Vegan French Onion Skillet Lasagna – that’s sweet and savory caramelized onion, spinach, and vegan bechamel cooked on the stove alongside lasagna sheet pasta! No baking required! An easy One skillet dinner your family will love!
Dinner tonight! This Vegan French Onion Skillet Lasagna is going to be a new fave for you!
I’m obsessed with one-pan meals like this French Onion Skillet Lasagna for their easy preparation and clean up. They make the perfect weeknight meal as this easy vegan pasta recipe is family-friendly, uses just 1 skillet, and is ready to eat in about 45 minutes!
Reasons to love this vegan skillet lasagna:
This meal is quicker than making a regular lasagna as we do not bake it but cook it in a skillet on the stovetop. No oven required and way fewer dishes to clean than with a traditional lasagna. Plus no layering needed which also cuts down on prep time. That pasta just goes in with all the other ingredients.
It is still going to be a little labor of love. Think of french onion soup! You have to take the time to caramelize the onions properly – it takes about 25 minutes to get them where they should be. It’s a rewarding little dinner project and best to do when you feel like spending some quality time in the kitchen.
More vegan pasta recipes:
- Cauliflower Alfredo Spinach Artichoke Lasagna.
- Lasagna Bolognese
- Lasagna Grilled Cheese. Nut-free Soy-free Vegan Recipe
- Creamy Vegan Cajun Pasta
- Spinach Artichoke Pasta Bake
- Vegan Mushroom Fettucine Alfredo
- Cajun Cauliflower Pasta
- Vegan Lemon Asparagus Pasta
- Creamy Mushroom Spinach Pasta
Creamy cheesy vegan white sauce and lots of caramelized onions, mushrooms and some spinach cooked on the stovetop alongside lasagna pasta sheets.
Give.me.the.whole.pan. Right?
French Onion Skillet Lasagna
Ingredients
Caramelized French Onions
- 1 yellow onion thinly sliced
- 2 Tbsp vegan butter
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ½ tsp dried thyme
- ¼ tsp salt
- ⅛ tsp black pepper
- 1 ½ Tbsp balsamic vinegar or 2-3 Tbsp red wine
- ½ - 1 cup (144 g) mushrooms Thinly sliced
White Sauce
- ½ cup raw cashews soaked for at least 20 mins in hot water, see notes for Nutfree option
- 1 cup (236.59 ml) broth
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 tsp italian seasoning - I use a mix of oregano thyme, sage and rosemary
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp miso
- ⅛ tsp black pepper
For the lasagna
- 5 lasagna pasta sheets broken into pieces, or use 4-5 oz any other flat pasta shape
- 1-2 cups spinach firmly packed
- 2 cups (473.18 ml) broth or water
- Red pepper flakes optional for serving
Instructions
- Heat a skillet over medium heat then add butter with onions and cook for about 8 mins, or until onions start to look translucent
- Add in the garlic, thyme, salt and pepper and continue to cook until onions turn a golden color
- Add the balsamic vinegar or red wine and mix well, continue to cook until onions begin to caramelize. Remove ¾ of this mixture and save to use as garnish later
- Add in the mushrooms and mix well, continue to cook for 1-2 minutes
- Meanwhile make your white sauce - blend all ingredients together until smooth. Add the white sauce to the onion skillet and mix
- Add in the broken pieces of lasagna sheets and 2 cups of broth(use the value in ingredients if you change serving size) , press down the sheets so they are completely submerged under the broth completely
- Cover the skillet and cook for 12-15 minutes or until lasagna sheets are cooked - make sure to check for doneness and make sure to stir once in between so mixture doesn’t burn on the bottom. Reduce the heat if the mixture starts to stick to the bottom.
- Once the lasagna sheets are cooked, taste and adjust salt and flavor, mix in the spinach and stir. Remove from heat and cover, let sit for 3 minutes to allow spinach to wilt
- Top this with the reserved caramelized onion mixture, some red pepper flakes (optional) and serve warm. Serve with garlic bread or any side dish of choice
Video
Notes
- To make the pasta nut-free, you can use my nut-free Alfredo. or use silken tofu like my Spinach Artichoke Pasta Bake
- to make the soyfree, use chickpea miso
- To make this Glutenfree, use Glutenfree lasagna or pasta
Nutrition
Ingredients for French Onion Skillet Lasagna
- lasagna noodles – obviously. You can use gluten-free.
