All the flavor of traditional lasagna—none of the hassle. This easy One Pot Lasagna recipe is a weeknight dinner dream: comforting, cheesy, and made in a single skillet with just a handful of ingredients. It’s everything you love about lasagna without the layers, baking, or pile of dirty dishes.
(Love lasagna? Try our crockpot lasagna soup and baked lasagna rolls, too!)
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Easy One Pot Lasagna
If you’re a fan of cozy pasta dinners, this recipe is guaranteed to earn a permanent spot in your rotation. Here’s why it stands out:
- Ready in under 30 minutes
- Uses just one pot from start to finish
- Family-friendly and freezer-friendly
- Comforting, creamy, and packed with flavor
- Fewer ingredients than traditional lasagna
Ingredients You’ll Need
Unlike those traditional lasagna recipes that seem to demand a PhD in grocery shopping with a million ingredients, we’ve simplified things. This recipe is all about embracing the basic — no culinary treasure hunt required. Here’s your simple shopping list for this lasagna masterpiece:
- Lasagnette Rice Pasta – If you’ve never seen lasagnette pasta, it consists of individual pasta noodles that resemble long sheets of lasagna. However, any similarly shaped pasta noodle like Campanelle will work.
- Marinara Sauce – To save time, we use jarred marinara sauce from the store. However, if you have the time, you can easily make your own homemade marinara sauce, too!
- Ground Beef – This adds bulk to the dish, making it extra filling.
- Aromatics – Garlic and onion combine to add a sweet, savory, pungent flavor to the recipe.
- Water or Broth – Used to cook the noodles. We love to use low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth to add extra depth to the flavor.
- Ricotta – You can’t have a lasagna recipe without ricotta. It’s the best part! For the best flavor, use full-fat, whole-milk ricotta cheese.
- Mozzarella – Opt for low-moisture shredded Mozzarella cheese as it has a slightly saltier taste and browns more easily. In addition, the reduced moisture prevents the dish from becoming too watery.
Variations and Add-Ins
We’ve crafted this simple skillet lasagna to be as easy as your Sunday morning. Just a handful of items, and you’re on your way to culinary bliss. But hey, simplicity doesn’t mean you can’t toss in a dash of pizzazz!
- Use Different Noodles. Swap out the lasagnette noodles with any other kind of pasta you like best. For instance, broken lasagna noodles are a great alternative! Or, stir in ready noodles instead of boiling the pasta to make this dish super fast.
- Include Different Meat. Replace the ground beef with any other protein such as ground chicken, ground turkey, or Italian sausage instead.
- Add Fresh Veggies. Bulk up your one pot lasagna, adding extra vitamins, nutrients, and fiber with veggies like mushrooms, crushed tomatoes, and bell peppers.
- Adjust the Seasonings. Depending on the type of marinara sauce you use, you may need to add more flavor to the dish. Feel free to get creative with various herbs and spices you have on hand. For instance, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, and fresh basil all make great additions to the meal.
- Make it Spicy. Add red pepper flakes or a dash of hot sauce for a bit of heat.
How to Make One Pot Lasagna
Get ready to bid farewell to the complicated oven-baked versions because once you’ve mastered this simple recipe, there’s no turning back! Follow the steps below, and don’t forget to scroll down to the recipe card for the full scoop. Dinner will be on the table faster than you can say “oven who?”
- Brown Beef. In a large pot over medium-high heat, cook the ground beef with ½ the chopped onion, breaking it up until it has browned. Drain the excess fat.
- Combine the Ingredients. Add the pasta, marinara sauce, garlic, salt, pepper, and water or broth to the pot. Stir to combine.
- Boil. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Simmer. Cover the pot with a lid, and let it simmer until the pasta is cooked to al dente.
- Add the Cheese. Gently, stir in the ricotta and mozzarella. Enjoy it warm, and don’t forget to add an extra sprinkle of parmesan cheese!
Serving Suggestions
For a family-friendly dinner, we love to pair this lasagna pasta with sides and appetizers like:
More One Pot Pasta Recipes
If your love for one-pot pasta dishes matches our obsession, brace yourself for a lineup of culinary creations you won’t want to miss:
- One Pot Chicken Tetrazzini
- One Pot Tomato Spinach Pasta
- One Pot Pasta Puttanesca
- One Pot Spinach and Artichoke Pasta
One Pot Lasagna Pasta Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- ½ small onion chopped
- 16 ounces lasagnette rice pasta or similar shape uncooked
- 16 ounces marinara sauce
- 4 Tablespoons garlic minced
- 2 teaspoons salt + more or less to taste
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 4 cups water or broth
- 8 ounces whole milk ricotta
- 1 cup low-moisture mozzarella cheese
- Optional: Parmesan cheese for serving
Instructions
- In a large pot over medium heat, add the ground beef and onion. Cook 1-2 minutes or until browned, breaking into pieces. Drain the excess liquid.1 pound ground beef, ½ small onion
- Add the pasta, marinara sauce, garlic, salt, pepper, and water (or broth) to the pot. Stir to combine.16 ounces lasagnette rice pasta or similar shape, 16 ounces marinara sauce, 4 Tablespoons garlic, 2 teaspoons salt + more or less to taste, 1 teaspoon black pepper, 4 cups water or broth
- Increase the heat to medium-high, bringing the mixture to a boil. Cover, and simmer 11-13 minutes or until the pasta is al dente.
- Add the ricotta and Mozzarella. Stir to combine.8 ounces whole milk ricotta, 1 cup low-moisture mozzarella cheese
- Serve warm topped with Parmesan cheese, if desired!Optional: Parmesan cheese for serving
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Video
Equipment
Notes
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Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
4 tablespoons is way too much garlic. And it was lacking other flavor, so I added some Italian seasoning. The recipe has potential, though, so I’ll remake using only use 2T garlic next time…
Hi Kayla,
Thank you for the feedback! We’re glad that you were able to modify it for your palate and we look forward to hearing about how it turns out when you make it with less garlic next time.
xo,
Alia & Radwa