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Crispy, smoky lentils on top of lasagna noodles in a creamy sauce make this smoky skillet lasagna totally addictive.
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This is a simple weeknight skillet lasagna with creamy, smoky sauce topped with lentils that have been crisped up in a skillet and coated with spices, soy sauce, and maple syrup to give them an incredible, bacon-like flavor. They make an amazing topping on this creamy pasta! And everything is cooked in just 1 Skillet!
You can make a big batch of these smoky lentils and use them over pastas, salads, bowls, and whatever other dishes you like.
I love skillet meals! Try my various skillet pastas and lasagnas and my skillet enchilada.
Why You’ll Love Smoky Skillet Lasagna
- crispy lentils have rich, bacon-y flavor
- creamy pasta with a delicious sauce
- one-pot meal
- ready in under an hour
- nut-free with gluten-free and soy-free options
More Vegan Skillet Lasagna Recipes
- Meaty Vegan Skillet Lasagna
- French Onion Skillet Lasagna
- Vegan Pesto Skillet Lasagna
- Spinach Alfredo Skillet lasagna
Smoky Skillet Lasagna with Crispy Lentils
Ingredients
For the crispy lentils:
- 3/4 cup cooked brown lentils, or canned drained
- 2 teaspoons oil
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce, or tamari
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
For the pasta:
- 1 teaspoon oil
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- 3 to 4 ounces of sliced mushrooms
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoons Italian herbs
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, or use gluten-free flour
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce, or tamari
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 cup water, or broth
- 15 ounce can full fat coconut milk
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 7 no-boil lasagna sheets, , or Use 5 regular lasagna sheets, broken up. Or use about 5 ounces of pasta of choice.
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 3 tablespoons vegan parmesan
- 1/2 cup frozen spinach, thawed
For garnish:
- more vegan parmesan, black pepper, fresh herbs such as basil, oregano
Instructions
Make the crispy lentils.
- Drain the cooked lentils, let them drain for at least 15 minutes before using, so that any excess moisture dries out. You can drain it in a strainer, and then put some paper towels under the strainer to absorb any excess moisture.
- Heat a skillet over medium-high heat and then add the oil. Once the oil is hot, add the lentils to the skillet and spread them out evenly and let them cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Then, stir or flip and continue to cook them until they start to get puffy and start to crisp up on some of the edges. This can take anywhere from 5 to 8 minutes, depending on your skillet and the stove.
- Once the lentils are starting to get puffy, brown and crispy on the edges, add in the soy sauce, maple syrup, and the spices, tossing to coat the lentils really well. Continue to cook the lentils to crisp them up a bit more, another 2 minutes or so. Taste and adjust flavor, add a bit of salt, if needed, (add a few drops of liquid smoke for extra smokyness) then remove the lentils from the skillet.
Make the pasta:
- Add the teaspoon of oil to the same skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, mushroom, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Mix well, and continue cook until the onion starts to turn translucent. 3-4 mins. Then, add in all of the dry spices and herbs and the flour and mix, then cook for a minute, then mix in the soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, and half the water. Mix really well, so that all of the flour mixes in and there are no lumps. Then, add in the coconut milk, nutritional yeast, and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Mix in and bring to a boil.
- Add the broken up lasagna sheets/pasta to the skillet, remaining water, and mix and press the lasagna sheet pieces into the mixture.
- Cover the pan with a lid, and cook for 15 to 18 minutes. Stir once in between to make sure that the sheets are not sticking to the bottom. If the pasta needs more liquid, then add in another 1/2 to 1 cup of hot water.
- Once the lasagna noodles are cooked to preference, add in the pepper flakes, vegan parmesan, and spinach and mix in. Cover the lid, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 2 minutes or so, then turn off the heat.
- Then, let the skillet sit for a few minutes, open the lid, and either or transfer the lasagna into serving bowls and top those bowls with the crispy lentils or top the skillet itself with the crispy lentils and some fresh herbs, black pepper, and more vegan parmesan, and serve.
- Store: refrigerate for upto 3 days. Store the lentils separately so that they don’t absorb too much moisture from the lasagna. Reheat in the microwave or skillet
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- lentils – Cooked or canned brown lentils cook up crispy in the skillet.
- bacon seasoning – Soy sauce, maple syrup, onion powder, garlic powder, and smoked paprika give the lentils a bacon-like flavor that’s so delicious on this smoky skillet lasagna!
- oil – To sauté.
- onion and mushrooms – For umami and texture.
- dried herbs and spices – Onion powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika, Italian herbs, and crushed red pepper give the sauce a smoky, rich flavor.
- flour – To thicken the sauce. You can use gluten-free flour, if needed.
- soy sauce – Adds umami and saltiness to the sauce. Use tamari for gluten-free.
- balsamic vinegar – Adds a hint of sweet and tang to the sauce that’s so good with the smoky flavors!
- coconut milk – For creaminess. You can use cashew cream instead for coconut-free.
- nutritional yeast – Gives the sauce a cheesy flavor and helps thicken it even more.
- lasagna sheets – No boil or regular, Broken up lasagna sheets are your pasta. You can use regular or gluten-free lasagna sheets. You can also use other pasta, if you like.
- vegan parmesan – Gives the sauce creaminess and a great flavor!