- for the onions, we slowly sautee white onions in vegan butter along with salt, garlic, thyme and pepper until perfectly brown. A splash of wine or vinegar helps the caramelization process.
- some mushrooms and spinach – because any white lasagna just calls for those additions
- For our vegan bechamel sauce we are blending cashew nuts with broth and lemon juice. I add some nutritional yeast and miso paste to make it cheesy.
Tips & Substitutions:
- This recipe is perfect for using up those broken lasagna sheets you always get at the bottom of the pack. You can also use other flat pasta of choice
- And yes, you can make this entire thing ahead of time and reheat. Or just make the onion mix and the bechamel as part of the prep. That’s a great idea if you really want to have this on a weeknight.
- While caramelizing the onions, spread the onions out evenly over the pan and let cook slowly, stirring occasionally.
- Depending on how strong your stovetop burner is you may need to reduce the heat to medium or medium low to prevent the onions from burning or drying out.
How to Make French Onion Skillet Lasagna:
Heat a skillet over medium heat then add butter with onions and cook for about 7-8 mins, or until onions start to look translucent
Add in the garlic, thyme, salt, and pepper and continue to cook until onions turn a golden color.
Add the balsamic vinegar or red wine and mix well, continue to cook until onions begin to caramelize. Remove ¾ of this mixture and save to use as garnish later.
Add in the mushrooms and mix well, continue to cook for 1-2 minutes
Add in the broken pieces of lasagna sheets and 2 cups of broth, press down the sheets so they are completely submerged under the broth completely
Cover the skillet and cook for 12-15 minutes or until lasagna sheets are cooked – make sure to check for doneness and make sure to stir so the mixture doesn’t burn on the bottom. Reduce the heat if the mixture starts to stick to the bottom and makes sure to keep stirring
Once the lasagna sheets are cooked, mix in the spinach and stir. Remove from heat and cover, let sit for 3-4 minutes to allow spinach to wilt
Top this with the reserved caramelized onion mixture, some red pepper flakes (optional) and serve warm. Serve with garlic bread or any side dish of choice
Store refrigerated for upto 3 days. It will thicken so add jn some broth while reheating.
You can make the caramelized onion and the blended sauce ahead of time to make this a shorter cook time dinner!
What would be a good substitute for miso?
stock or tahini
This was so delicious, loved the flavor profile. Definitely a winner!
I reconstructed this lasagna (ha!) and added layers of roasted butternut squash. It was DIVINE. Thank you, Richa!! <3
I BEYOND impressed. This was a day one recipe for our plant based transition (health reasons) and the husband and I are excited. This was easy and phenomenal and most ingredients we had on hand – except the nutritional yeast which was easy to buy. WOW. Great job on this recipe. Can’t wait to try the next one!
Yay! Good luck on the transition
I have been experimenting with making my own fresh pasta. Would you change anything if using fresh noodles (with or without eggs)? Thanks!
fresh take a lot less cooking time – instead of 12-15 min cook for 6 minutes and then check for doneness – maybe 2 more
Hi Richa,
Wonderful recipe my whole family enjoys. I am wondering what in this recipe has trans fat so that I may substitute.
Thanks!
It shouldnt have trans fat. It’s probably picking up an non plant based ingredient in calculation like the lasagna sheets etc , I’ll check and recalculate
I made this last night and it was amazing! We will definitely add this to our repeat list! Thank you so much!
that’s so good to hear
My daughter is allergic to cashew. Can I use almonds instead of cashews ?
