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This quick and easy take on classic lasagna combines ground beef, tomato sauce, broken lasagna noodles, and a cheesy topping all in one pot for an easy, weeknight-friendly dinner recipe. It’s sure to be a hit with the whole family!
How is This One Pot Lasagna Recipe Different From Regular Lasagna?
Traditional lasagna is typically made of pasta, ragù (Italian meat sauce), a ricotta mixture (or béchamel sauce), and shredded cheese (like mozzarella and Parmesan) layered into a large casserole dish and baked. It’s a time consuming process that results in a lot of dishes to clean because the components are made separately before assembling. Once the pasta dish is assembled, it typically bakes for quite a while – an hour or so. Lasagna bakes up beautifully and you can see the casserole layers when it’s sliced. But on the downside, regular lasagna is not the most weeknight friendly meal.
One pot lasagna is a simplified version of the classic recipe that makes the entire dish in one pot, pan, or skillet. We start by browning ground beef, then stir in broken lasagna noodles, tomato sauce, water, and seasonings, and cook until the pasta is tender. After that, we add a cheesy topping and broil it to melt the cheese. It’s not layered, so instead of slicing, we scoop it out. The end result is a quicker and easier rustic take on lasagna that’s weeknight friendly – with the same flavor, but a lot fewer dishes to clean!
Ingredients
Breaking It Down
Ingredients Explained
In this section I explain the ingredients and give substitution ideas where applicable. For the full recipe (including the ingredient amounts), see the recipe card below.
One Pan Lasagna Ingredients
- Ground beef – 85% lean ground beef works well here. It has just the right amount of fat that renders off so we don’t need to add any oil. If you use leaner ground beef, add a splash of olive oil. Alternatively, if you use fattier ground beef, you may want to remove some of the excess fat that cooks off after browning the meat (drain it off with a colander or sop it up with a paper towel). Another delicious option is to use bulk Italian turkey sausage here instead of ground beef, and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
- Onion and garlic – Adds savory depth of flavor to this quick and easy lasagna recipe.
- Marinara sauce – Use homemade marinara sauce or good quality store-bought marinara sauce.
- Water – Water rehydrates the noodles. Instead of cooking the lasagna noodles separately, we simplify the process and add water to the pot along with the pasta.
- Dried Italian herb seasoning – This blend usually contains the following dried herbs: basil, rosemary, thyme, and parsley, and sometimes marjoram and/or savory.
- Sugar – To balance the acidity of the tomato sauce. If your tomato sauce is on the sweeter side, you can skip the added sugar.
- Salt and black pepper – To make sure this dish isn’t bland.
- Lasagna noodles – Use regular lasagna pasta sheets here (not the no-boil kind), and roughly break them up into pieces.
Cheesy Topping Ingredients
- Ricotta – Ricotta is a classic ingredient in traditional lasagna recipes. It’s deliciously rich and creamy. If you prefer, you can use pureed cottage cheese instead of ricotta here.
- Parmesan – Use freshly-grated Parmesan for the best flavor.
- Garlic powder, onion powder, dried Italian herb seasoning, salt, and black pepper – This is the spice blend that takes our creamy ricotta mixture to the next level.
- Mozzarella – A key ingredient! Or if I’m feeling wild and crazy, sometimes I’ll use a mozzarella/provolone mix here.
Garnish Ideas (Optional)
- Fresh basil – If you have fresh basil on hand, it adds a lovely pop of flavor and color. Fresh parsley is also great here.
- Parmesan cheese – Use freshly-grated for best flavor.
Let’s Talk Noodles For Skillet Lasagna
- Don’t use no-boil noodles here because they have a different water to pasta ratio and different cooking time. To keep it simple and accessible, in this recipe we use regular lasagna noodles broken into pieces.
- You aren’t limited to lasagna noodles! Any shape of pasta that’s about the same size as broken lasagna noodles will work well. Just be sure to use regular pasta, not the no-boil kind. (Side Note: Have you heard of mafalda pasta (also called reginette pasta)? It’s a type of flat ribbon pasta that’s about 1/2-inch wide with ruffled edges, essentially like a thicker version of fettuccine pasta with ruffled edges like lasagna pasta.)
Instructions
Roughly break up the lasagna noodles into pieces.
- Brown the beef. Add the ground beef and onion to a 4 to 6-quart Dutch oven (or other similar oven-safe pot) over medium to medium-high heat. Cook until the meat is browned and the onion is softened, about 5 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally to break up the meat. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.
