Easy 30-Minute Skillet Lasagna — Everything cooks in one skillet and you don’t even need to boil the noodles separately!! Full of classic lasagna flavor but so much faster and easier! Now you can make lasagna on busy weeknights!!
Easiest Beef Lasagna Recipe
My family loves lasagna, but I don’t love making traditional lasagna. Too much work and it takes too long. How’s that for being brutally honest.
That’s where this easy, 30-minute, one-skillet lasagna comes into play. There’s Italian-seasoned ground beef with sweet Vidalia onions and garlic for layers of flavor along with tender lasagna noodles that are coated with tomato sauce.
You don’t even have to boil the noodles separately. They cook in the same skillet you brown the onions and ground beef in. Love it when I only dirty one pan to make a meal and even better when there’s planned leftovers.
There’s creamy ricotta and fresh mozzarella cheeses because you can’t have lasagna without plenty of cheese.
I topped off the skillet lasagna with fresh basil because tomatoes and mozzarella taste that much better with the peppery bite of basil.
What’s in Skillet Lasagna?
To make this incredibly easy meat lasagna recipe, you’ll need:
- Olive oil
- Yellow onion
- Garlic
- Ground beef
- Italian seasoning
- Lasagna noodles
- Diced tomatoes
- Tomato sauce
- Water
- Ricotta cheese
- Fresh mozzarella
- Fresh basil
How to Make Skillet Lasagna
Sauté the onion and garlic until softened, then add the ground beef to the skillet and brown. Add the Italian seasoning, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, and water. Pop the lid on the skillet and cook until the noodles have softened.
Spoon the ricotta into the skillet lasagna and gently stir to incorporate. Then, place the mozzarella slices on top and place the lid on again to help the cheese melt. Garnish with fresh basil just before serving!
Can I Use Italian Sausage Instead of Ground Beef?
I’m sure you could! You may need to drain the fat from the skillet after the sausage cooks though, depending on how greasy it is.
Can I Freeze Skillet Lasagna?
Yes, this skillet lasagna can be frozen up to 4 months.
My Favorite Sides for Lasagna
This easy skillet lasagna pairs well with pretty much any side, but a few of my favorites are:
- Tomato, Mozzarella, and Basil Quinoa Salad
- Rainbow Roasted Vegetables
- Parmesan Balsamic Roasted Garlic
- Kale Caesar Salad with Fried Chickpeas
- Balsamic Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Tips for Making the Best Lasagna in a Skillet
Be sure to use regular lasagna noodles in this recipe and not the no-boil / pre-cooked kind. Trust me, this recipe works well with regular lasagna noodles!
To avoid greasy beef lasagna, I recommend using extra lean ground beef. You could also experiment with using ground turkey, but I’ve only ever made skillet lasagna with ground beef before.
Depending on how salty you like your meat lasagna, you may not need to add any extra salt to this dish. Taste it just before adding in the cheeses, and keep in mind that the cheeses also contain salt.
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Easy 30-Minute One-Skillet Lasagna
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cups sweet Vidalia or yellow onion, peeled and diced small (about 1 large onion)
- 4 garlic cloves, peeled and finely minced or pressed with a garlic press
- 1 pound ground beef, I used extra lean
- 1 ½ tablespoons Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ½ pound lasagna noodles, about 8 noodles, broken into bite-sized pieces
- two 14.5-ounce cans diced tomatoes and juice, I used petite diced, no-salt-added
- one 15-ounce can tomato sauce, marinara or red pasta sauce may be substituted
- ¾ cup water
- salt, optional and to taste
- heaping 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
- 8 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced into thin rounds
- ⅓ cup fresh basil leaves, torn into small pieces
Instructions
- To a large skillet (at least 12 inches in diameter and 3-4 inches deep) or Dutch oven, add the olive oil, onions, and sauté over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes, or until onions begin to soften. Stir intermittently.
- Add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Stir intermittently.
