Let me start off by saying I am deep in my pasta era. Maybe it’s the colder weather that has me craving all the warm, comfort foods. Or maybe it’s because I accidentally neglected it for a brief moment in time (blame it on the summer heat?). Nonetheless, my pasta obsession is back with a vengeance. So, I am here to share with you one of my new favorite dinner recipes: One Pan Lasagna Skillet. An incredibly simple yet flavorful dish that came out of the kitchen when I recently paired up with fellow foodie, Carissa, aka @broccyourbody. A must-make, if you ask us!
LAZY GIRL LASAGNA
One of the most requested types of recipes Carissa and I get are healthy, quick and easy weeknight dinners that can ideally be made in one pan. No one likes cleaning up stacks of dishes after a long, busy day, and I can so relate. With my reinvigorated love of pasta, and mine and Carissa’s shared love of putting a healthy spin on classic comfort foods, we were on a mission to simplify, and *healthify*, one of the most classic Italian dishes out there. And I think we nailed it with this one. So, if you’re looking for a no-fuss, nourishing, one pan dinner, then you are in the right place. I’m confident this One Pan Lasagna Skillet will immediately be added to your weekly rotation as soon as you take your first bite.
Lasagna is known for being a time-consuming, labor-intensive dish to make, but that’s not the vibe we’re going for here. What this dish offers is a protein-packed, fiber-filled, nutrient-dense bowl of comfort that you can easily whip up even on your busiest days. It’s undeniably delicious and will take the least amount of effort to make the biggest impression on all your friends and family – because you will inevitably end up making this for everyone you love (much like the other incredible better-for-you app Carissa and I whipped up together, Gluten-Free Hot Honey Chicken Sliders).
NUTRITIOUS AND DELICIOUS
We all know protein is having a moment, and for good reason. It’s an essential macronutrient, along with fiber and fat. All of which are packed into this one pan lasagna skillet thanks to the organic ground beef as a main ingredient, the brown rice lasagna noodles (which not only provide fiber, but brown rice is also high in micronutrients like selenium and magnesium), garlic, marinara sauce and broth. Who knew a pasta dish could be so nutritious?
It’s hard to top an easy, healthful, one pan meal, but if you’re not in the mood for pasta or just need to switch up the cuisine, try my One Pan Enchilada Skillet – an RGE classic and the most popular recipe on my site.
IT’S ALL ABOUT THE PASTA
Not that you need another reason to make this One Pan Lasagna Skillet at this point, but I think it’s safe to say the smell this dish will fill your kitchen with is absolute perfection. Between the meat, the cheese and all the Italian seasonings simmering together on the stovetop, it’ll have you feeling like you’ve been transported to Italy, sitting right in Nonna’s kitchen. Ok, now, *mangia*, enjoy, and let me know what you think when you give this recipe a try!
INGREDIENTS YOU’LL NEED:
- Olive oil
- Yellow onion
- Garlic cloves
- Organic ground beef
- Italian seasoning
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper
- Tomato paste
- Marinara sauce
- Chicken broth
- Lasagna noodles, Jovial Brand is my go-to
- Dairy-free ricotta, I like Kite Hill
- Shredded mozzarella or pasteurized goat cheese, optional
- Fresh basil and red chili flakes to serve
HOW TO MAKE ONE PAN LASAGNA SKILLET
Heat the olive oil in a large, deep skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic, stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes or until the onions begin to soften. Then Add in the ground beef and break up with a wooden spoon or meat masher. Add the Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper.
Once the beef is just browned, add the tomato paste and stir until well combined into the meat. Add the sauce and broth and stir. Bring to a boil over medium high heat then break up the lasagna noodles into bite size pieces and add to the pan. Stir to combine, cover and reduce heat to low to simmer. Stir every 5 minutes to prevent the noodles from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
After about 15 minutes, the liquid should be absorbed and the noodles cooked. Feel free to adjust the cooking time until you reach the desired consistency (keep in mind that a little liquid is ok, it will thicken up when it starts to cool!).
