Easy Skillet Lasagna

by Sabrina Snyder

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21 Comments

5 from 10 votes
6 servings
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
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Easy Skillet Lasagna is a one pot meal that’s ready in no time! Same great flavor you love without hours spent in the kitchen. Try tonight!

I love easy ways to make my favorite Italian Pasta comfort foods and this lasagna is so easy to make and tastes like you spent hours in the kitchen. If you love the convenience of this meal, then be sure to add my Easy Skillet Baked Ziti and Cheesy Beef Pasta Bake to your dinner menu rotation!

lasagna in skillet
close up of Lasagna in skillet
Recipe Snapshot

Why You’ll Love This Lasagna?

  • Made in one pot in 30 minutes for a fast delicious meal and quick clean up.
  • Perfect to meal prep for the week with fresh ingredients that are better than a store bought frozen lasagna.

Sabrina’s Easy Skillet Lasagna Recipe

Easy Skillet Lasagna is one of my go-to weeknight recipes because it’s quick and easy, can be made in only one pot, and the entire family loves it! The whole recipe will take you about 30 minutes or less, and requires very little prep time. Did I mention it’s one pot? Not only is it delicious, but easy clean up will make it even easier to love!

Recipe Card

Dinner, then Dessert

Easy Skillet Lasagna Recipe

Easy Skillet Lasagna is a one pot meal that's ready in no time! Same great flavor you love without hours spent in the kitchen. Try tonight!
Yield 6 servings
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Course Dinner
Cuisine American
Author Sabrina Snyder
lasagna in skillet
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Ingredients
 

  • 1 pound lean ground beef
  • 1 yellow onion , chopped
  • 1 red bell pepper , chopped
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper , coarse ground
  • 1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • 2 cups marinara sauce
  • 8 ounces farfalle pasta , cooked
  • 1 cup ricotta cheese
  • 1 cup mozzarella cheese , shredded

Instructions

  • Cook beef in a large skillet with onion and bell pepper over medium-high heat about 8-10 minutes until cooked.
  • Add in the water, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, crushed red pepper flakes and marinara sauce cooking for 4-5 minutes.
  • Add in the pasta and top with mozzarella and ricotta cheese before serving.

Notes

Note: click on times in the instructions to start a kitchen timer while cooking.

Nutrition

Calories: 324kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 82mg | Sodium: 827mg | Potassium: 674mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 1310IU | Vitamin C: 32.4mg | Calcium: 203mg | Iron: 3.5mg

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Sabrina’s Tips

If you don’t have Farfalle pasta, you can break up regular lasagna noodles instead. They won’t completely fit in the round skillet, so you’ll have to crack a few on the ends. You can also use penne or other noodles if that’s what you have in your pantry.

Table of contents

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About this Recipe

Easy Skillet Lasagna has all the flavor of Ultimate Meat Lasagna but is made in less time since this recipe skips the tedious part of adding each layer. This recipe uses farfalle pasta instead of lasagna noodles, which makes it easier to do this in a skillet on the stovetop. Made with ground beef, ricotta cheese, seasoned with marinara sauce and then covered in melted mozzarella cheese.

Can this be made ahead of time?

Skillet lasagna can be thrown together quickly, but if you’re really short on time you can prep it early so it’ll only take 5-10 minutes to get on the table. I cook the pasta, and drizzle with a little bit of oil to keep it from sticking together. Then brown the beef, and add the other ingredients except for the cheeses, and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. When you’re ready, mix in the pasta with the sauce and meat, and pour into the skillet. Cook for 2-3 minutes, until warmed, then top with the cheeses and serve once it’s melted. You can also freeze skillet lasagna, but if you’re making this ahead of time for a freezer meal, then I would recommend using al dente pasta (slightly undercooked). When you reheat it, the pasta will cook all of the way. This prevents the noodles from becoming mushy.

Recipe Tips & Tricks

  • I always use a cast iron skillet because it conducts heat better, resulting in a great flavor. But you can technically use any skillet you have on hand.
  • You can also take the skillet from the stovetop to the oven and broil for 1-2 minutes, or until the cheese is golden brown and bubbly.

Pairing Suggestions

I like to use my Quick and Easy Marinara Sauce for this lasagna, but you can use the jarred version if you’re really short on time. When you are ready to eat, add some extra grated parmesan. You can also top with some basil leaves for some extra fresh flavor! Try a Classic Wedge Salad for an easy appetizer. No lasagna dish can go without Garlic Bread to dip into the extra sauce. It’s a full meal ready in minutes!