- Add the ground beef and cook until browned. Stir intermittently.
- Add the Italian seasoning, pepper, and stir to combine.
- Add the lasagna noodles and cover them with the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, and water. Cover pan and allow sauce to simmer over medium-low heat for about 20 to 25 minutes, or until noodles are tender and cooked through.
- Taste and add salt, to taste. This will vary based on how salty the tomatoes and tomato sauce are, and personal preference. Note that both cheeses you’re about to add also have salt. Make any necessary seasoning adjustments (salt, more pepper, more Italian seasoning, etc.) as necessary. Stir everything well.
- Add the ricotta by tablespoonfuls, evenly distributed. Stir gently to incorporate but don’t overmix.
- Turn the heat to low, add the mozzarella, evenly distributed. Cover skillet with a lid for about 2 to 3 minutes, or until mozzarella melts.
- Garnish with basil, evenly distributed, and serve immediately.
Notes
- Lasagna is best warm and fresh but will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 or in the freezer for up to 4 months. Reheat gently as necessary.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Hi! I just made this tonight as my oven is broken and I needed a skillet recipe! My kids wanted lasagna so this sounded perfect! Well…it was delicious!! My husband and kids loved it. Thanks for this wonderful, easy and yummy recipe!!
Thanks for the 5 star review and I am glad your family loved this and it was easy!
Might be too late to get a response as this post is over a year n half old…. but this looks absolutely delish! I was wondering tho, we love our pastas n lasagna n the like but are trying to start incorporating veggie noodles, ribbons etc vs actual pasta. I was wondering how this might effect the timing(if at all) with this recipe?
Ps I have a feeling I’ll be all over your blog this winter! Lol ty!
If you want to use a veggie/spiralized pasta, I would add it at the very, very end. Just enough to warm through; be careful because too much heat and it will literally turn to much, i.e. zucchini pasta. Good luck!
In all honesty though…I would make this as written and save the veggies for another day.
That’s pretty much what I was thinking. I do intend to try this as written but atm I have the veggies on hand… not the pasta :-/ odd I know. Thanks so much for the tip, I’ll lyk how it turns out!
Yes keep me posted!
Hi Averie!
How many calories is this?
I would love to hear how you came up with this idea?
Gosh I really don’t remember. I come up with new recipes daily and just get inspired and get into the kitchen!
Well, good job! I made it today for dinner.
Thanks for trying it and sounds like you enjoyed dinner! :)
Made this for my family and we enjoyed every last bite. It was sooo good that it fooled my daughter as she thought it was lasagna from an excellent Italian restaurant nearby! But I told her ‘Not a chance!! I made it myself!’ It truly has that deep, rich Italian sauce taste that’s so hard to duplicate at home! I had two questions, and one was answered in a comment above, where some of my noodles stuck together. Maybe perhaps bc I drained the oil from my ground beef after I browned it. But my second question is: do u think I could double this recipe in a larger pot? I am considering making this for Mother’s Day!!! Also, I did add some Italian sausage to the ground beef and browned both together. As my butcher makes a mean Italian sausage that’s hard to resist not incorporating into my Italian meals! Thank you for sharing this delicious recipe!! We absolutely loved it!!
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you! What a compliment that your daughter thought you bought it from a local excellent Italian restaurant!
In terms of the noodles sticking, I think keeping some oil in next time will help with that. And as far as doubling, I think if you have a really big pot to cook it in, you’ll be fine. Although I haven’t personally tried so can’t speak from personal experience. Glad you’re going to make this again!
Wow, looking so delicious!!!! thanks for sharing the recipe Averie
Greeting
I tried this recipe yesterday and I must say I was very impressed. I didn’t have ricotta cheese, but it still turned out delicious. It reheats great in the microwave. I think I liked it better than the traditional lasagna and will definitely make this again. Thank you so much for this recipe.
Thanks for trying the recipe and glad it came out great for you! Glad you liked it better than regular lasagna, even without the ricotta!