Skillet lasagna delivers rich, cheesy supper in 40 minutes

Proof that shortcuts don’t have to mean compromising flavor.

When I flipped open the cookbook “One Pan, One Meal” (Hamlyn, November 2021), the first thing I read were several bold sentences in the introduction. Elena Silcock wrote: “I don’t want to have to wash up more than absolutely necessary . . . . I don’t want to be stressed . . . . I don’t want to have to buy a lot of ingredients.”

Sound familiar? It’s a refrain I sometimes hear from readers if I suggest a recipe that calls for several pans or if the ingredient list goes beyond their comfort zone. There is a place for such recipes, of course. Some of us want to try new-to-us spices or ingredients and we’re eager to explore various cooking techniques, but on a weeknight after a long day of work or school, I get it. Sometimes I am thinking those very same things as I head into the kitchen.

I am not going to tell you that this skillet lasagna is as delicious as the classic layered, baked casserole, but on a busy weeknight it satisfied a craving for that dish, and it did so in one pan.

You whip it up on the stovetop in about 40 minutes, which is less time than it takes to bake my favorite lasagna — and that doesn’t include all the usual prepping of all its components.

You must have a large, nonstick skillet where, in hot oil, you fry the zucchini until golden with nutmeg and garlic. You whisk together the sauce, a mixture of cream cheese, heavy cream, Parmesan, lemon zest and water, in a bowl and pour that over the vegetables and heat until it starts to bubble. Then you add handfuls of fresh spinach and basil and stir and cook until it wilts.

The dry lasagna noodles go in next: You break them in three or four pieces and slip them in, making sure they are fully submerged, cover and cook until they get soft. Then you must stir them, tucking sauce and vegetables between the layers so they don’t stick together. Finally, the whole thing simmers until the sauce is as thick as you like.

Now that I have the liquidto-pasta ratio, I can adjust the ingredients to suit what I have on hand or what is in season.

I might use spinach or whole wheat pasta, a different squash or try asparagus. My husband suggested browning some sausage before the zucchini for a meatier dish. Instead of spinach, you could use spring greens or de-stemmed kale, Silcock noted, adding that if you have mascarpone, use it in place of the cream cheese for a bit more tang.

SCOTT SUCHMAN /THE WASHINGTON POST Spinach Skillet Lasagna.