This Skillet Lasagna is one of our One Pan Dinner Recipes that is equally perfect for busy weeknights, entertaining guests, or satisfying comfort food cravings. Made start to finish on the stove, this pasta requires no layering or extra fuss. It's the most delicious combo of spicy Italian sausage, jarred marinara sauce, noodles (regular or no-boil!), and of course plenty of mozzarella and ricotta cheese.
Ready in under 45 minutes with minimal dishes, this dinner is a guaranteed winner! Check out the full post for step by step instructions and tips to make the best stovetop lasagna of your life!
This skillet lasagna recipe has been tested and tried with all the most popular ingredients to nail down the very best combination of ease, flavor, and texture!
Check out more of our favorite dinner recipes or try another one pot pasta like this Marry Me Chicken Pasta or this easy Spicy Sausage Pasta!
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Why this recipe stands out
- It's flavorful: We use super simple tricks (like blooming the spices) to make sure that it doesn't just taste like jarred marinara sauce. It's really flavorful!
- It has variation options: Every kitchen has different staples, so we've included ideas below to make this your own.
- We include lots of tips: We want every reader to have success making our meals, so we have included detailed instructions and tips below so that you don't have to guess about what works!
Ingredients for one pot lasagna
Most of these are pantry staples! Ingredient quantities are in the recipe card below, but here are a few noteworthy tips to help guide you.
- Spicy Italian sausage: This is where the most flavor comes, so I really suggest choosing one you like. It's simple, but I have enjoyed the Walmart brand hot Italian sausage
- Onion: You can use yellow, white, or sweet onions. To make chopping faster, we have been liking this vegetable chopper!
- Garlic: I prefer to buy mine minced because it's so much faster, but mincing your own is also a great option.
- Seasonings: You'll need kosher salt, dried basil, dried oregano, dried parsley, dried thyme. I have found that I enjoy this homemade blend, but you can also substitute with Italian seasoning.
- Marinara sauce: It is super important to use a quality pasta sauce you like the taste of. We like Rao's (this isn't an ad, just genuinely what we use)/
- Water: This helps the noodles cook directly in the sauce.
- Noodles: I have made this with both regular and no-boil lasagna noodles. Either will work, but check the FAQ section for more details.
- Ricotta cheese: Choose a whole milk ricotta to ensure you get a creamy texture.
- Mozzarella cheese: I usually buy a block of low-moisture mozzarella and shred it myself. You can also buy it shredded, but it may not melt as well since pre-shredded cheese is coated in other ingredients.
- Parmesan cheese: Again, best choice is a block that you shred yourself, or buy it shredded already (but be sure it is real parmesan, not the powdered kind).
- Fresh basil: This adds so much flavor at the end! I don't suggest skipping it.
Helpful kitchen tools
How to make skillet lasagna step by step
Before you start, make sure you have a large 12-inch skillet with a lid (tall sides are a bonus and will help you stir it more easily). If you don't have a skillet, you can also use a dutch oven, but broiling it may be difficult.
Step 1: Heat the large skillet over medium high heat. Once hot, add the ground sausage and cook for 3-5 minutes, or until it is cooked through. While it is cooking, use a spatula or ground meat masher to break it into small pieces (that tool is SO worth it).
If there is a lot of excess oil, use paper towels to soak up the extra until only ½-1 tablespoon remains.
Step 2: Add the diced onion and cook for another 3 minutes, stirring often.
Step 3: Add the garlic and all the seasonings, stirring well. Allow them to cook for 30-60 seconds. This technique is called "blooming" and it really pulls out all the flavor from the herbs!
Step 4: Pour in the marinara sauce and the water and stir everything together, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan.
Step 5: Take your noodles and break each sheet into about 4 pieces. Stir the broken noodles into the sauce gently, then nestle them so that they lay flat and are mostly submerged. This will help them cook evenly.
Step 6: Increase the heat to high and bring the sauce to a strong simmer. Once simmering, reduce the heat to low, cover the pan with a lid, and cook for 25-30 minutes.
Stir the pasta gently every 5-7 minutes to help the noodles cook evenly. Once they are al dente, you can remove the pan from the heat.
Step 7: Now you can add your cheese on top! The order doesn't really matter, but I have found that it looks the prettiest if you do the parmesan first, then add drops of ricotta (I use a small cookie scoop or a spoon), then sprinkle the mozzarella in between the ricotta.
Pop the whole skillet under the broiler for 2-4 minutes until the cheese is melted and starting to brown slightly. If you prefer to skip this step, simply replace the lid on the pan for a few minutes to until the cheese melts. Sprinkle with fresh basil and serve!
Variations for skillet lasagna
- Use regular, mild, or another flavor sausage (my local grocery store sells a sage sausage that would be yummy)!
- Use lean ground beef instead - it will not be as flavorful, but will still lend itself well to this recipe.
- Try red onion instead for a twist on the flavor.
- Add red pepper flakes for extra spice!
- Use fresh herbs instead of dried. The rule of thumb is 1 tablespoon of fresh for every 1 teaspoon of dried.
- Add spinach for some extra green. You'll want to saute it until it's wilted, then stir it into the ricotta cheese.
- Change up the cheese! Try mascarpone, fontina, gruyere, or pecorino for a change.
- Use your favorite homemade marinara sauce.