Yes but almonds will make a slightly gritty sauce. You ca. Use macadamia nuts or use tofu to make the sauce
This was fantastic.! Is there a way to make a lot of it in a 9×13” baking pan and use the oven? My skillet won’t hold the quantity I would like. Thx!
that would work – you could just use another type of pasta like bowtie or penne size (cook half way), and sautee all from steps 1-4 then combining with sauce and bake like reg. baked pasta
OMG you have done it again!!!!! This recipe is amazing. You are literally my favourite vegan chef. Every recipe I try of yours is nothing short of amazing!!
Hi
I want to make this tonight as it looks awesome. What Miso did you use for this as I know that there are 2 or 3 different ones
Thank you
Mellow
Thank you 😊
I made this last night, it was very flavorful and delicious!
Perfect, thanks Richa! I substituted Lacinato kale for the spinach so I added it to the pan about halfway through cooking the noodles. The recipe is delicious and so straightforward. Definitely a keeper.
Will this work if I accidentally diced the onions?
yes you can caramalize any size of onion cut, no worries depending on how fine of a dice it may just take a tad longer
THIS was flat out delicious! Just looking at the list of ingredients, I knew it would be.
Hubby and I almost scarfed down the whole thing. I had a very small portion leftover today for lunch and so wish I had more. I will add more onions and mushrooms next time since they cook down so much.
I omitted the cashews for nut allergy so that may be why sauce was not white, but it was a delicious brown gravy . I think the recipe is enough for two people, not four. I will be making it again!
Awesome! Yea sometimes the nutrition. Calculation defaults to 4.I’ll update it
Just made this tonight for dinner!! So yummy! My wife and I loved it. Super tasty and easy to make. Thank you for making this recipe! Love you recipes and blog!
thanks for popping in ♡
When you mention broth. What kind of flavor is it?
It is the only thing that stumps me.
Usually veggie broth/stock unless mentioned like mushroom stock or chicken flavored etc
Just made this tonite for dinner, was delicious, no substitutes, exactly like the recipe. Will double next time to have leftovers! This sauce would be amazing in a lasagna as well. Thanks Richa!
thank YOU
So far so good in terms of taste except that the sauce isn’t thickening. Ideas??
Please tell me what kind of “broth” did you use in this recipe? No chicken chicken broth? Vegetable broth? Thank you.
I usually use veggie broth or just water
This is insanely delicious!! I followed the recipe exactly except I only had whole wheat lasagna noodles so I added some extra water and cooked them a bit longer. The flavor was incredible. As always, Richa’s recipe did not disappoint. Thank you!
Silly question – I only have no boil lasagna noodles, would those work?
Yes you can
I must say your easy one pot meals are excellent! This one also hits the mark. Also great to make for the vegan weary parents-in-law.
Keep up the outstanding work. You are very appreciated!
i hope they loved it
This was very tasty. However, mine didn’t come out as thick as the picture. What did I do wrong? Should I add some corn starch next time?
Pans and noodles matter. It might have needed another few minutes to cook. Cook uncovered for half the time. Or use a 1/4 cup less broth and 2 tbsp more cashews
This was delicious! It really does taste like French Onion. We will definitely make many times!
Awesome
Absolutely fabulous dish! We had this on the weekend and loved everything about it. The only mistake we made was not doubling the recipe! We will be making it again soon. Thank you for sharing!
wow, thank YOU
Thank you for this recipe, my husband and I both loved it! I used 4 cloves of garlic, a heaping cup of sliced mushrooms and frozen spinach. It was easy to put together and nice that it cooked in one skillet. We will definitely make this again. Your recipes are always some of our favorites.
Awesome
We loved this! Full of flavour & easy to make. Would recommend serving it with a side or 2. Great weeknight meal! Thanks!
thank you
This is all about creamy and comfort! Next time I’ll add a ton of veggies along with more sauce. Thanks Richa; we loved it!
My whole family loves it.
success!!!
Delicious! Used brown pasta, a little more liquid and got this great earthy pasta dish! Thanks for sharing.
thank YOU for sharing
I didn’t feel like making dinner, but this easy recipe saved the day! I unfortunately had to leave out the mushrooms because I didn’t have the energy to debate with my shroom-hating 4 year old. I made it gluten free and added some vegan ‘meat’ crumbles and extra spinach to the mix. Loved by all!
