This Skillet Eggplant Lasagna has all the flavor you’d expect from traditional lasagna, without the arduous amount of prep time! All you need is 25 minutes to make this dinner for two.
Hi friends! Happy Monday! Did you all have a fantastic weekend? Maybe even a romantic Valentine’s getaway? Or a fun Galentine’s celebration? I’d love to hear about what you did in the comments. Mr. Making Life Sweet and I had a lovely dinner at a French restaurant called Django in downtown Des Moines. Over the course of two hours, we sat and slowly enjoyed wine, cheese, fig jam, steak frites and more French cuisine. In between bites we talked about life, how we feel where we are today, and our hopes and dreams for the future. It was everything a night out on the town should be and I savored every minute of our time together.
But enough about Valentine’s Day. It’s time to get to today’s post: This beautiful and flavorful Skillet Eggplant Lasagna!
I love all kinds of lasagna. Butternut squash lasagna, mushroom ragu lasagna, Italian sausage lasagna. I could go on and on! There’s only one problem with my love for lasagna: I rarely have time to make it the traditional way. As a result, lasagna usually falls into my “special occasion only” meal bucket. Or at least that was the case until I discovered the wonderful method of making skillet lasagna.
Don’t get me wrong, the traditional, oven-baked version is still amazingly delicious, but once you try skillet lasagna you’ll wonder why you ever spent hours putting together baked lasagna when you could have it ready on the stove in less than 30 minutes. I promise you, if you try this Skillet Eggplant Lasagna, you will be overjoyed with how much time it saves you without sacrificing on taste!
Plus, can we talk about how pretty skillet lasagna is? Like whoa. I wish I could look this good (or just get ready for that matter) in only 25 minutes. #Goals. Usually I keep getting ready to under 35 minutes, but if I had another extra 10 minutes to sleep in the morning, that’d be fabulous. Don’t you agree?
Hidden beneath this skillet lasagna’s creamy mozzarella, ricotta topping is a tantalizing combination of tomatoes, onion, bell pepper, eggplant strips and, of course, noodles. My advice: Don’t skimp on the fresh basil as a garnish. It’s like the cherry on top of a sundae — the dish is just not complete without it. Another tip: Depending on what size skillet you are using, you may need to add more liquid to get the noodles to cook properly. Just make sure the noodles are mostly covered with sauce and you’re good to go.
P.S. Thank you to all of you who tuned in to the first episode of the Finding Joy podcast last week! More than 150 of you downloaded the podcast and I couldn’t be more grateful. The next episode will be on Feb. 24. Stay tuned on social media for the big reveal on who the guest will be! (As the episodes go on, if there’s someone specific you’d like to see on the show, please let me know!)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ cup chopped onion
- ½ cup chopped bell pepper
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 can (15 oz.) tomato sauce
- 1 can (15 oz.) crushed tomatoes
- ½ cup water
- Salt and pepper to taste
- ½ large eggplant, cut lengthwise into 1” strips
- 6 lasagna noodles (I used gluten-free noodles), broken into 2” pieces
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- ½ cup ricotta cheese
- Fresh basil for garnish
- In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and bell pepper and cook, stirring occasionally until both are softened and translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Add spices and minced garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Pour in tomato sauce, crushed tomatoes and water and bring to a gentle simmer. Salt and pepper to taste.
- Stir eggplant strips and broken noodles into tomato mixture until mostly covered with sauce. Simmer uncovered until noodles are al dente, about 8-10 minutes.
- [url href=”https://www.snapfitness.com/blog/post/skillet-eggplant-lasagna/3598″ target=”_blank”]Click here[/url] to see the rest of the recipe on SnapFitness.com!
What a great idea for when I’m short on time Lauren! I love anything eggplant too! On my list friend!
We go through eggplant like crazy in our house! 🙂 Thanks for the lasagna love!
O well you had me at SKILLET!! The perfect cooking vessel for everything!!
I agree, Rebecca! Skillets are great for everything from breakfast to dessert! 🙂 Happy Monday dear!
Lol, what a coincidence! Boy and I _________ for Valentine’s day too! 😉 I’m totally with you on loving lasagna, but not really having the patience to put it all together! Skillet lasagna to the rescue!! Love that you made this an eggplant lasagna! This looks beyond delicious, Lauren! I want to eat the entire skillet for breakfast! Cheers, my dear! xoxo
Haha whoops! That was one of those “I’m writing this ahead of time and need to go back and fill in the blank but I never got around to it” moments. Thanks for catching that dear! (Fixed now) I hope you enjoy the lasagna! Happy Monday friend! XOXO 🙂
This looks amazing. I used to eat eggplant parmesan for lunch all the time. These pictures make me miss it.
