutes.1 tablespoon olive oil, ¼ cup yellow or white onion
- Add the eggplant and cook, stirring occasionally, until the eggplant is starting to brown, about another 5 minutes.
- Add the garlic and olives and cook, stirring, for one minute.2 cloves garlic, 10 to 12 Kalamata olives
- Add the canned tomatoes, tomato sauce, and red pepper flakes and stir to combine.28 ounce can chopped tomatoes, ¼ cup homemade or store bought tomato sauce, 1 pinch red pepper flakes
- Add the broken lasagne noodles as a top layer (do not stir them in), cover the pan, and let simmer with occasional bubbles for about 10 minutes.12 no-boil lasagne noodles
- At about the 10 minute mark, stir in the noodles and continue to let the mixture cook, covered and at a simmer, for about another 10 minutes until the noodles are soft. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking.
- Add in salt and pepper to taste (I start with ½ teaspoon of salt and ¼ teaspoon of pepper).
- Remove from heat and stir in the chopped mozzarella and the Parmesan, reserving a tablespoon or two of the Parmesan for serving.½ pound fresh mozzarella, ¼ cup (1 ounce) Parmesan
- Add the ricotta in large dollops around the pan, but don't stir in. Cover the pan and let it sit for 5 minutes.1 cup ricotta cheese
- Sprinkle with basil and Parmesan and admire your handiwork before serving.¼ cup fresh basil leaves
Notes
Nutrition
Bored with the recipes you’ve been cooking and baking lately? Get inspiration here:
This is definitely going on my to try list.
Please let me know how it turns out!