Awesome! Yes sun the mushrooms witb any vegan meat. Crumbles will work great
Richa, I can’t eat pasta of any kind. I was wondering if this could be made with zucchini noodles? I assume if I tried this, I would have to do most of the cooking before assembling with the zucchini. Do you have any suggestions?
Yes, use just skip broth for the noodles , bring the sauce to a boil to thicken , the. Fold in zucchini. If you want to cook the zucchini a bit then cover and cook for 1-2 mins
Great, thank you so much.
I ended up making it with grilled eggplant, as the substitute for the pasta. It was delicious!
I will be making this for about 10 people.is there any reason I wouldn’t be able to make this in a cast iron Dutch oven instead of a skillet?
i think that would actually work well
This was easy to make and it tasted great.
Thanks!
That was perfect, so tasty! I had to use olive oil to caramelized the onions, because I was out of vegan butter, but it still worked just fine. I was craving noodles, and that hit the spot. Hubby said, “Make again!” Definitely will make again. Thank you for the best recipes!
Oh, so delicious, Richa! My husband and I could have eaten the whole thing tonight, but I wanted to be sure to save some for our son who is visiting tomorrow! This is absolutely yummy. I was worried that it was too liquid, but when I put the spinach in and covered it, it completely thickened up. I don’t know how you do it, but you are a magician with creating flavorful dishes that are healthy, too! ❤️
I made this tonight and it was soooo delicious! Even my son, who is so picky with food, loved it! It came out thick and creamy!! I did add more lasagna noodles and a bit more cashews. What a fabulous recipe!!!! Thank you so very much xo.
Awesome
I made this one today, and it was nothing short of phenomenal! I’ll be adding this one to my pasta rotation. Thank you!!
phenomenal! wow t – thank you
Really looking forward to making this recipe, looks amazing ❤❤ thank you x
thanks for popping in ♡
This is another quick to pull together one pot meal. Everyone LOVED it. Only thing is when you double the recipe, the broth doesn’t show doubled in the instructions so make sure to double that!
Awesome! Yes in the instructions it doesn’t double. Only ingredients get updated. I added a note there to use values from ingredient list
My daughter is allergic to cashews. Can almonds or Peanuts give a similar taste or should I avoid them altogether?
i recommend seeing the notes to click on the nut-free versions of alfredo: To make the pasta nut-free, you can use my nut-free Alfredo. or use silken tofu like my Spinach Artichoke Pasta Bake
This was amazing! I have a tough time finding recipes that use cashews as a ‘cream’ sauce that I enjoy. This is the first recipe that got the flavours right!
Even my meat/dairy eating boyfriend enjoyed it!
yay!
You have read my mind! I have recently been craving French onion soup. I think that your recipe will go beyond satisfying that craving. I can’t wait to make it. Unfortunately, at the moment, I am recovering and I can’t taste or smell anything!
Hope you feel better soon and can enjoy the dish
Thanks. I am one of the lucky ones and I have been getting a little better every day.
I am recovering from COVID.
Definately going to make this soon, it looks fabulous!
Thanks
This was soooo good! My husband loved it, too! I was looking forward to having leftovers tomorrow for lunch, but we ate the whole thing for dinner tonight:>)
Yay
Hubby and I ate the whole thing for dinner, too. It was soooo good! 😄
This was sooo good and not hard to make. Common ingredients, no need for a special trip to the store My husband made me promise to put it on the “make again” list.
Yay!!
Made this tonight with gluten free noodles. We loved it! I had portobello mushrooms, scrapped off the gills and sliced very thin. Did add a little garlic powder at the end cause we love garlic.
Thank you,
Trina
Awesome !!
The flavors were so good! The only trouble I had was that the broth for the noodles did not increase
when I went from 4 servings to 8 servings. There will definitely be another opportunity to correct that tho!
Awesome! I’ll check what happened but def use double broth!
This recipe speaks to me! Thanks Richa; I will make this soon.
It’s easy and flexible!