- frozen spinach, thawed – For some green veggie action!
Tips
- Measure all of your ingredients out while the lentils drain to save time cooking.
- Double or triple the lentils, so you’ll have extra to top other dishes. You’ll be glad you did!
- Make sure the pan has plenty of liquid, so you can submerge the pasta sheets. Add more liquid when you stop to stir, if needed.
How to Make Smoky Skillet Lasagna with Crispy Lentils
First, let’s make the crispy lentils.
Drain the cooked lentils, let them drain for at least 15 minutes before using, so that any excess moisture dries out. You can drain it in a strainer, and then put some paper towels under the strainer to absorb any excess moisture.
Heat a skillet over medium-high heat and then add the oil. Once the oil is hot, add the lentils to the skillet and spread them out evenly and let them cook for 2 to 3 minutes.
Stir or flip and continue to cook them until they start to get puffy and start to crisp up on some of the edges. This can take anywhere from 5 to 8 minutes, depending on your skillet and the stove.
Once the lentils are starting to get golden brown, puffy and crispy on the edges, add in the soy sauce, maple syrup, and the spices, tossing to coat the lentils really well. Continue to cook the lentils to crisp them up a bit more, another 2 minutes or so. Taste and adjust flavor, add a bit of salt, if needed, and then remove the lentils from the skillet.
Now, make the pasta.
Add the teaspoon of oil to the same skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, mushroom, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Mix well, and continue cook until the onion starts to turn translucent. 3-4 mins
Add in all of the dry spices and herbs and the flour and mix, then cook for a minute, then mix in the soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, and half of the water. Mix really well, so that all of the flour mixes in and there are no lumps.
Then, add in the coconut milk, nutritional yeast, and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Mix in and bring to a boil.
Add the broken up lasagna sheets to the skillet, along with remaining half ( 1/2 cup) of water, and mix and press the lasagna sheet pieces into the mixture.
Cover the pan with a lid, and cook for 15 to 18 minutes. Stir once in between to make sure that the sheets are not sticking to the bottom. If it the pasta needs more liquid and the sauce is drying out, then add in another 1/2 to 1 cup of hot water.
Once the lasagna noodles are cooked to preference, add in the pepper flakes, vegan parmesan, and spinach and mix in. Cover the lid, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 2 minutes or so, then turn off the heat.
Then, let the skillet sit for a few minutes, open the lid, and either or transfer the lasagna into serving bowls and top those bowls with the crispy lentils or top the skillet itself with the crispy lentils and some fresh herbs, black pepper, and more vegan parmesan, and serve.
Frequently Asked Questions
This recipe is nut-free.
If you don’t want to use coconut milk, you can use other non-dairy cream. I like to use cashew cream, which makes it super creamy: blend 1/2 cup of cashews with 3/4 cups of water and use. Add 2 cups water/broth to cook the pasta and add cashew cream once the pasta is cooked, along with parm and spinach. Mix and bring to boil.
This recipe can be made gluten-free by using gluten-free lasagna noodles or other gluten-free pasta, tamari instead of soy sauce, and gluten-free flour.
To make this recipe soy-free, omit the soy sauce.
Skillet lasagna is a one-pan meal where you cook lasagna noodles and sauce all together in a skillet, rather than as a casserole. It’s usually quicker and easier than making a traditional lasagna.
This was so good. I have to eat non dairy and this recipe made me feel like I was eating something forbidden. I would order this in a restaurant any day. I will be making it on rotation.
So good to hear!
I have tried hundreds of recopies over the 5 year span of being vegan for health reasons. And its a struggle. The pictures will be mouth watering and look delicious but my final product doesn’t come close to being delicious. Ill eat it anyway because of all the time and money I put into prepping.
I am not sure what lured me to this post on my phone but I was hella hungry when I saw it. “Smokey lasagna” I thought that’s different and I had all but two ingredients (spinach and vegan parmesan, not a must have garnish) in my pantry. OMG! I followed the recipe to the letter and was it ever so DELICIOUS. I call my daughter over to have dinner with me (plus she keeps spinach, and vegan parmesan in her fridge) Every bite we expressed how good it is. I wont try to type the actual sounds we were making, but we killed it, nothing left to share. This is one of those dishes that will make the top of my faves list for dinner. A must try.
I’m so happy you found me! There’s many more delicious recipes to try.
I’m Italian. This is not Italian. It wasn’t bad but missing something. I’m not going to rewrite the recipe because I find it annoying when people do this. It would be basically better not trying to make it a one pot meal. Lentils were the best part. Make a bechamel sauce separately. Cook noodles separately. Assemble it all at the end it will look and taste better. Just don’t add that much soy sauce and call it Italian!
It’s not Italian, It’s a fusion recipe. The format (lasagna with crisp topping) but different flavors. Yes you can make the pasta and sauce separately. It’s easily adaptable. I am happy you loved the lentils! Thanks!
While mine did not look nearly as appetizing as in your photos, it was extremely delicious! I used cashew cream and crisped the lentils in the oven as mentioned in another comment. I recommend breaking up even no boil noodles. I didn’t and that resulted in serving people comically large noodles that had to be cut with a knife. There were zero leftovers. Will definitely be making this again!
So glad you liked it!!
Delicious! Will go into rotation.