Finally: an easy, cheesy, vegetarian(!) lasagna recipe that doesn't require you to dirty every pot and pan in your kitchen. But that's not all! It also comes together in just over an hour and, thanks to all that frozen spinach, delivers enough veggie goodness to justify eating a big pan of baked pasta on a Tuesday. If you don't have a cast-iron skillet, don't sweat—any sturdy, similarly-sized pan that has a heatproof handle will work almost as well here.
All products featured on Bon Appétit are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through the retail links below, we earn an affiliate commission.
What you’ll need
Measuring Spoons
$10 At Bon Appétit Market
Measuring Cups
$28 At Bon Appétit Market
Large Pot
$55 $48 At Amazon
Cast Iron Skillet
$30 At Amazon
Rubber Spatula
$13 At Amazon
Dish Towel
$6.15 At Amazon
Wooden Spoon
$7 At Amazon
Medium Bowl
$17 At Amazon
Colander
$11 At Amazon
Ladle
$8 At Amazon
Spoon
$24.69 At Amazon
Recipe information
Yield
6–8 servings
Ingredients
2
1
6
¼
3
1
¾
2
2
1
3
10
2
Preparation
Step 1
Place a rack in top-third of oven; preheat to 425°. Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil.
Step 2
Meanwhile, get some prep work out of the way. Peel 1 large onion, then finely chop. Set aside on cutting board. Crush 6 garlic cloves with the side of a chef’s knife, then peel and coarsely chop.
Step 3
Heat ¼ cup extra-virgin oil in a 12" ovenproof skillet over medium. Cook onion and garlic, stirring occasionally, until onion is beginning to brown and soften, about 5 minutes.
Step 4
Add 3 14.5-oz. cans crushed tomatoes, 1 tsp. dried oregano, ¾ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes, 3 whole basil sprigs, and 1 tsp. salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce is reduced and slightly thickened and flavors have melded, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and pluck out basil sprigs.
Step 5
Meanwhile, place 20 oz. thawed spinach on a large clean kitchen towel and wring it out over the sink until no more water can be squeezed out. If you don't have any clean kitchen towels, you can also squeeze water out of the spinach by hand one small handful at a time, or press it in a fine-mesh sieve. Whatever you do, just don't skip this step—waterlogged spinach will make the finished dish too soupy.
Step 6
Mix spinach, 2 cups ricotta, 1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper, 3 oz. grated Parmesan, and remaining 1 tsp. salt in a medium bowl to combine.
Step 7
Cook 10 oz. lasagna noodles in boiling salted water, stirring occasionally and separating with a spatula to keep them from sticking, 4 minutes (they'll be very al dente at this point, but will finish cooking in oven). Drain noodles and leave in colander until ready to assemble.
Step 8
Using a ladle, transfer 3 cups sauce to a medium bowl, leaving just a thin layer of sauce behind. Spread to coat bottom of pan.
Step 9
Arrange noodles in a single layer over sauce in pan, breaking up a few sheets to fit and cover the whole surface. Top noodles with one-third of tomato sauce, spreading evenly with a spatula. Using a spoon, dollop half of the ricotta mixture in small mounds all over sauce. Sprinkle one-third of shredded mozzarella over ricotta mixture.
Step 10
Repeat layering noodles, one-third of sauce, remaining ricotta mixture, and one-third of mozzarella one more time. Top mozzarella with another layer of noodles. Spoon any remaining sauce over, then top with remaining mozzarella.
Step 11
Bake lasagna until browned and bubbling, 15–20 minutes. Sprinkle some Parmesan over, then garnish with remaining basil leaves.
Leave a Review
Reviews (28)
Back to TopThis can also be made gluten free....Use Jovial pasta (they make a boil and no-boil lasagna pasta and both work well and do not fall apart unless over boiled), gf ricotta (plant based) or goat cheese if ricotta unavailable. As far as cheese goes, many who are gf are also dairy free. There are gf/dairy free replacements of most of these ingredients at many health food stores. I've used the Jovial pasta and the goat cheese in this recipe and it was very good.
Susan
Michigan
1/13/2023
This came out absolutely delicious. Don't hate me, I added meat - I cooked up a lb of grass fed ground beef with the onions and garlic in the beginning. Also, don't hate me, I used a jar of tomato sauce instead of the crushed tomatoes - Raos. I think my jar was 32 oz so it was actually slightly too little (there are 3 14.5oz cans crushed tomatoes called for) and it still came out fine. This was my first attempt at lasagna and I would definitely do this recipe again. I'd make the veg version, and I'd also do a version with Italian sausage. Oh! And I used fresh spinach that I sautéed and then used paper towels and a heavy water pitcher on top to press the water out of, instead of frozen bc I had spinach to use up, and that worked out great. Thanks Basically - always enjoy your recipes!
Annalee
Philly
11/15/2020
Well Cast iron pans and dutch ovens scratch ceramic top stoves so other than that, it is a great recipe
Santos Sanchez
British Columbia
11/13/2020
Instead of a cast iron, I went with a dutch oven and it resulted in a delightfully tall lasagna. Great flavour and tons of food. Will absolutely be making it again.
Anonymous
Canada
9/1/2020
Loved this recipe. I should know because I’ve been eating leftovers of it for like a week! This recipe makes a ton of food and tasted delicious, even after a week in the fridge. Took a little bit of time but tasted really really good. If your cast iron is seasoned the tomatoes. shouldn’t be a problem. Great recipe for a party.
Anonymous
New York City
7/27/2020
This lasagna is full of great flavor, the sauce is amazing and it does not take long to make at all. I used San Marzano crushed tomatoes and they made for a delicious sauce. I cooked my sauce in a dutch oven and assembled the lasagna in a glass baking dish because I do not own any cast iron, and it turned out great! This is an easy peasy recipe that I will make again and again.
Anonymous
Ohio, United States
12/9/2019
This is such a good, basic vegetable lasagna recipe. No frills and takes significantly less time than a classic lasagna. I will admit the million comments warning against tomatoes in cast iron made me wary but since my cast iron is well seasoned there were no problems. I think if your cast iron skillet is not seasoned well enough to make this recipe, you should consider re-seasoning your skillet for the sake of everything you make in it.
Anonymous
Indiana, USA
11/19/2019