This one pot skillet lasagna is so easy to make in just 20 minutes on the stovetop! This healthy lasagna recipe takes oven-ready Barilla noodles, sauce, and cottage cheese to make a delicious deconstructed lazy lasagna for dinner. This one pan meal is an easy weeknight meal your entire family will love!
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Jump to:
- Why You Need to Make This One Pot Skillet Lasagna
- Ingredients & Substitutions
- How to Make This Lazy Lasagna Recipe
- What is the Trick to Cooking Lasagna with a Cast Iron Skillet?
- Other Expert Tips for Recipe Success
- Storage, Freezing, Reheating, Make Ahead, & Serving
- Recipe FAQs
- More Easy and Healthy Pasta Recipes for Dinner!
- Lazy One Pot Skillet Lasagna with No Boil Noodles
Why You Need to Make This One Pot Skillet Lasagna
Here are the top 5 reasons why you need to make this one pot skillet lasagna:
- One pan (or cast iron skillet or Dutch oven) makes fewer dishes and easy cleanup! It is one of my favorite lazy dinner recipes for any night of the week.
- This quick and easy lasagna recipe can be made homemade in just about 20 minutes. Minimal effort and no soaking noodles are required!
- Great for make-ahead meals, busy weeknights, and having leftovers! You can make this skillet lasagna recipe ahead up to 4 days and reheat it throughout the week.
- Healthy comfort food meal that is full of delicious flavor and Italian seasoning.
- Lightened-up, less fat, more protein, and healthy lasagna recipe includes cottage cheese as a substitute for ricotta.
Ingredients & Substitutions
Here are the ingredients you need to make this recipe. Reference the recipe card at the bottom for exact measurements and the notes below for substitution ideas.
Made with No Boil Lasagna Noodles
Use oven-ready lasagna noodles like Barilla lasagna noodles - select no-boil, oven-ready lasagna sheets. Barilla also makes a gluten-free oven-ready lasagne noodle.
What is Lasagna Sauce Made of?
The sauce is one of the main layers in one pot skillet lasagna. It helps to boil the noodles and provides moisture and flavor.
Make your own homemade marinara sauce or use a jarred sauce like Rao's.
Include meats like turkey sausage to make the meat sauce and add more protein to this one pan skillet lasagna.
You can swap out turkey sausage for pork Italian sausage, lean ground beef, ground turkey, ground chicken, or omit meat or use chopped mushrooms for a vegetarian version.
Yellow onion and garlic provide depth of flavor to the sauce and meat.
What Kind of Cheese to Use in Lasagna?
2% cottage cheese is a main binder in lazy lasagna. It is a substitute to make this lasagna recipe without ricotta cheese. Use ricotta cheese for a more classic version.
The cheese mixture includes mozzarella cheese, a key ingredient in traditional lasagna. It binds the lasagna layers together along with the other cheese.
Parmesan cheese is a salty cheese added to the cheese mixture for an additional layer of flavors.
Other Lasagna Ingredients to Include
Salt and pepper are essential seasonings to round out the flavor.
Italian seasoning (not shown) is added to the cheese for even more Italian savory flavors.
Top with fresh basil, parsley, or red pepper flakes for a spicy kick.
Optional Ingredients & Variations
Omit meat and add in vegetables like zucchini or bell peppers for a vegetarian recipe.
For even more nutrition, stir in some spinach prior to adding the no-boil lasagna noodles. It will wilt during simmering.
If you like lasagna, be sure to try this zucchini lasagna roll recipe also!
How to Make This Lazy Lasagna Recipe
Below are step-by-step instructions for how to cook this recipe with the best results. The recipe card at the bottom shows the exact cooking time and temperatures.
Step 1
Heat olive oil in a large skillet or cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add onions and cook for about 5-7 minutes or until translucent and starting to brown.
Add the minced garlic and stir for about 30-60 seconds until fragrant.
Step 2
Add in meat (if using) and cook until browned. Add in the pasta sauce and simmer for 5 minutes.
Mix the cheese ingredients in a small bowl.
Step 3
Use a cookie scooper to scoop cheese and evenly spread across the pan.
Step 4
Place broken lasagna noodles across the top of the skillet. Gently press down.
Spray a large piece of aluminum foil with cooking spray and gently tent the skillet on top of the pasta. Simmer on low for about 15 minutes or until noodles are soft and al dente and the cheese melts.
What is the Trick to Cooking Lasagna with a Cast Iron Skillet?
Here are my top 3 tips for making one pot skillet lasagna in a cast iron skillet:
- Avoid burning: Once the skillet lasagna has been assembled and is ready to simmer for 15 minutes, be sure to simmer on low heat. The sauce can burn, especially if it is thicker. Add a little bit of water, beef broth, or chicken broth to your sauce if it's super thick to prevent burning.