Add the ricotta to the skillet and gently stir in. Top with shredded mozzarella or pasteurized goat cheese and cover for about a minute or until cheese is melted.
Serve with fresh basil, red chili flakes and season to taste. We hope you love this one!
RECIPE SUBSTITUTIONS & QUESTIONS
We wanted to keep this recipe gluten-free, so we used brown rice lasagna noodles (Jovial brand), but you could use regular lasagna noodles here too. You can also sub the dairy-free ricotta for regular ricotta and pasteurized goat cheese with shredded mozzarella for the topping, if there are no dairy allergies or sensitivities.
Also, while it’s recommended to use ground beef in this recipe, you could try using ground turkey instead if you prefer. Generally, when it comes to shopping for meat, I aim to buy organic, pasture-raised or grass-fed to ensure I’m getting higher quality. And of course, feel free to use your favorite marinara sauce (bonus points if it’s homemade!).
WHAT TYPE OF SAUCE IS BEST FOR LASAGNA?
Ideally, you want to use a marinara sauce that’s on the thicker side in terms of consistency, which allows the pasta to be flavored in the best way possible. Store-bought marinara totally works, but if you’re feeling fancy, option to prep a homemade marinara ahead of time.
Although you want to try to avoid sauces that are too liquid, don’t worry if you have a different kind of tomato sauce on hand and want to use what you already have. Just keep an eye on the consistency as you add all of the other ingredients, especially the broth (you could always use a little less broth than what’s called for to account for a sauce that is more liquid-based).
WHAT IS TRADITIONAL LASAGNA MADE OF?
Lasagna is typically made with layers of pasta (a long, flat, wider noodle), meat sauce, a ricotta cheese mixture, and mozzarella. What’s great about this recipe is it’s pretty customizable in terms of dietary restrictions and preferences, so you can use whichever pasta, ground meat and cheese fit your needs.
LOOKING FOR MORE PASTA RECIPES? TRY THESE:
Spicy Penne alla Vodka with Meatballs
Dairy-Free Garlicky Cheesy Pasta Sauce
Looking for more healthy recipes? Check out my New York Times Best Selling Cookbook, Rachael’s Good Eats. 110+ easy, laid-back, nutrient-rich recipes.
Click here to watch the reel I made of this recipe 🙂
One Pan Lasagna Skillet
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- ½ yellow onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 lb organic ground beef
- 1 tsp italian seasoning
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 cups marinara sauce
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 7 uncooked lasagna noodles, we used Jovial Brand
- 6 oz dairy-free ricotta, we used Kite Hill
- ½ cup shredded mozzarella or pasteurized goat cheese, optional
- Fresh basil and red chili flakes to serve
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large, deep skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic, stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes or until the onions begin to soften. Add in the ground beef and break up with a wooden spoon or meat masher. Add the Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper.
- Once the beef is just browned, add the tomato paste and stir until well combined into the meat. Add the sauce and broth and stir. Bring to a boil over medium high heat then break up the lasagna noodles into bite size pieces and add to the pan. Stir to combine, cover and reduce heat to low to simmer. Stir every 5 minutes to prevent the noodles from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
- After about 15 minutes, the liquid should be absorbed and the noodles cooked. Feel free to adjust the cooking time until you reach the desired consistency (keep in mind that a little liquid is ok, it will thicken up when it starts to cool!).
- Add the ricotta to the skillet and gently stir in. Top with shredded mozzarella or pasteurized goat cheese and cover for about a minute or until cheese is melted.
- Serve with fresh basil, red chili flakes and season to taste.
This was amazing! I usually spend hours preparing lasagna and this recipe was concise, delicious, and took wayyyyy less time. 10/10
Do you need the bone broth? Mu husband has histamine issues and that’s something we need to avoid. This recipe looks delicious though, just wondering on substitution.