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One Pot Skillet Lasagna

One pot skillet lasagna with broken lasagna noodles simmered until tender in a rich beef marinara sauce, topped with ricotta dollops and melted mozzarella. This stovetop lasagna comes together in one deep oven-safe skillet for a weeknight no-bake style dinner that bubbles like classic lasagna.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Italian-American
Calories: 615
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

ground beef
  • 1 lb ground beef Use 80–90% lean for best flavor without excess grease.
onion
  • 1 onion
garlic
  • 4 garlic
marinara sauce
  • 1 jar (24 oz) marinara sauce
beef broth
  • 2 cup beef broth
lasagna noodles
  • 8 lasagna noodles Break into thirds so they cook evenly in the skillet.
Italian seasoning
  • 1 tsp Italian seasoning
red pepper flakes
  • 0.5 tsp red pepper flakes
salt and pepper
  • 0.25 tsp salt To taste.
  • 0.25 tsp pepper To taste.
ricotta cheese
  • 1 cup ricotta cheese Spoon in dollops so it melts in streaks.
mozzarella cheese
  • 1.5 cup mozzarella cheese Shred for faster melting.
parmesan
  • 0.25 cup parmesan Grated.
fresh basil
  • 1 fresh basil For garnish.

Equipment

  • 1 cast iron skillet

Method
 

Brown the beef and build the sauce
  1. Brown the ground beef with the diced onion in a large deep oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat, then drain excess fat and stir in the minced garlic for 30 seconds, until fragrant and sizzling.
  2. Pour in the marinara sauce and beef broth, then add Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper and bring the mixture to a boil, bubbling actively across the surface.
Simmer until the noodles are tender
  1. Stir in the broken lasagna noodles and make sure they are fully submerged in the sauce.
  2. Cover and simmer on medium-low for 18–20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the noodles are tender and the sauce thickens around the noodle pieces.
Melt the cheeses and serve
  1. Drop spoonfuls of ricotta over the top, then sprinkle mozzarella and parmesan evenly so they catch in the hot sauce.
  2. Cover for 3–5 minutes until the cheese melts and turns bubbly, then garnish with fresh basil and serve immediately.

Notes

Pro tip: if the sauce looks too thin before the noodles are tender, keep it covered for the full simmer time and stir a little more often—broken noodles absorb liquid as they cook. Store leftovers in the refrigerator up to 3 days; reheat in a skillet with a splash of broth or microwave until hot. Freezing: yes, freeze in an airtight container up to 2 months and thaw overnight before reheating. Dietary swap: use ground turkey in place of ground beef for a lighter version while keeping the same sauce and cheese topping.