All the flavour of lasagna, in a fraction of the time AND all in one pot? This super easy skillet lasagna will be your new weeknight go-to. Just get a bolognese sauce cooking, nestle in lasagna sheets, top it with a quick, cheesy ricotta topping and wait for the magic to happen.
Lasagna has to be one of the most comforting foods around. But, it is definitely a labour of love. You’ve got the slow-cooked meat sauce, the cheesy bechamel topping, all the arranging in your dish and then it needs time in the oven to cook. Great for a lazy Sunday in the kitchen, not so much for a busy weeknight.
This version has the flavours we all love in lasagna, in a fraction of the time and with minimal effort. It’s made in one pan so there’s hardly any washing up to do, you don’t have to make a bechamel sauce and it has barely any hands-on time.
All you have to do is get a bolognese sauce cooking, burrow in some lasagna sheets once it’s thickened up, and let them cook straight in the sauce. Spoon over ricotta, mozzarella and parmesan, then throw under the grill (broiler) to get all melty and glorious (or just pop the lid on your pan and let it melt if you don’t want to use your oven). A drizzle of basil pesto at the end freshens things up and finishes it beautifully. It takes just 45 minutes all up!
Ingredients
- Ground beef mince. I’m using lean (5%) ground beef, but you could definitely use one with a higher percentage of fat if you like.
- Tomato passata. Also called tomato puree in the US, I love using these super smooth tomatoes in the bolognese base as a little shortcut – using canned tomatoes that have already been blitzed and strained means you don’t have to wait for whole tomatoes to break down.
- Ricotta. I’m using this as the cheesy topping, rather than making a separate cheesy bechamel sauce to keep this as easy as possible. Mixing through parmesan adds more lovely umami flavour.
- Red wine. Skip this for an alcohol-free version.
- Lasagna sheets. Dried sheets are perfect here – there’s enough liquid in the bolognese sauce for them to cook straight in the pan.
Essential equipment: I’m using a 9.5″/24cm high-sided pan, with a lid. Ideally, you want to use a pan or skillet with high sides, so that the lasagna doesn’t overflow while cooking. A lid is also needed to speed up the cooking process of the lasagna sheets, but if your pan doesn’t have one, you can use a large wooden board or dinner plate.
How to make it
Cook your onion, carrot, celery and garlic in a little olive oil until softening, then add your ground beef. Cook, stirring for a few minutes until it browns.
At this point, add your tomato passata (puree), tomato paste, red wine and rosemary then stir and leave to simmer for about 10 minutes. Break your lasagna sheets in half (or into shards), then nestle them straight into the sauce. Pop your lid on and cook for 10 minutes on low heat, until the pasta is al dente (cooked, with a bite to it).
Once your pasta is al dente, spoon over your ricotta and parmesan mix, smoothing it to the edge of your pan. Scatter the mozzarella on top, then pop it under your broiler (grill) for 5 minutes, until golden and bubbling. Dollop over fresh basil pesto if you like, then dig in.
Got a question?
The lasagna keeps well for up to 5 days in the fridge, but, the pasta will continue to absorb liquid as it sits in the sauce, so the texture won’t be quite the same as when it’s freshly cooked. For that reason, if you want to get ahead, make the separate elements (the bolognese sauce and the ricotta topping), then simply jump down to step 4 in the recipe. Layer in the lasagna sheets, cook for 10 minutes then pop under the broiler for the topping to get all golden and bubbling.
The bolognese sauce can be made 5 days ahead of time, and the ricotta/parmesan mix will also be fine in the fridge for 5 days.
Yes, you can. The reason I skip it in this recipe is that it adds another pot and another cooking step, but you can 100% make this lasagna with a bechamel sauce. If you do, make your bechamel (my go-to recipe is 2 tablespoons butter, 2 tablespoons flour, 1 cup of milk, 1 cup of cheddar cheese, a little salt, pepper and paprika), then pour it on top of the lasagna after the pasta has cooked in the sauce. Scatter the mozzarella on top and transfer under the broiler.
I haven’t personally tried this, but I’m sure this would be perfectly fine.
This is a perfect recipe for freezing. I find it’s easier if you freeze it in portions (it’ll defrost quicker). Defrost overnight in the fridge (or on the countertop for a few hours), then you can either cover it with aluminium foil and reheat in the oven at 360F/180C for 15 minutes, or reheat it in the microwave.
