Skillet Lasagna

It’s a cheesy weeknight dream

Prep: 10 mins

Cook: 34 mins

Total: 44 mins

Servings: 4 to 6 servings

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

To me, lasagna is one of the most comforting dishes imaginable, but the reality is I only make it once a year at best. This labor-intensive Italian dish requires hours of preparation in the kitchen, which I rarely have. Enter skillet lasagna, the perfect dish to satisfy all your lasagna cravings with half the effort and time.

Skillet lasagna takes all the elements of lasagna and combines them in a pan on the stovetop. I promise once you’re eating it you won’t be able to tell the difference.

How To Make Skillet Lasagna

After browning the ground beef, premade marinara sauce and broken lasagna noodles get added straight to the pan, where the noodles cook on the stovetop. While some lasagna recipes call for a bechamel, I’ve opted to use a trifecta of cheese to cut down on time.

Once the noodles are done cooking, I add dollops of ricotta and a shower of Parmesan and mozzarella cheese over the mixture and pop the pan right under the boiler until golden brown and bubbly.

Serving Skillet Lasagna

The whole dish cooks in as little as 30 minutes, making it a great weeknight dinner option. It’s one of those meals that’s a family favorite, but also feels festive enough to serve at a dinner party. One of the many reasons I love this dish is that you can serve it straight from the skillet, making cleaning up a breeze. I may never go back to making lasagna the old fashioned way after this recipe!

Serve skillet lasagna with a big green salad and a side of garlic bread for the ultimate comfort food trifecta.

Tips for Making Skillet Lasagna

Use a high-sided skillet—Make sure to use a pan with tall enough sides (2 inches tall is perfect) to prevent spillage on your stovetop. If you don’t have a skillet with high sides, a Dutch oven works as well.
Give it a good stir—Don’t forget to stir the lasagna mixture halfway through while it simmers on the stovetop. If the noodles aren’t stirred, some will cook on the bottom while the top noodles will remain underdone.
Skip the broiler—If you don’t want to fuss with the broiler, simply add the cheese and continue cooking the lasagna on the stovetop until the cheese has melted.

«This was a tasty one-pan meal and a wonderful way to avoid the fuss and muss of preparing a traditional lasagna. My oven-safe straight-sided skillet was 3 1/2 quarts. You could bring the skillet to the table and serve it directly from the pan.» —Diana Andrews

A Note From Our Recipe Tester

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound ground beef, preferably 85/15
3 large cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons salt-free Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon fine salt, more to taste
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, more to taste
One 24-ounce jar marinara sauce
1 cup water
8 ounces uncooked lasagna noodles, broken
1 cup ricotta
3 tablespoons finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, more for serving
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded low-moisture mozzarella
Fresh basil, thinly sliced, for garnish

Steps to Make It

Gather the ingredients.
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil on medium-high in a large, oven-safe, straight-sided skillet with a lid. Once the oil begins to shimmer, add 1 pound ground beef, and cook, breaking up the beef with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink, 5 to 7 minutes.
Add 3 large cloves garlic, minced, 2 teaspoons salt-free Italian seasoning, 1/2 teaspoon fine salt, and 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, and cook until the garlic is aromatic, about 1 minute.
Add one 24-ounce jar marinara sauce, 1 cup water, and 8 ounces uncooked lasagna noodles, broken. Stir to combine, coating all the noodles, and pushing them down to submerge in the sauce as best as possible. Increase the heat to high and bring the mixture to a boil.
Reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, until the noodles are tender, 20 to 23 minutes, stirring halfway through. If the sauce starts to dry out, add splashes of water as needed. Meanwhile, position a rack about 6 inches below the broiler and heat the broiler to high.
Add 1 cup ricotta in dollops over the top of the lasagna mixture. Then top with 3 tablespoons finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, and 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded low-moisture mozzarella.
Transfer the pan to the broiler and broil until the cheese melts and is golden brown and bubbly, 1 1/2 to 3 minutes, depending on the strength of your broiler.
Top with thinly sliced fresh basil and serve immediately with more grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.

How To Store

Leftovers can be transferred to a sealed container and stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in a skillet, adding a little water as needed, or in the microwave.

Feeling Adventurous? Try This:

Use a different meat—While this recipe is great with ground beef, you could also use hot Italian sausage in its place or even a plant-based ground beef substitute. Whatever meat you choose, just make sure it totals one pound.
Use pasta instead—You’ll still get all the great flavors of lasagna no matter what pasta shape you use. I recommend going for short pasta shapes like rotini or rigatoni. I don’t recommend using long noodles like spaghetti.
Make your own marinara—If you have homemade marinara on hand or just want a weekend cooking project, an equal amount of homemade marinara can be substituted for the store-bought.

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4 to 6
Amount per serving
Calories	485
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 27g	35%
Saturated Fat 12g	59%
Cholesterol 98mg	33%
Sodium 1136mg	49%
Total Carbohydrate 26g	9%
Dietary Fiber 3g	12%
Total Sugars 7g
Protein 33g
Vitamin C 3mg	16%
Calcium 389mg	30%
Iron 4mg	20%
Potassium 753mg	16%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.