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Skillet Lasagna is just the dinner you want for a busy weeknight! We are taking the ultimate comfort food classic, and turning it into an easy, one pan meal that comes together in right about 30 minutes. Made with lean ground beef or turkey, veggies, your favorite marinara sauce, and a combination of cottage cheese, mozzarella, and parmesan cheese. Hearty, wholesome, and a family friendly meal everyone can get on board with.
For all of you lasagna lovers, rejoice in that you can hit the easy button in making a lasagna! Instead of layers in a casserole dish and a bake time of 45 minutes to an hour, we’re taking a major shortcut using a large skillet. No boiling noodles on the side as an extra step! This recipe is extra easy with the addition of store-bought marinara sauce.
As a nutritionist, I love making my family hearty meals that come together very quickly. I always ensure our dinners our loaded with protein and veggies. With 2 teenagers in the house, I also need these meals to be hearty and filling. You’ll love that this recipe is protein heavy with some added tasty veggies, and also so much less labor intensive than traditional lasagna. I like adding in some mushrooms to recipes like this –they blend in effortlessly and make the dish even cozier. This Skillet Lasagna is checking all the blocks! It’s also one the good beef recipes that I make every few weeks as my family absolutely loves it.
What you need to make Skillet Lasagna
- Lean ground beef or turkey: you can also use ground turkey or Italian sausage in this recipe as well. If I am being totally honest, I make it most of the time with ground turkey. This is one of those recipes where you can’t tell what meat is being used and ground turkey offers a way to mix up the type of protein we eat.
- Vegetables: I used a combo of carrots, onion, garlic, and mushrooms. I love this combo because they easily blend into the sauce and also provide an additional nutrient boost! We’re adding in some fiber and additional vitamins and minerals. I also dice up the mushrooms really well because my kids don’t love the texture of mushrooms. It works perfectly blending in with the meat! Feel free to swap in something else like bell pepper.
- Marinara sauce: Another shortcut to this recipe is adding in store bought marinara sauce. There are a few great ones on the market, but my personal favorite is Rao’s marinara.
- Lasagna noodles: I use standard lasagna noodles in place of no-boil noodles. This is key! They taste so much better, and you don’t have to spend time boiling in advance. For a gluten-free variation use GF lasagna noodles. Make sure you break them up into pieces.
- Cheese: Although the picture shows ricotta, I make this recipe ALL THE TIME and almost always use whipped cottage cheese! Just take regular low-fat cottage cheese and place in a food processor for a few minutes to whip. That is it! You can use ricotta, but cottage cheese is a way to add in more protein. I also use parmesan and mozzarella.
My first attempt at a skillet lasagna was a huge success, and I’ve tweaked this recipe a few times to get it absolutely perfect.
How to make quick and easy Skillet Lasagna!
- Heat up a large cast iron skillet. Once hot, add in oil, onion, garlic, carrots, mushrooms, and ground beef. Yes, altogether! We are trying to make this easy. Cook for 8 – 10 minutes, or until beef is mostly cooked and vegetables are softened. Drain any excess fat.
- Pour in the marinara sauce with Italian seasoning and water, and bring the mixture to a boil.
- Add in the broken noodles and nestle them under the liquid mixture, reduce the heat to low. Cover with a lid.
- Cook for 20 – 25 minutes, or until noodles are softened. You will want to check on the noodles every 5 minutes or so to make sure they aren’t burning at the bottom or sticking together.
- Remove from heat and stir in the cheese. At this point you can also turn on the broiler. Reserve some mozzarella for the top along with some fresh parmesan. Add to the broiler so that it’s bubbly and browned. This is optional and not necessary, but also a fun step!
- Serve hot.
Serving and Storing
To serve lasagna, my favorite side is my Easy House Salad. Always a crowd pleaser and pairs well with anything! You can also serve with Roasted Broccoli or Restaurant Style Brussels sprouts.
You can store in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 5 days, or store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
One Pan Skillet Lasagna (Ground Beef or Turkey!)
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil or avocado oil
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- 1 small yellow onion
- 1 cup diced and peeled carrots
- 1 cup chopped mushrooms (bella, button, or white mushrooms)
- 3 cloves garlic, , (minced)
- 2 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1/2 tsp sea salt , (+ more to taste)
- 1 24 oz jar of marinara sauce*
- 1.5 cups water
- 8 oz lasagna noodles**, (cut into pieces)
- 6 oz mozzarella cheese, (divided)
- 1 cup cottage cheese***, ( I use low-fat)
- 1/3 cup parmesan , (optional)
- fresh basil, (optional)
Instructions
- Begin by heating a large skillet to medium high heat. Once hot, add the oil then the ground beef and veggies. Cook for 8 – 10 minutes or until beef is mostly cooked through. You can drain any excess fat or water.
- Add the marinara, sea salt, Italian seasoning, and water. Bring the mixture to a boil.
- Now add the lasagna noodles, making sure to nestle the noodles under the beef/marinara mixture. Reduce heat to low and cover. Cook for 20 – 25 minutes, or until noodles are al dente. Check on the noodles every 5 – 7 minutes to ensure they aren't sticking to each other or the bottom of the pan.
- Bring the oven to a broil (optional). Remove the lid of the skillet and stir in the ricotta cheese, and half of the mozzarella. Stir until well combined. Sprinkle remaining mozzarella on top along with optional parmesan. You can either cover the lid and let sit for a few minutes to melt, or place under the broiler for about 3 minutes, or until cheese is golden and brown.
- Garnish with fresh basil and salt to taste.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This was a delicious and easy recipe! My entire family loved it!
We made this for dinner last night for Amy’s “February Eat At Home Challenge”and were surprised at how good it was for a lasagna out of the skillet!! No lenthgy prep process or baking time!! Will be making this one again for sure!
So glad you loved this!
I just made this tonight and it was delicious . Next time I will add some red pepper and zucchini as well!!