If you love the comfort of lasagna but not the fuss of making béchamel and layering, this one-pot green goddess lasagna is a total game changer. Creamy, cheesy, and bursting with fresh greens and herbs, it’s all made in a single skillet. Quick and easy (30 minutes max!), but still impressive enough to serve to guests.
Lasagna is classic comfort food, but the traditional version can be time-consuming and fiddly. Between making béchamel, layering and baking, it often takes hours. Sometimes I love that when I’m after a weekend project, but not on a busy weeknight.
This recipe changes the game. Think of it as a bright, light green goddess twist that still delivers all the cheesy, satisfying flavors lasagna is so iconic for. Even my boyfriend, who isn’t typically a big fan of zucchini, LOVES this lasagna, which is a testimonial in itself. He also loves this lovely zucchini and lemon pasta, which you might like to try if you like these flavors too!
And if you love all things lasagna, try this one-pot hidden vegetable lasagna soup, one-pot skillet lasagna, or cheesy Bolognese rice bake next.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Made in one pot. No fiddly layering or extra dishes to wash up.
- Packed with vibrant greens and easy to customize with extra protein (shredded or ground chicken, chickpeas or butter beans work well).
- No need to make a separate béchamel sauce. The starch from the pasta itself thickens the sauce and makes it super creamy.
- Speedy enough for busy weeknights. The lasagna takes just 30 minutes, from start to finish.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Zucchini (courgettes). These provide the bulk of the greens. When cooked with garlic and olive oil, they break down a gorgeously creamy, sweet, almost sauce-like consistency, so they’re perfect as the base of the lasagna.
- Leek. Swap this for about five scallions or a large white onion if you like.
- Cottage cheese. I was NEVER a cottage cheese fan until very recently, but it’s a wonderful, protein-packed ingredient that works with ricotta to help form the creamy, cheesy sauce. I promise, even if you think you don’t like cottage cheese, you’ll love it in this way!
- Lasagna sheets. I love using fresh lasagna sheets because they cook SO quickly – but dried will work well too – you’ll just need to add more stock and milk. I’ve given instructions for how to do that in the recipe at the bottom of the page.
- Pesto. I highly recommend either making your own basil pesto, or picking up a good quality fresh one from the store. Jarred shelf-stable pesto just isn’t the same and is more muted in flavor.
How to Make Green Goddess Lasagna
This is a step-by-step photo overview of how to make the lasagna – the full instructions and ingredient quantities are in the recipe card at the bottom of the page for you.
1. Add your grated zucchini, sliced leeks, chili and garlic to an oven-proof skillet with olive oil and salt.
2. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened.
3. Add your spinach and basil leaves.
4. Stir to wilt them into the greens.
5. Pour in the stock, milk and lemon zest, then mix it through your greens to create the sauce.
6. Tear your lasagna sheets into smaller pieces and nestle them into the green sauce.
7. Cook, stirring occasionally, until they’re al dente and the sauce has thickened up a little.
8. Add the basil pesto, ricotta, cottage cheese and lemon zest, then gently stir through the lasagna.
9. Scatter with mozzarella and parmesan, then pop under the broiler to get gorgeously golden and charred on top.
10. Dollop with a little extra basil pesto, then serve while hot and bubbling.
Green Goddess Lasagna FAQs
Absolutely. Stir in some shredded rotisserie chicken (or use up leftovers from juicy herb-roasted chicken or miso grilled chicken), white beans or even cooked sausage meat to bulk it out and add protein.
Yes! While I prefer fresh because they cook faster than dried, I’ve given you instructions for both fresh and dried sheets in the recipe below. Just break them into rough shards and add them after the greens have wilted. You’ll also want to increase the liquid slightly as they will absorb more than fresh.
Yes, you can, it reheats really well. You can make it a few hours ahead and gently reheat it on the stove with a splash of water or stock to loosen up the sauce (the pasta will continue to absorb the liquid as it sits). Leftovers also keep in the fridge for up to four days.
Honestly, this is truly a meal in itself, but I will never say no to serving fresh bread with lasagna. Try this lovely no-knead chili cheese focaccia, no-knead rosemary parmesan bread, no-knead Vogels style seed bread or two-ingredient dough garlic butter dinner rolls. Or, pair with a nice green salad (double up on the green goddess vibes by serving it with the classic green goddess chopped salad).
