This Vegan Sausage & Spinach Skillet Lasagna is filled with tofu ricotta, fresh pesto and spicy vegan sausage. So freaking tasty!
Oh lordy - this recipe is going to knock your socks off. It literally has all of the best things - vegan sausage, greens, pasta, ricotta, pesto. All of this comes together in one skillet to make a scrumptious dinner.
I have been dreaming about this meal for MONTHS! It has been sitting on my to-do list and I am so excited to finally be bringing you all of the saucy details.
If this meal doesn't scream Spring/Summer, than I don't know what does. Pesto - obviously. Ricotta - a must. AND you don't have to bake this. Which is perfect for those days it is so hot outside and you couldn't dream of turning the oven on.
Now I do have to admit, this is not a one-pot meal. I wanted it to be, I really did, but you just can't get the noodles to cook in the sauce without drying the whole thing up. Because of this, you are going to need to boil your noodles first.
Which, in the grand scheme of things, is not that big of a deal. But I just had to give you full disclosure before you dive into this recipe.
You can easily make the pesto and ricotta a day or two before, keep them in the fridge and then put everything together pretty quickly on a weeknight. You could even go an easier route and buy both of those pre-made. Whatever works for you.
For the vegan sausage, I did use Beyond Sausage. I know this isn't accessible for everyone, but if you can find it, I would use that. If not, just use your favorite vegan sausage. If your sausage doesn't crumble, no worries, just dice it into bite-sized pieces and then brown it.
This recipe is seriously all around delicious. It is one you are going to go back to again and again. If you want to impress some non-vegan friends - this is the recipe to do it with!
More of a visual person? Check out the video:
Vegan Sausage & Spinach Skillet Lasagna
Ingredients
- 8 oz vegan ricotta*
- 6 oz vegan pesto**
- 6-8 lasagna noodles broken into quarters
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 shallot diced
- 8 oz vegan sausage*** crumbled
- 2 cups baby spinach loosely packed
- 2 cloves garlic diced
- 1 26-ounce jar marinara
- basil, parsley and/or vegan parmesan optional toppings
FOR ARUGULA WALNUT PESTO
- 1 cup arugula
- 1 cup basil
- ⅓ cup walnuts
- 2 cloves garlic
- ¼-1/2 cup olive oil
- ½ lemon juiced
- salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- If making from scratch, prepare the vegan pesto by adding all of the ingredients to a food processor and blending until combined. Add olive oil as needed until desired consistency is reached. Prepare the Tofu Ricotta according to the instructions. Set both aside until ready to use.****
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add your broken lasagna pieces and cook according to the package instructions, being sure not to overcook. Drain and rinse with cool water to stop them from cooking more.
- Heat olive oil in a cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Lower heat to medium and add the shallot and sausage to the pan. Cook, turning regularly until sausage is browned.
- Add a couple of tablespoons of water to the skillet to deglaze it. Scrape the browned bits off the bottom then add spinach and garlic to the skillet and cook until wilted. Add the marinara and stir to combine. Cover and allow to cook for 5 minutes.
- Add the cooked lasagna noodles to the skillet and stir to combine. Use as few or as many lasagna noodles as you'd like - just be sure not to overcrowd the skillet.
- Flatten contents of the skillet down, then top with dollops of ricotta and pesto. Cover with a lid and cook on medium-low heat for 5-10 minutes, or until everything is warmed through.
- Top with optional toppings of choice and serve.
Notes
This post may contain affiliate links. If you click on one and make a purchase I will receive a small percentage of the sale. Please know I would never link a product unless I have personally used it and loved it!
If you make any of these recipes be sure to snap a photo + post it + and tag #thissavoryvegan and @thissavoryvegan!
Angela
I never feel that traditional lasagna warrants all the efforts it takes to make. However, this is far better than traditional lasagna. It is super simple to make and I prefer it over traditional lasagna any day. Even making your own pesto and tofu ricotta is easy. My family rates all of my meals I prepare, and this one was given straight "A's" by everyone.
Rene
Woo 🎉🎉🎉 So glad it was hit with the whole family!
Ann
Made this tonight, used mostaccioli (about 12 oz, added can of fire roasted diced tomatoes, and store only had beyond brats- used these and added tablespoon of Italian seasoning. Made the tofu ricotta-wonderful! This meal was a definite hit with the family! Thanks for the recipe! So very good!!!
Rene
So glad you liked it!!!
Kristin
Great recipe! The arugula pesto was fantastic and really complimented the dish very well! I used the Kite Hill vegan ricotta and it was excellent! This is officially my 11 year olds favorite recipe! Thank you for this! I've tried several of your recipes and they've all been wins!
Rene
Yay! That makes me so happy! So glad it was a hit with the whole fam!
JC
Can you use "oven ready" lasagna noodles and if so can you cook it all in one pot? Or how would you advise?
Rene
I haven't tried this with no-boil noodles, but it should work. You will probably just need to let everything simmer a little longer AND you may need to add some water. Just keep an eye on how the noodles are cooking.
Tammi
Oh my goodness. My roommate and I love you so much right now. This was absolutely delicious. What a fantastic and very unique recipe. I've never made Lasagna in a skillet before. How fun. First let me say that Beyond Meat has changed the game with that Spicy Sausage. I probably eat it like 3 - 4 times/week. So i was looking for another way to cook it and found your recipe. The flavors!!!!!! My roomie was like, "if I had this in a restaurant, I would not be mad. I would ask for another helping."
Going to make this the next time we have our Omnivore friends over and wait while their eyes cross then spring it on 'em that this masterpiece is Vegan! Thank you! Thank You! Thank You!
Rene
Bahahaha - love this. And I LOVE showing my meat-eating friends Beyond Sausage. They are always shocked it is vegan. 🙂
Michelle
Can you substitute with lasagna style zucchini noodles? Would you just put the zucchini noodles in uncooked and it will cook with the dish?
Rene
Yes, I would put them in uncooked - especially if they are sliced thin. Zucchini doesn't take long to cook and you can always add on a couple minutes to the cook time if you need to.
Jessica
This was awesome! Made your pesto but did store bought vegan ricotta. Very easy and one of my new favorites.
Rene
Yay! So glad you like it!