Layers need not apply in this easy weekday Skillet Lasagna! This deconstructed lasagna serves up all the flavor of your favorite Italian dinner in less time and with much less work.
Who’s ready for a lazy dinner!?
I, for one, am always down for a set-it-and-forget-it slow cooker or Instant Pot meal, but there’s definitely something equally alluring about skillet dinners.
For a little bit more effort than tossing everything in a pot, you’re rewarded with a homestyle meal that you can feel stick to your ribs. In a totally good way.
As a totally unforgiving carboholic, I can promise you that you’re gonna love this one pot lasagna recipe.
This page includes step by step instructions, as well as tips and notes. If you’d like to skip all that, feel free to scroll down to the full, printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.
I don’t know about you, but lasagna has always been one of those dishes I adored but never made simply because of the work involved.
Layers? Parboiling? Nah. Baked ziti and penne rosa gratify much quicker.
Deconstructed lasagna, on the other hand, is absolutely the best way to enjoy lasagna for mostly lazy cooks like moi.
And you, obviously, since you clicked on this recipe.
As always, no judgment from me. I run a food blog and am admitting to being a lazy chef.
I’m all about the cheese in my lasagna recipes, and this one isn’t hurting for it. Mozzarella, generous dollops of fresh ricotta cheese, and freshly grated Parm will satisfy the dairy lover in you, but a little bit of protein doesn’t hurt, either.
I made this batch with some leftover spicy Italian sausage I wanted to use up, but ground lean ground beef, chicken, or pork would be yummy in here, too. If you’re feeling particularly adventurous, venison sausage would be pretty amazing. I’d love to hear what other meats you put in your lasagna!
If you like more of a meat lovers lasagna, feel free to add multiple types of meat to this dish. This is definitely not a vegetarian recipe.
This easy lasagna recipe is definitely going to be added to our “what do we want for dinner” menu. Not to mention the perfect al dente noodles! It’s a bit larger than the dinners I’ve been making, at about 4 servings, but having leftover pasta in the house is never a bad idea.
As it turns out, second-day skillet lasagna is just as good as second-day spaghetti. Well duh.
This simple recipe is great for any night of the week, especially those busy weeknights when you don’t want to put a lot of effort into cooking. It’s the perfect comfort food, especially in the Winter!
Also can we talk about clean up? Since this is a one pan lasagna, clean up is super minimal!
So this might be a stretch but it’s kinda like a healthy dinner right? It has half of the lasagna noodles as a normal lasagna recipe. It’s sure to become a family favorite!
Ingredients
- oil (olive oil, avocado oil, or other desired oil)
- ground Italian sausage
- shallots
- fresh garlic
- red wine
- canned diced tomatoes
- tomato sauce
- Italian seasoning
- red pepper flakes
- kosher salt
- black pepper
- oven-ready lasagna noodles
- mozzarella cheese
- parmesan cheese
- ricotta cheese
- fresh basil
Recipe Substitutions
- If you don’t have or like ricotta cheese, you can substitute full fat cottage cheese instead.
- You can substitute marinara sauce instead of canned tomato sauce
- Can substitute crushed tomatoes instead of tomato sauce
- If you don’t want to use wine, you can substitute beef broth or chicken broth instead
How to make easy skillet lasagna
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a large skillet or cast iron skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Brown the ground sausage for 3-4 minutes, breaking it up as it cooks with a wooden spoon.
- Next, add the shallots and minced garlic. Cook for an additional 2-4 minutes until softened. After that add in the wine and deglaze the pan, scrping the brown bits from the bottom and stirring them into the mix.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the diced tomatoes, sauce, Italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes. Season with salt and upper to taste, then bring it to a simmer for 5 minutes.
- Break the uncooked lasagna noodles into 3-4 pieces and scatter them in the skillet, stirring gently to cover them with the sauce. Make sure the noodles are flat in the skillet, then top with mozzarella cheese.
- Transfer the skillet to the pre-heated oven and bake for 25 minutes. Remove the skillet from the oven and place large dollops of ricotta on top of the melted mozzarella.
- Next sprinkle the parmesan cheese and return the skillet to the oven for an additional 3-5, broiling if desired for a browned top.
- Finally garnish with fresh basil leaves before serving.
Recipe Tips:
- Store leftovers in an airtight container.
- Reheat leftover lasagna in the microwave. Cover with a damp paper towel so that sauce doesn’t pop everywhere and so that the noodles don’t dry out. Microwave on high for 2 minutes or until warm throughout.
- Don’t be afraid to top your lasagna with extra cheese, I love the way it looks when cheese melts across the noodles.
- If you have extra meat sauce left over, simple boil up some pasta or serve over zoodles or cooked spaghetti squash.
- To add some extra nutrients to this dish you can add diced bell peppers or chopped mushrooms.
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Easy Weekday Skillet Lasagna
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons oil
- 3 links Italian sausage casings removed
- 2 shallots minced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- ¼ cup red wine or chicken broth
- 14.5 ounces canned diced tomatoes
- 8 ounces canned tomato sauce
- 2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper
- 5 ounces oven-ready lasagna noodles
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese shredded
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese grated
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- Fresh basil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Brown sausage 3-4 minutes, breaking it up as it cooks. Add shallots and garlic and cook 2-4 minutes until softened.
- Splash in the wine and deglaze the pan, scraping the brown bits from the bottom and stirring them into the mix. Reduce heat to medium-low and add the diced tomatoes, sauce, Italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then bring it to a simmer for 5 minutes.
- Break the lasagna noodles into 3-4 pieces each and scatter them in the skillet, stirring gently to cover them with the sauce. Make sure the noodles are flat in the skillet, then top with mozzarella.
- Transfer skillet to preheated oven and bake for 25 minutes. Remove skillet from oven and place large dollops of ricotta on top of the melted mozzarella. Sprinkle on the grated Parmesan, then return the skillet to the oven for 3-5 minutes, broiling if desired for a browned top.
- Garnish with fresh basil before serving.