- How to avoid noodles sticking to the bottom: Spray the bottom of the skillet with cooking spray to avoid sticking.
- How to clean a cast iron skillet: If the sauce does burn (it's happened to me!) use baking soda to remove burn marks from your cast iron skillet.
Other Expert Tips for Recipe Success
- Texture: If you're concerned about the texture of the cottage cheese, use an immersion blender or food processor to combine the cheese before dropping it into the cast iron skillet. This will help the texture to be more smooth and more similar to ricotta.
- Before topping the cast iron skillet with foil, spray the foil with a bit of olive oil spray to prevent the cheese from sticking to the foil.
- Allow lasagna to set for about 5 minutes before serving.
Storage, Freezing, Reheating, Make Ahead, & Serving
Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container for 3-4 days in the refrigerator.
Freezing: No boil lasagna may be made ahead and cooled before storing in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.
For ease, consider transferring to a disposable pan covered in aluminum foil and sealed within a large Ziploc bag. This makes for a perfect freezer meal!
Reheating: The easiest way to reheat leftovers is by reheating them in the microwave in 60-second increments until heated through. To reheat the entire skillet, heat in a 350F oven until heated through.
Make-ahead meals: You can make one pot skillet lasagna up to 4 days in advance. Portions may be put into meal prep containers for easy reheating and a delicious and easy weeknight meal!
Serving: Serve with garlic bread Hawaiian rolls, a green salad, or a side of blistered green beans for a super simple dinner.
Recipe FAQs
In this recipe, you want to select the no-boil or oven-ready lasagna. There is likely not enough moisture in the recipe to actually boil the lasagna noodles which is required when using regular noodles.
I almost always use cottage cheese instead of ricotta when making lasagna. The flavors are quite similar and I love the extra protein and less fat that cottage cheese has for this recipe.
No egg is required for this no-boil lasagna! Egg helps to bind the cheese to the lasagna which is more important in a classic layered recipe versus this deconstructed skillet version.
Start with sauce, then meat, and then cheese. It is very important that the sauce is not too thick and is on the bottom to avoid burning.
They may not be getting enough steam during the simmering process. Use a spatula to press them down a bit into the sauce and then be sure that the foil is sealed around the cast iron skillet.
More Easy and Healthy Pasta Recipes for Dinner!
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Lazy One Pot Skillet Lasagna with No Boil Noodles
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 small onion diced
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 16 oz turkey sausage
- 1 cup 2% cottage cheese
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 24 oz marinara sauce
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 8 sheets oven-ready, no boil lasagna
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Chop onion and saute for about 5 minutes or until translucent. Add in turkey sausage and cook until no longer pink.1 small onion, 2 tablespoon olive oil, 16 oz turkey sausage
- Stir in sauce and allow to simmer for 5 minutes. If sauce seems too thick, add in a little water or chicken broth to thin the sauce. While sauce is simmering combine cheeses and Italian seasoning in a small bowl and set aside. After sauce has simmered for 5 minutes, stir in garlic.1 cup 2% cottage cheese, ½ cup Parmesan cheese, 1 cup mozzarella cheese, 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning, 24 oz marinara sauce, 2 cloves garlic
- Scoop cheese mixture and evenly distribute across the skillet.
- Break up lasagna sheets and place evenly across the skillet. Spray a large piece of foil with cooking spray and cover skillet. Simmer on low for 15 minutes or until noodles are soft. Allow to set for 5 minutes before serving and top with fresh chopped parsley.8 sheets oven-ready, no boil lasagna
Notes
- Use an immersion blender or food processor to combine the cheese mixture for a smoother texture.
- Spray the bottom of the pan with cooking spray to avoid sticking.
- Spray the foil with a bit of olive oil spray to prevent the cheese from sticking to the foil before topping the lasagna.
- Simmer lasagna on low heat to avoid burning. Add a little bit of water or chicken broth to your sauce if it's super thick to prevent burning.
- How to clean a cast iron skillet: If the sauce does burn use baking soda to remove burn marks from your cast iron skillet.
- Let lasagna set for about 5-10 minutes before serving.
- Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days in the refrigerator.
- Make recipe ahead and cool before storing in a freezer safe container for up to 3 months. To make it easier, use a disposable pan covered in aluminum foil and sealed within a large Ziploc bag.
- Reheat leftovers in the microwave in 60 second increments until heated through. To reheat the entire skillet, heat in a 350F oven until heated through.
- Make this recipe up to 4 days in advance.
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Pamela says
Pleasantly surprised how easy this is to make. As I scooped it on my plate meat is on bottom, noodles on top. My husband was skeptical but it was delicious!!
Lyndsey Piccolino says
Hi Pamela! I'm so glad you liked this skillet lasagna! Thanks so much for your review and comment!