How to Store

  • Serve: After serving, do not leave you lasagna at room temperature for more than 2 hours.
  • Store: Any leftovers can be transferred to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator up to 5 days.
  • Freeze: You can freeze lasagna in an airtight container for up to 4 months. To reheat, you can bake in the oven or in your skillet on the stovetop.

Alternative Cooking Methods

Slow Cooker Method

  • Brown the beef, onions and bell pepper in a skillet. Drain any excess grease.
  • Cook your pasta before adding it to your slow cooker. Make sure to not cook fully, the pasta will continue to cook in the slow cooker. Otherwise, your pasta may come out mushy.
  • In your slow cooker, add in your cooked beef, marinara sauce, and cooked pasta along with the other seasonings. Make sure to mix everything together.
  • Top the mixture with Mozzarella cheese and ricotta cheese.
  • Cook on low for 1-2 hours or on high for 45 minutes, all the cheese on top should be melted.
  • For the full recipe, check out Slow Cooker Lasagna.

Oven Baked Method

  • Preheat your oven to 375.
  • Brown the beef, onions and bell pepper in a skillet. Drain any excess grease.
  • Add your marinara sauce and all other ingredients, except the cheese, to the meat mixture.
  • Cook your pasta. Add the pasta directly to the meat sauce and combine.
  • Move lasagna to a 9×13 baking dish and top with mozzarella and ricotta.
  • Baked uncovered for 15-20 minutes. You can also broil for 1-2 minutes at the end for a cheese crust.

Variations

  • Meat: You can make this lasagna with other meat, like chicken or leftover Rotisserie Chicken, or even Italian sausage.
  • Veggies: Add some vegetables like zucchini, yellow squash, mushrooms, or eggplant.
  • Cheese: You can switch out traditional ricotta cheese and use smoothly blended cottage cheese or mascarpone. If your a cheese lover, you can add in extra mozzarella and top with parmesan.
  • Lighter: Lighten this lasagna up by using lean ground turkey, low fat or part-skim ricotta or mozzarella, or spaghetti squash instead of noodles. Or use whole grain pasta.

More Lasagna Recipes to Try!

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Photos used in previous version of this post

Cheesy Skillet Lasagna

About the Author: Sabrina Snyder

Sabrina is a professionally trained Private Chef of over 10 years with ServSafe Manager certification in food safety. She creates all the recipes here on Dinner, then Dessert, fueled in no small part by her love for bacon.

Sabrina Snyder is a professionally trained personal and private chef of over 10 years who is the creator and developer of all the recipes on Dinner, then Dessert.

She is also the author of the cookbook Dinner, then Dessert – Satisfying Meals Using Only 3, 5 or 7 Ingredients, published by Harper Collins.

She started Dinner, then Dessert as a business in her office as a lunch service for her coworkers who admired her lunches before going to culinary school and becoming a full time personal chef and private chef.

As a personal chef Sabrina would cook for families one day a week and cook their entire week of dinners. All grocery shopping, cooking and cleaning was done along with instructions on reheating. As a private chef she cooked for private parties and cooked in family homes in the evenings for families on a nightly basis after working as a personal chef during the day.

Sabrina has been certified as a ServSafe Manager since 2007 and was a longstanding member of the USPCA Personal Chef Association including being on the board of the Washington DC Chapter of Chefs in the US Personal Chef Association when they won Chapter of the year.

As a member of the community of food website creators Sabrina Snyder has spoken at many conferences regarding her experiences as a food writer including the Indulge Food Conference, Everything Food Conference, Haven Food Conference and IACP Annual Food Professionals Conference.

Sabrina lives with her family in sunny California.

See more posts by Sabrina

Dinner, then Dessert, Inc. owns the copyright on all images and text and does not allow for its original recipes and pictures to be reproduced anywhere other than at this site unless authorization is given. Read my disclosure and copyright policy. This post may contain affiliate links.

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Comments

  1. Absolutely delicious! I hadn’t planned dinner on a busy Monday night…Skillet Lasagna to the rescue! Definitely a keeper!

    Reply

  2. So easy and delicious. I had some leftover sauce and meatballs that I cut up and added in lieu of the hamburger. Other than that..I followed your recipe as directed. This will be in my “favorite recipe” rotation file. Thank you, Sabrina for all the great recipes!

    Reply