Skillet Lasagna Recipe - Easy Skillet Lasaga with Red Sauce (2024)

Skillet lasagna is such an easy, yet impressive dinner for two! Made in just one skillet with ground sausage or beef, spices, tomato sauce, noodles and two types of cheese, this is a creamy, cheesedelicious dinner! It will be your new weeknight one pan meal after one bite! Plus, it's on the table in 25 minutes!

You need the flavors of a slow cooked and lovingly layered lasagna, but you don't have the time for that on a weeknight. I know you, because I am the same way! Between house chores, after school activities, and maintaining a normal social life, dinners absolutely must be fast and easy this time of year.

Can I help you get the comforting flavors of lasagna on your table in a fraction ofthe time and without leftovers for days? Oh yeah I can! If you remember my White Lasagna in a Skillet, you'll be happy to see the red sauce version here.

Enter, stage right, this beautiful pan of skillet lasagna. Everything is made in the same skillet, and you own't believe that the noodles cook right in the sauce! Side note: if you ever discover a box of broken lasagna noodles in your pantry, I want you to make this recipe! This is the perfect way to use up less-than-perfect noodles, since we're not layering them in a pan for slicing.

How perfect is a recipe that calls for broken lasagna noodles? Since this is a small batch recipe for skillet lasagna, it only requires 6 broken lasagna noodles, which is roughly the exact amount of broken noodles at the bottom of my box every time!

This easy skillet lasagna is made with spicy sausage (or beef, your choice entirely), pantry staple spices (like dried basil and oregano), a can of crushed tomatoes and broken lasagna noodles. Oh, and cheese; two types of glorious creamy cheese!

The prep time for this recipe is 5 minutes, which is the amount of time it should take you to gather ingredients. The actual cooking time is just 20 minutes. I can't think of a better thing than skillet lasagna on my table in less than 30 minutes!

And here's the exact cast iron skillet I used for this recipe! <--What a great price, too!

Ingredients:

Olive Oil.

Ground Sausage. Spicy or mild ground bulk sausage is excellent in this recipe, but you can substitute ground beef too, if you prefer.

Onion Powder.

Garlic Powder.

Dried Oregano.

Dried Basil.

Crushed Red Pepper Flakes. This can be optional, if you don't like spice at all, but the amount of pepper flakes in this skillet lasagna recipe just amps up flavors overall and doesn't make the whole dish spicy.

Tomato Sauce. We need a 15-ounce can of tomato sauce, which is pureed cooked tomatoes in a can. It typically does not contain spices, but does contain salt.

Beef Broth. We need a small can of beef broth, or you can use the beef granules or beef bullion paste and make 2 cups of broth. I prefer low sodium version for broths when cooking, so my final dish isn't overly salty.

Lasagna Noodles. You need 6 whole lasagna noodles, broken into roughly 1 to 2 inch pieces for this recipe. It can be the plain lasagna noodles or the no-boil ones. Please note the no-boil noodles will cook quicker.

Mozzarella Cheese. Two cups of grated mozzarella cheese--fresh is incredible but bagged is fine, too.

Ricotta Cheese. I always buy full-fat ricotta for the creamiest results.

Parmesan Cheese. Optional Parmesan on top for serving, but not necessary.

How to make skillet lasagna:

1. Gather all of the ingredients: your meat of choice, spices, sauce, broth, noodles, and cheeses and have ready a cast iron skillet.
   
2. First, add the olive oil to the skillet and preheat over medium-high heat. Add the sausage, and cook while breaking up with a wooden spoon. Cook it until it is no longer pink and has golden brown edges. Then, sprinkle in all of the spices: onion powder, garlic powder, dried oregano, dried basil, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper.
   
3. After letting the spices cook for a minute or so in the hot oil, their aromas will release and the kitchen will smell so good! Now, it's time to add in the tomato sauce and beef broth.
   
4. Bring this mixture to a gentle simmer; you may need to lower the heat slightly. Break up the lasagna noodles into 1 to 2 inch pieces, and nestle them into the pan. Try to make sure the noodles are thoroughly covered in the pan sauce so that they begin to cook.
   
5. Simmer the noodles completely uncovered, but stir frequently. It will take about 8 minutes for them to fully soften and cook all the way through. Taste one to be sure they're al dente. Then, sprinkle the mozzarella into the mixture, and stir to melt.
   
6. Before serving, dollop ricotta on top, and garnish with fresh basil leaves. You can also serve with Parmesan at the table for even more cheese.

This skillet lasagna serves 2-3 very generously, and in our house, that means two adults and both kids get a nice-sized portion. I often serve it with bread and salad on the side.

Can you make skillet lasagna ahead of time?

It's so fast, that I'm not sure if you would want to. You might like my freezer lasagna recipe, though.

How to store leftovers:

If you have leftovers, scoop it into a storage container with a tight-fitting lid and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Reheat gently in the microwave or by scooping back into a skillet, adding a splash of broth and warming over low heat.

For a sweet version, you would love my peanut butter lasagna.