Like this recipe? Here are more easy one-pot favourites
If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear from you! You can leave me a comment below.
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SUPER Easy One Pot Skillet Lasagna
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Description
All the flavour of lasagna, in a fraction of the time AND all in one pot? This super easy skillet lasagna will be your new weeknight go-to. Just get a bolognese sauce cooking, nestle in lasagna sheets, top it with a quick, cheesy ricotta topping and wait for the magic to happen.
Ingredients
For the lasagna –
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion, finely diced
- 1 carrot, finely diced or grated
- 1 celery stalk, finely diced
- 6 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1lb/500g ground beef mince
- 14oz/400g tomato puree (tomato passata)
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons fish sauce
- 1/4 cup red wine
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary, finely chopped (or 2 teaspoons dried rosemary)
- 7oz/200g dried lasagna sheets
- 1 cup ricotta
- 1/2 cup grated mozzarella
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan
Optional, to garnish –
- 2 tablespoons basil pesto
- Handful of fresh basil leaves
Instructions
- Soften your veggies. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to your pan or skillet, and set it over medium heat. Add the finely chopped carrot, celery, onion, crushed garlic cloves and 1 teaspoon of salt. Cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes, until the vegetables start to soften and change colour (the onion will look a little transparent and the carrot will look more muted in colour).
- Brown the ground beef. Add your ground beef, then break it up with a wooden spoon or a spatula. Cook your beef, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes, until it’s brown all over.
- Add the sauce ingredients. Pour in your tomato passata (puree), 1/4 cup tomato paste, 2 teaspoons of fish sauce if you’re using it, 1/4 cup of red win and your chopped rosemary. Stir, then reduce the heat to low and let the sauce simmer for 10 minutes, until it’s reduced slightly and starting to thicken up (it should still be quite saucy).
- Add your lasagna sheets. After 10 minutes, snap your lasagna sheets in half and carefully nestle them amongst the bolognese sauce. Try to arrange them all around the pan, pushing some a little further down into the sauce so they’re well dispersed. Spoon a little of the sauce over the sheets so that they’re at least just submerged in the sauce (this will help them cook), then pop the lid on your pan (or use a wooden board/large dinner plate) and cook over low heat for another 10 minutes.
- Mix your ricotta sauce. While the lasagna sheets are cooking, heat your broiler (grill) to 250C/480F. Then mix 1 cup of ricotta with 1/2 cup of parmesan in a small bowl. After 10 minutes, remove the lid from your pan. The lasagna sheets should be ‘al dente’ at this stage (cooked, still with a little bite to them). Spoon the ricotta and parmesan mix all over the top of your pan, smoothing it out so that it reaches around the edges. Scatter over the mozzarella, then transfer to the oven, to broil (grill) for 5 minutes, or until the sauce is golden, charred and bubbling.
- Garnish and serve. Carefully remove the pan from the oven, then dollop over the basil pesto if you’re using it and scatter with the basil leaves. Divide between plates, and dig in.
Notes
STORAGE INSTRUCTIONS: The lasagna will keep well for at least 5 days, stored in a covered container in the fridge. You can either reheat it in the microwave, at 1-minute intervals or pop it in the oven, covered with aluminium foil, at 180C/360F for 15 minutes to warm through.
INGREDIENT NOTES: I LOVE the savoury, umami hit the fish sauce brings, but you can leave it out if you don’t like it or don’t have it to hand. If you can’t find tomato passata (puree), use two 400g/14oz tins of crushed or plum tomatoes. You will have to cook the sauce a little longer if you do this, so the tomatoes can properly break down. Skip the red wine for an alcohol-free version. I like to use a mini food chopper to chop the onion, carrot, celery and garlic to save time.
NO BROILER (GRILL): You don’t need to place the lasagna under your broiler – it just makes it look a little better because you’ll get all those lovely charred spots on top of the sauce. If you don’t want to use your oven, just pop the lid back on your pan after you’ve added the cheese, and set it over low heat for 5 minutes, until the cheese has melted.
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 35
- Category: pasta
- Method: stove top
- Cuisine: mediterranean
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 200g
Keywords: lasagne, skillet lasagna
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