- Cook. Stir in all remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil, then cook uncovered for 15 minutes, stirring frequently (scraping up from the bottom with a wooden spoon) so the pasta doesn’t stick. Turn the heat down to low, cover the pot, and cook 5 minutes.
- Remove from the heat. Give it a stir. This is how it looks once the pasta is cooked.
- Make the cheesy topping. Add all ingredients for the cheesy topping (except the mozzarella) to a medium bowl and stir to combine.
- Add the ricotta mixture. Dollop the ricotta mixture on top of the pasta.
- Add the mozzarella. Sprinkle the mozzarella evenly on top. Broil to melt the cheese and lightly brown it in spots. Cover the pot, and let it sit for 10 minutes to set a bit before serving.
Serve garnished with fresh basil and Parmesan cheese if desired.
Storage
Store leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Serving Suggestions
To make this lasagna recipe into a full meal, serve it with any of the following:
Tips For the Best One Pan Lasagna Recipe
- After adding the pasta, make sure you stir frequently. Use a wooden spoon to scrape up from the bottom as you stir to prevent the pasta from sticking to the pot.
- It’s possible to make this recipe without an oven if you only have access to a stovetop because we only use the broiler to melt and brown the cheese. After adding the cheesy topping, cover the pot and let it sit for 10 minutes off the heat. The cheese won’t brown on top, but it will melt perfectly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Traditional lasagna uses a combination of ricotta for creaminess, mozzarella for the melt, and Parmesan for salty, nutty richness. These cheeses also work well in this simplified lasagna.
Nope! In this recipe, we add dry pasta directly to the pot with the other ingredients.
No, not for this recipe. No-boil noodles typically require less liquid and less time to cook than regular noodles. This recipe uses regular lasagna noodles that are broken into pieces.
It’s common to see lasagna recipes with egg added to the ricotta mixture (typically 1 egg per 1 pound of ricotta). Egg acts as a binder and helps the cheese set, which is especially useful for traditional lasagna recipes that are cut into slices when served. However, we don’t add egg here because we don’t slice the lasagna. But with that being said, feel free to add an egg to the ricotta mixture if you want to bump up the protein a bit.
Yes! For this recipe, you’ll need a skillet that’s 12 to 14-inches in diameter with deep sides.
In Italian, lasagna refers to one pasta sheet and lasagne refers to multiple sheets and the finished dish.
More Easy One Pot Dinner Recipes You’ll Love
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One Pot Lasagna Recipe
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Ingredients
Lasagna:
- 1 pound 85% lean ground beef
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 6 large cloves garlic crushed
- 28 ounces marinara sauce
- 2 cups water
- 1 tablespoon dried Italian herb seasoning
- 2 teaspoons granulated white sugar
- 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 8 ounces lasagna pasta roughly broken
Cheesy Topping:
- 1 cup ricotta
- 2 ounces freshly-grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon dried Italian herb seasoning
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 4 ounces shredded mozzarella or a mozzarella/provolone mix
Garnishes (Optional):
- Fresh basil or parsley
- Freshly-grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Brown the beef. Add the ground beef and onion to a 4 to 6-quart Dutch oven (or other similar oven-safe pot) over medium to medium-high heat. Cook until the meat is browned and the onion is softened, about 5 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally to break up the meat. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.
- Cook. Stir in all remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil, then cook uncovered for 15 minutes, stirring frequently (scraping up from the bottom with a wooden spoon) so the pasta doesn’t stick. Turn the heat down to low, cover the pot, and cook 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and give it a stir.
- Make the cheesy topping. Add all ingredients for the cheesy topping (except the mozzarella) to a medium bowl and stir to combine. Dollop the ricotta mixture on top of the pasta, and then sprinkle the mozzarella evenly on top.
- Broil. Broil to melt the cheese and lightly brown it in spots. Cover the pot, and let it sit for 10 minutes to set a bit before serving.
- Serve. Serve garnished with fresh basil and Parmesan cheese if desired.
Notes
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is automatically calculated and should be used as an approximate.
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I’m the writer, recipe developer, photographer, and food stylist behind this blog. I love finding the human connection through something we all do every day: eat! Food is a common ground that we can all relate to, and our tables tell a story. It’s my goal to inspire you to get in the kitchen, try something new, and find a favorite you didn’t know you had.
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