- Add a splash of red wine before adding the water and marinara sauce (be careful here as you don't want too much extra liquid).
What to serve with lasagna besides salad
There are plenty of exciting side dishes that pair well with this pasta besides, of course, a simple green salad or even Italian Chopped Salad.
- Garlic Rosemary Focaccia Bread
- Garlic Parmesan Roasted Carrots
- Herby Pull Apart Bread
- Roasted green veggies of any kind (broccoli, green beans, or Brussels sprouts are all good options)
- Garlic Parmesan Dinner Rolls or garlic bread
- Hot Honey Pizza (if you're a pasta and pizza person🤤)
- Bruschetta with Mozzarella
Storage and reheating instructions
Storage: Leftovers will last in the fridge in an airtight container for 3-5 days.
Reheating: Reheat in the microwave for 1-2 minutes, or until warmed through. You can broil it again for a little extra crisp on the cheese, plus top it with fresh basil.
FAQs
I have used both oven-ready and regular lasagna noodles for this recipe. I typically use regular, but both work well. The oven-ready cook a few minutes faster and absorb a little more liquid. If they are not quite soft near the end of the cooking time but all the liquid is gone from the pan, add another splash of water and allow it to keep cooking until they are soft.
I highly recommend the traditional combination of mozzarella (which adds that gooey, melty texture), ricotta (which adds a creamy texture), and parmesan (which adds a lot of flavor). So delicious!
Since every stove is different, the cooking time can vary slightly. If you have cooked the dish on the stove for 25-30 minutes and the noodles still aren't quite soft enough, the heat was likely not quite high enough. Add a splash of water and continue cooking it for another 3-5 minutes, or until the noodles are soft.
Tips & tricks
- Break 1-2 noodles at a time for the most control. If you try to break them all at the same time you will get random shards instead of even pieces.
- Measure your 1 cup of water into the marinara jar and shake it up to get every ounce of sauce out!
- When you open the lid to stir each time, allow the water from the lid to drip back down into the pan. This will keep plenty of moisture in there.
- Stir very gently so that you don't break the noodles.
- After you dish up, fill your skillet with warm water to soak while you eat. This makes cleanup faster!
More Italian recipes
Looking for more like this? Try these:
This post was photographed by Rhadonda Sedgwick.
Recipe
Simple Skillet Lasagna w/ Italian Sausage (One Pot!)
Ingredients
- 1 lb spicy Italian sausage
- 1 cup yellow or sweet onion diced (about 1 small or med onion)
- 1 tablespoon garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 22 oz jar marinara sauce (see note)
- 1 cup water
- 6 oz lasagna noodles about 8 sheets, broken into 4 pieces each (see note)
- ¾ cup whole milk ricotta cheese
- 4 oz (about 1.5 cups) mozzarella cheese shredded
- 1 oz (about ½ cup) parmesan cheese shredded
- 1-2 tablespoon fresh basil sliced or chopped
Instructions
- Heat the large skillet over medium high heat. Once hot, add the sausage and cook for 3-5 minutes, or until it is cooked through. While it is cooking, use a spatula or ground meat masher to break it into small pieces. If there is a lot of excess oil, use paper towels to soak up the extra until only ½-1 tablespoon remains.1 lb spicy Italian sausage
- Add the diced onion and cook for another 3 minutes, stirring often.1 cup yellow or sweet onion
- Add the garlic and all the seasonings, stirring well. Allow them to cook for 30-60 seconds.1 tablespoon garlic, 1 teaspoon dried basil, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 1 teaspoon dried parsley, ½ teaspoon dried thyme, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- Pour in the marinara sauce and the water and stir everything together.1 22 oz jar marinara sauce , 1 cup water
- Stir the broken noodles into the sauce gently, then nestle them so that they lay flat and are mostly submerged. Increase the heat to high and bring the sauce to a strong simmer. Once simmering, reduce the heat to low, cover the pan with a lid, and cook for 25-30 minutes. Stir the pasta gently every 5-7 minutes to help the noodles cook evenly.6 oz lasagna noodles
- Once the pasta is al dente, remove the pan from the heat. Sprinkle the parmesan on top, then add drops of ricotta (I use a small cookie scoop or a spoon), then sprinkle the mozzarella in between the ricotta. Pop the whole skillet under the broiler for 2-4 minutes until the cheese is melted and starting to brown slightly. (If you prefer to skip this step, simply replace the lid on the pan for a few minutes to allow the cheese to melt.)¾ cup whole milk ricotta cheese, 4 oz (about 1.5 cups) mozzarella cheese, 1 oz (about ½ cup) parmesan cheese
- Sprinkle with fresh basil and serve!1-2 tablespoon fresh basil
Notes
- Break 1-2 noodles at a time for the most control. If you try to break them all at the same time you will get random shards instead of even pieces.
- Measure your 1 cup of water into the marinara jar and shake it up to get every ounce of sauce out!
- When you open the lid to stir each time, allow the water from the lid to drip back down into the pan. This will keep plenty of moisture in there.
- Stir very gently so that you don't break the noodles.
- After you dish up, fill your skillet with warm water to soak while you eat. This makes cleanup faster!
Add Your Own Notes
Nutrition
All nutrition information is provided by a third party and is an estimate only. Use your own nutritional calculator for more specific measurements.
Danielle says
This recipe is so easy for a Sunday night!