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Crispy, smoky lentils on top of lasagna noodles in a creamy sauce make this smoky skillet lasagna totally addictive.
Table of Contents
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.
I only made the crispy lentil part (not the lasagne) and they were great! I used them on top of a salad for dinner. I did them in the oven instead of skillet and they came out nice & crispy after 15 minutes on convection bake at 400°.
First, I cooked the lentils with a piece of kombu (recently read the glutamic acid in kombu breaks down the gas producing complex sugars in beans & lentils). Drained them briefly & spread them on a cookie sheet & put them in the oven at 300° convection for about 5-10 min to evaporate the water. Took them out, put them in a bowl and added the oil. Increased the oven temp to 400° and put them back on the cookie sheet and into the oven for 15 min as you suggested. Worked great! Took them out of the oven, put them in a bowl & mixed in the tamari/maple/spice mixture.
Thanks for the tips!
SO DELICIOUS! I’m so glad I stumbled upon this recipe. I had it saved for a few days and then didn’t know what to make for dinner tonight and decided to try it. Everything was full of flavor! The lentils were my favorite part. Soooo much umami! I broke up the lasagna noodles and loved cooking them in the liquid. The texture came out perfect. I didn’t have mushrooms so i used green bell pepper instead and didn’t have nutritional yeast so I just seasoned with onion, garlic, smoked paprika, chipotle, and mustard powder for a “cheesy” taste. I can’t wait to make this again!
So glad you enjoyed it Tiffany!
Absolutely delicious! Love the complex flavors!
Awesome!!
Such a clever, creative and delicious recipe!! I made the recipe exactly as written only i used Korean red chili flakes. The lentils turned out fantastically! I made double the amount to use on other things too. The lasagna was incredibly tasty! It’s definitely a keeper. Thanks!!
Yum!! Thanks for sharing.
Oops I made a mistake in my comment. Is there anyway to edit? I used a cup of uncooked lentils but then cooked them only 20 minutes or less so they were still al dente. They never did get crispy even though I let them drain and bloated with a paper towel before putting them in the cast-iron skillet. Basically they just dried out a bit but got even softer inside.
Try baking them at 400 F with just oil, move them after 15 mins and check if getting crisp. They might need another. 5-10 mins. Then mix the sauces and spices and use .
I attempted to make the lentils using a cup of uncooked lentils and my large cast-iron skillet. Maybe it’s just that there were too many lentils in the skillet but they never got crispy. I’m thinking that lentils won’t get crispy unless they’re only partially cooked. Or else perhaps they need to be just a few in a large skillet. I wouldn’t try this again. But I’d like to try the lasagna part.
I’ve tried several of your skillet lasagna recipes, and they’re all terrific. This one is no exception! My lentils took more oil and time to get crispy, but they were fantastic. I’ll definitely keep this recipe in the rotation.
Yay!!
I so nearly scrolled past this recipe.. So so glad I didn’t. It was really quick and easy to make. I didn’t use coconut, just normal soya milk and a bit extra flour to thicken up a bit. One thing I didn’t do was separate thr pasta enough but no matter… It tasted fantastic as it was… But the lentils… OMG they are amazing, bursting with smoky bacon flavour. I made extra, they are going to go on everything now.. They will be great sprinkled on salads. I used dried green lentils… Seemed to work just fine after being cooked and drained.
Thank you for this amazing recipe. It’s my new favourite.
Awesome!! So happy to hear you enjoyed it.
I changed the recipe. I didn’t want coconut in there and I didn’t want to use onion and garlic powder so I used fresh. I blended all the ingredients for the lentils and then cooked them down with the lentils in a separate pan while I made the sauce. I made sure they went very dry and browned / crispy but not burned. I used a tin of tomato instead of coconut.and I added more water, and I had to keep coming back to give the pan a stir often to stop the pasta sticking. On top of that I had to separate the sheets in the pan to make sure they cooked properly. However in terms of flavour it was definitely a 10/10 from both me and my husband (who doesn’t like “smoky”) and will definitely.make it again.
Glad it worked out!
Another great recipe, delicious and easy and fast to make. I cooked pasta I had and made the sauce separately. I will definitely do this again
Yay!! So glad you liked it.
Absolutely delicious. I wish I didn’t have to share.
Couldn’t get the lentils right. I used precooked but they where to soft. I couldn’t find “brown lentils” in germany but “berg linsen” and all kinds of weird lentils.
Anyway, absolutely delicious. Take the time to do the vegan parmigiano
Other lentils will work too, but they need to be “al dente”