Best,
Chrystal
That sounds so good! This would definitely be a quick way to still enjoy some of those flavors! 🙂
I love skillet lasagna. Beautiful photos!
Thank you, dear Megan! Have a lovely day!
This is such a great idea! Sometimes I want lasagna noodles but not the work of making it, but this is such a great alternative!
Yum! I love eggplant and this looks like the perfect way to enjoy it!
This looks delicious! I can’t wait to try it!
Thanks so much, Brittany! Let me know if you try it!
I love ricotta cheese! I’m gonna have to try this. I always have such a hard time cooking eggplant. It always gets really mushy and soft, but I’ve never tried cooking it with lasagna.
The beauty of this skillet lasagna is the eggplant is meant to be soft! You’ll be amazed by the texture when it’s paired with the noodles. Enjoy, and let me know what you think if you end up making it! 😀
Lauren, your Valentine’s Day dinner sounds fabulous!!! and I am loving this skillet eggplant lasagna!!! definitely something I can sink my teeth into! yummmm!
We LOVE eggplant! I’m trying this for sure. I haven’t made lasagna in forever because it’s so much work, but this looks easy enough to make any weeknight. 🙂
It looks so good – I’m hungry again! 🙂
I can’t eat a lot of these ingredients so would have to switch up a lot of it, but it sure does look and sound yummy!
I’d love to help you modify this with alternative ingredients to meet your dietary needs! What ingredients would you have to switch up?
I love lasagna, but hardly ever make it. This skillet variety is genius! Sounds like you had a great Valentine’s!
Being Italian-American from the Northeast – I just love eggplant! Thanks for this recipe! Looks delicious and I pinned it, too!
I love skillet dishes this one is new to me and I so want to try it
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A skillet lasagna? Genius! I love the addition of eggplant as well!
Thanks Bethany! It really adds a lot to the dish. 🙂
This looks like an amazing healthy and quick dinner! Such a great time saver. And I’d know because I spent an hour laboring over a make ahead lasagna test recipe earlier! Totally digging the eggplant too. 🙂
Traditional lasagna is definitely a labor of love! This does the trick for my husband and I when time is of the essence, though!
I have big heart eyes for this skillet lasagna! I’ve NEVER made lasagna of any sort, and this skillet looks like the perfect way to start 🙂
😀 😀 😀 Girllll this will be the perfect gateway to your lasagna adventures! I hope you like it!
I’m always looking for new ways to cook eggplant. Love!
I could totally go for this right now!
YUM! I love the spoons of ricotta on top.
I love eggplant lasagna! I have a recipe for a vegan eggplant lasagna, but it’s the traditional way. Your way is so creative and less time! I’m definitely trying this out! Yum! 🙂
Sounds like you had a great Valentine’s Day! My husband and I always order a heart-shaped pizza, our special tradition! And now I’m craving some of this lasagna. Love this eggplant version, Lauren! Sounds like the perfect comfort food for the winter!
Your Valentine’s Day sounds equally lovely, Gayle! Hope you had a great time with your husband. 🙂 Thanks for the lasagna love!
This looks so cozy and delicious!! Can’t wait to try it. 🙂
Yum! I love the idea of a skillet lasagna! These are some of my favorite flavors, my friend! Thanks for sharing!
I’m jealous of your dinner out! It sounds like the perfect relaxed meal. I need one of those.
And who knew you could do lasagna in a skillet? This looks AMAZING!
My husband LOVES Eggplant Lasagna, how smart to make it in a skillet!
Seriously in love with this. Saving it to try with my hubby!!
I absolutely adore skillet meals!
I know this will be my dinner on weekend 🙂
It looks so yummy and my husband loves eggplant. Thanks for sharing dear!
Girl! This looks incredible. I don’t make lasagna often for the same reason skillet lasagna is such a great idea! And you Valentine’s day dinner sounds perfect <3 Pinning!
This looks so AMAZING! I definitely need to try this out, I’ve never made a lasagna in a skillet so I am curious to see how it comes out =) We didn’t do anything too special for Valentine’s Day, but my husband did surprise me with a tiramisu and chocolate cake in bed after a tiring day! that was really special =)
xo
Jen
Thanks so much Jennifer! 😀 It’s so easy — I hope you like it! Your Valentine’s Day sounds lovely too. I always say it doesn’t matter what I’m doing when I’m with loved ones … every moment is precious.
This looks amazing, I just want to dig into that creamy ricotta!
Thanks so much Krystle! Ricotta is the best!