Description
Skillet Lasagna is a delicious one-pan Italian-inspired dish featuring layers of ground beef, sweet Italian sausage, broken lasagna noodles, and a savory tomato sauce topped with a creamy blend of ricotta, parmesan, and mozzarella cheeses. This easy-to-make skillet meal combines all the classic flavors of traditional lasagna but uses a stovetop cooking method to save time, making it perfect for a satisfying weeknight dinner.
Ingredients
Scale
Meat and Aromatics
- ½ pound lean ground beef
- ½ pound sweet Italian sausage, small chopped
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
Base and Seasonings
- 9 full-size lasagna noodles, broken into small pieces (about 1 to 1 ½ inches)
- 23.75 ounce jarred pasta sauce
- 1½ cups water
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ⅛ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
Cheese Mixture
- 8 ounce cup ricotta cheese
- ⅓ cup freshly shredded parmesan cheese
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
Topping
- 1¼ cups freshly shredded mozzarella cheese
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh basil
Instructions
- Cook the Meat: In a 10 to 12 inch skillet over medium-high heat, add the ground beef and sweet Italian sausage. Use a wooden spoon to break the meat apart as it cooks and stir often.
- Drain Grease: Once the meat is no longer pink, drain any excess grease and return the skillet to the heat.
- Sauté Garlic: Reduce heat to medium and add minced garlic. Cook for about one minute until fragrant, stirring constantly to avoid burning.
- Add Noodles and Sauce: Add the broken lasagna noodles, jarred pasta sauce, water, Italian seasoning, and optional crushed red pepper flakes. Stir everything to combine well.
- Bring to a Boil: Cover the skillet with a lid and bring the sauce to a low boil over medium heat.
- Simmer: Reduce the heat to medium-low and let the lasagna simmer uncovered for 30 to 35 minutes. Stir often to prevent noodles sticking. Add up to ½ cup more water if mixture becomes too thick or starts to dry out.
- Prepare Cheese Mixture: In a small bowl, stir together ricotta cheese, shredded parmesan, kosher salt, and black pepper until well blended.
- Add Cheese Layer: Once noodles are soft and the sauce has thickened, drop spoonfuls of the ricotta mixture evenly over the top of the lasagna in the skillet.
- Top with Mozzarella: Sprinkle the shredded mozzarella cheese evenly over the ricotta dollops.
- Melt Cheese: Reduce heat to low, cover skillet again and let cheese melt and become bubbly, about 5 to 8 minutes.
- Garnish and Serve: Remove from heat. Garnish with minced fresh basil and serve the lasagna hot straight from the skillet.
Notes
- Use fresh basil for a vibrant flavor and garnish just before serving.
- If the sauce boils too vigorously, lower the heat further to prevent burning or drying.
- To keep noodles from sticking during simmer, frequent stirring is essential.
- You can substitute sweet Italian sausage with mild or spicy, depending on preference.
- This skillet method eliminates the need for oven baking, making cleanup easier.
