This easy Skillet Lasagna is loaded with Italian flavor to satisfy your craving for traditional lasagna with FAR less work. It’s a delicious one pot pasta that’s ready in about 40 minutes!
Shortcut lasagna recipes like this one and my Lazy Lasagna Casserole allow you to indulge in classic Italian comfort food on even the busiest days.
In addition to being meaty, saucy, and plenty cheesy, this Skillet Lasagna recipe is just one of many delicious ways I’ve found to sneak some extra veggies into our diet. The addition of diced zucchini and summer squash sets this recipe apart from other one pot lasagna recipes.
Why You’ll Love This One Pot Lasagna
- It has a short list of easy to stock ingredients
- It’s budget-friendly and appeals to all ages.
- One pot means easy-breezy cleanup!
- Hidden veggies add fiber, nutrition and flavor.
- You’ll have a hearty, wholesome, delicious meal on the table in about 40 minutes.
Ingredient Notes
- Ground beef – I’ve made this Skillet Lasagna with ground beef and Italian sausage. It’s also very good with turkey sausage, like Jennie-O Hot Turkey Italian Sausage.
- Salt and pepper
- Zucchini and yellow summer squash – I like to use a little of both types of squash for variety.
- Diced onion
- Minced garlic
- Marinara sauce – A jar of your favorite brand of marinara.
- Canned diced tomatoes
- Water
- Lasagna noodles – You want to use curly-edge lasagna noodles, not the no boil sheets. You’ll break the noodles into about 4 pieces each before adding them to the skillet.
- Part-skim ricotta cheese
- Shredded Italian cheese blend – Instead of plain shredded mozzarella cheese, I like to use a mozzarella/provolone or Italian cheese blend for even more flavor.
- Parmesan cheese – Either shaved or finely shredded.
- Chopped fresh basil – An optional garnish of fresh basil is a very nice touch.
How to Make Skillet Lasagna
This is a quick rundown of the steps of this recipe. Scroll down to the recipe card for the amounts and more detailed instructions.
- In a 12-inch skillet that has a lid (a cast iron skillet works well), cook the ground beef, breaking it up with a spoon until no pink remains.
- Drain off the excess grease and season the meat with salt and pepper and add the chopped zucchini, summer squash, onion, and garlic.
- Continue to cook until the vegetables are tender when pierced with a fork.
- Meanwhile, combine the marinara sauce, diced tomatoes, and water in a medium mixing bowl.
- Break each uncooked lasagna noodle into 4 pieces and place them over the meat in the skillet.
- Pour the marinara mixture evenly over the pasta, making sure that the edges are covered.
- Bring to a good simmer then reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 25 minutes.
- Remove the cover, place dollops of ricotta over the surface of the lasagna, and sprinkle with the cheese. Cover and cook until the cheese melts. Garnish with basil and serve.
Skillet Lasagna Variations
- Lighten it up with ground turkey or turkey Italian sausage in place of the ground beef.
- Add chopped mushrooms or other veggies you love in place of or in addition to the squash.
- Try it with fire roasted diced tomatoes.
- For spicy Skillet Lasagna, add about ½ teaspoon of red pepper flakes to the sauce mixture.
Serving Suggestions
- Toss a Caesar salad with Homemade Caesar Salad Dressing.
- Top a simple green salad with Hot Dog Bun Croutons and your dressing of choice.
- Cheater Garlic Bread is perfect with this easy lasagna!
And, of course, a nice glass of red. Cheers!
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Skillet Lasagna
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef or Italian sausage, can substitute turkey Italian sausage
- ½ teaspoon salt
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 cup diced zucchini
- 1 cup diced summer squash
- ½ cup diced yellow onion
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 25 ounces marinara sauce
- 14 ounce can diced tomatoes
- 1 cup water
- 10 curly edged lasagna noodles, each broken into 4 pieces
- 1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
- 1 cup shredded Italian blend cheese, like mozzarella/provolone or 4-cheese Italian
- ⅓ cup shaved or grated Parmesan cheese
- ½ cup chopped fresh basil
Instructions
- Coat a deep 12-inch skillet with nonstick cooking spray and place over MEDIUM-HIGH heat. Cook the ground beef, breaking up with a spoon, until no pink remains. Drain off as much of the grease as you can and return the pan to the heat. Season the meat with salt and pepper and add the chopped zucchini, summer squash, onion, and garlic. Continue to cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are fork tender.
- Meanwhile, combine the marinara sauce, diced tomatoes, and water in a medium mixing bowl. Set aside.
- Add the broken, uncooked lasagna noodles to the skillet, covering the meat. Pour the marinara mixture evenly over the pasta, making sure that the edges are covered. Bring to a good simmer then reduce the heat to MEDIUM, cover the skillet, and simmer for 25 minutes.
- Remove the cover and drop small spoonful's of the ricotta over the surface of the lasagna. Sprinkle with shredded Italian blend cheese and Parmesan. Cover and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Sprinkle with basil and serve.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated using generic ingredients, and is an estimate not a guarantee. For more accurate results, please refer to the labels on your ingredients at home.
This post was originally published on March 24, 2013. It has been updated with new text and images.
More One Pot Pasta Recipes
I’ve been making lasgana for decades and recently found this recipe. I have made this recipe twice now and I absolutely love it! It is excellent. I love the ease of the recipe since you arent boiling noodles or layering all the ingredients, but it also makes a very moist lasgana. Often the layered lasagna tends to get a little dry. It turns out exactly like the photo. This will be my go-to lasagna recipe from now on. Thank you!
Thank you so much, Jeanne! This is one of my go-to busy weeknight meals and we love it. Glad to hear you are enjoying it 🙂
Turned out terrific! Next time I am going to try this with eggplant instead of zuchs!
So glad to hear it, Julie! Great idea to add eggplant 🙂
Boys flew in at the last minute. Ran to store and will be throwing this together. Thanks so much for the inspiration Val!!!!
You got it Julie! Have a wonderful time with the guys 🙂
This was such an easy dish to prepare. I prepared it for my sister’s birthday on last evening and everyone enjoyed it! Thanks for the recipe.
I’m so glad to hear that it worked out for you Dnika! Thank you so much for the feedback 🙂
I am making this over the weekend Valerie! yum yum. Sharing with my FB friends today 🙂
Thank you Julie!!!
What a great and easy recipe. Thanks for sharing!
I have a recipe that is so close to this, but I use Mafalde noodles in it. I love the addition of the veggies…always like to sneak those in whenever I can. Your photos are great. Cheers!