Like this recipe? Here are more pasta ideas to try
If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear from you! You can leave a recipe rating and a comment below. And remember to tag @DishedByKate on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok if you’ve made one of my recipes. Seeing your recreations really makes my day 😊.
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One Pot Green Goddess Lasagna
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
If you love the comfort of lasagna but not the fuss of making béchamel and layering, this one-pot green goddess lasagna is a total game changer. Creamy, cheesy, and bursting with fresh greens and herbs, it’s all made in a single skillet. Quick and easy (30 minutes max), but still impressive enough to serve to guests.
Ingredients
For the lasagna –
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 400g (about 14oz) zucchini, coarsely grated
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 leek, finely sliced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon fish sauce
- 1 small red chili, finely chopped (or 2 teaspoons chili flakes)
- 2 packed cups of baby spinach leaves
- 1/2 cup basil leaves, chopped
- 1 lemon, zested and juiced
- 1 1/2 cups hot stock (vegetable or chicken)
- 1 cup milk
- 250g (about 6 – 8 sheets, or 9oz) fresh lasagna sheets (or 6 – 8 dried lasagna sheets – please check step 3 in the instructions for the correct amount of stock and milk if you’re using dried sheets)
- 1/2 cup basil pesto (plus extra to serve)
- 1/2 cup plain cottage cheese
- 1/2 cup ricotta
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
- 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, torn or grated
Instructions
- Cook the greens. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to a large, high-sided skillet over medium-high heat, then add the leek, zucchini, garlic and chili. Sprinkle over 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of fish sauce (if you’re using it), then cook, stirring, for about 10 minutes, until the zucchini releases its water and starts to soften and break down.
- Add the spinach and basil. Once your zucchini has released its water and is softening, add the spinach and basil leaves. Stir as the spinach wilts, then add the lemon juice, stock and the milk. Stir, taste and add a little more salt or lemon juice if needed. PRO TIP: You will need 1 ¾ cups of hot stock and 1 ¼ cups of milk if you’re using dried pasta.
- Assemble your lasagna. Tear or break your lasagna sheets into rough shards or smaller pieces, then arrange them in the sauce and stir them through. You want them to be mostly covered by the liquid. Lower the heat and let the lasagna simmer for 10 to 15 minutes for dried pasta sheets, and 5 to 7 minutes for fresh pasta sheets. Stir the pasta occasionally to prevent the sheets from sticking together and to prevent them from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
- Add the cheese and pesto. Once the pasta is tender and the sauce has thickened slightly (it will still be reasonably runny at this point), dollop the ricotta, cottage cheese, lemon zest and most of the pesto onto the lasagna and gently stir it through. Scatter with the mozzarella and parmesan.
- Broil (grill) the lasagna (optional). If you want to pop the lasagna under the broiler, do it now (5 to 7 minutes at 475°F/250°C will do). If not, cover the lasagna for five minutes with the heat on low, so the cheese melts beautifully
- Garnish and serve. Spoon the remaining basil pesto over the lasagna, then serve while hot and bubbling.
Notes
SUBSTITUTIONS: Swap the leek for about five scallions, or use a large white onion. You don’t have to use the chili if you don’t want to (though it really doesn’t make the lasagna spicy – just adds an extra dimension of flavor). Add more greens if you like – finely chopped broccoli is great (add it with the zucchini and leek), or throw in frozen peas when you add the spinach and basil. Use all ricotta or all cottage cheese if you prefer, or you could use sour cream or cream cheese.
PREP AHEAD: The lasagna keeps well for a couple of days in the fridge – you can reheat it gently on the stovetoop, in the oven (about 15 minutes at 350°F/180°C) or in the microwave until piping hot. You’ll notice the pasta will continue to absorb the liquid as it sits, so it’s a good idea to add an extra splash of water or milk to help loosen up the sauce when you reheat it.
OPTIONAL ADD-INS: For more protein, I love to stir in shredded cooked chicken (it’s a great way to use a rotisserie chicken or leftovers from a juicy, herb-roasted chicken). You can also use white beans (like butter beans or cannellini beans) or chickpeas to add plant-based protein.
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 20
- Category: pasta
- Method: stove top
- Cuisine: italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 200g
- Calories: 378
- Sugar: 5.9g
- Sodium: 1234mg
- Fat: 20.5g
- Saturated Fat: 7.6g
- Unsaturated Fat: 12.8g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 26.7g
- Fiber: 2.8g
- Protein: 22g
- Cholesterol: 43.6mg
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