This one-pot skillet lasagna is comfort food made easy when you’re craving a hearty Italian dish! Each bite is filled with seasoned beef, bowtie pasta, and pasta sauce then topped with a creamy parmesan-ricotta for the most epic bite!
Why I Love This Skillet Lasagna
If you love quick and easy pasta dinners, this tomatoey skillet lasagna is a hearty homemade meal.
- One-pot. There isn’t much cleaning to do afterward when it comes to one-pot dinners.
- Italian-inspired. Tomato sauce, creamy ricotta cheese, parmesan, and herby basil really pack some Italian vibes into the dish.
- Beginner-friendly. Just brown the beef, add the sauce and pasta, and serve!
- Great for weeknights. It’s ready in 25 minutes, making it perfect for busy weeknights.
Ingredient Notes
The combination of sweet fennel, garlic, and a parmesan-ricotta mixture is heavenly. Scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of the post for exact amounts.
- Ground beef – Remove any excess fat from the skillet.
- Spices – Fennel, garlic powder, onion powder, and red pepper flakes.
- Pasta sauce – Add your favorite tomato sauce.
- Pasta – Short pasta shapes like bowties, macaroni, and penne are best.
- Water – It can also be low-sodium veggie or chicken stock.
- Ricotta cheese – If there’s any liquid on top when you open the container, use a spoon to fold it into the cheese again.
- Egg – Room temperature eggs are best for cooking.
- Parmesan cheese – Go for freshly grated parmesan over the bottled stuff.
- Basil – I used dried, but fresh Italian basil works as well. Avoid Thai basil for this.
- Flour – Feel free to use cornstarch. Don’t swap it for whole wheat flour because the taste will be too earthy.
- Salt and pepper – Kosher salt and freshly-cracked black pepper are best.
How to Make Skillet Lasagna
Scrape the bottom of the skillet once you add the water to remove the tasty, beefy brown bits. Scroll to the bottom of the post for the full recipe card.
- Brown the beef. Place a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and cook it for 7-8 minutes or until browned.
- Season it. Stir in the fennel, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, and onion powder. Mix until well combined and fragrant.
- Cook the pasta. Pour in the pasta sauce and water. Add the pasta and red pepper flakes. Stir gently to combine. Bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce the heat. Simmer it for 18-20 minutes, or until the pasta’s tender.
- Prep the ricotta mixture. Whisk the ricotta, egg, parmesan, basil, flour, remaining garlic powder, salt, and pepper in a bowl until well combined.
- Add it. Scoop large dollops of the ricotta mixture over the pasta in the skillet. Cover the skillet and cook for another 5 minutes or until the parmesan in the mixture begins melting.
- Serve. Remove the skillet from the heat. Set it aside to cool for 10 minutes. Serve and enjoy!
Tips & Variation Ideas
You can make this cheesy skillet lasagna with herby basil pesto or just add sautéed mushrooms to switch things up a bit.
- Make it spicy. Drizzle chili oil over the pasta once it’s done or add 1/24 teaspoon extra red pepper flakes at a time until spicy to taste.
- Prep ahead. Cook the beef and prepare the ricotta mixture up to 3 days in advance to reduce prep time throughout the week.
- Change the sauce. Basil Pesto and sun-dried tomato pesto are great swaps for tomato sauce in this recipe for an easy variation. Avoid cream-based sauces like Alfredo because they’ll split in the skillet with the water.
- Add protein. Shred my Grilled Whole Chicken or Garlic Parmesan Chicken Thighs and mix them into the pasta for a heartier bite. Grilled Ribeye Steak and turkey breast work too.
- Use leftover veggies. Mix in sautéed mushrooms, spinach, or peppers to reduce food waste and add more layers of flavor to the pasta.
What Goes With Skillet Lasagna?
This saucy skillet lasagna is an effortless dinner option. I love pairing it with a fresh salad like my Simple Arugula Salad, Italian Grinder Salad, or Marinated Tomato Salad. For veggie sides, try my Air Fryer Asparagus and Sauteed Brussels Sprouts with Bacon. Breadsticks, focaccia, ciabattas, and even toasty baguettes are great too.
How to Store & Reheat Extras
Don’t freeze this recipe because the pasta will lose its consistency once thawed.
- Fridge: Cover the skillet tightly with foil and refrigerate it for up to 5 days. You can also store it in an airtight container.
- To reheat it: Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon water or milk and microwave for 30 seconds. Stir and microwave for another 20-30 seconds or until warm. For large portions, reheat it in the oven at 300F for 25 minutes.
More Italian Recipes to Try
- Italian Grinder Salad
- Pappardelle Pasta with Italian Sausage and Peppers
- Italian Stuffed Peppers
- Classic Italian Pasta Salad
Polka Dot Skillet Lasagna
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 6–8 servings 1x
- Category: Pasta
- Method: Stove
- Cuisine: Italian
Description
A 25-minute Skillet Lasagna recipe with ground beef, bowtie pasta, and velvety ricotta is an easy weeknight dinner that screams comfort food.
Ingredients
- 1 lb. ground beef
- 1 teasspoon dry fennel, crushed
- 1 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 2 cups pasta sauce
- 2 cups bowtie pasta, uncooked
- 2 1/2 cups water
- pinch of red pepper flakes
- 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet to medium high heat. Brown the ground beef and drain excess fat.
- Return skillet to the stove and add crushed fennel, 1 teaspoon of garlic powder, and onion powder, stirring until the beef mixture becomes slightly fragrant.
- Add the pasta sauce, uncooked pasta, water, and red pepper flakes.
- Stir and bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and cover.
- Simmering for about 18-20 minutes, or until pasta is fully cooked.
- In the meantime combine ricotta, egg, parmesan cheese, basil, flour, garlic powder, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Mix until combined.
- Scoop large dollops of cheese mixture on top of the cooked pasta while it is still in the skillet. Make sure to space them out.
- Cover and cook for an additional 5 minutes, or until cheese has set.
- Serve.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 1/2 cups
- Calories: 259
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 487 mg
- Fat: 13 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Carbohydrates: 16 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 19 g
- Cholesterol: 71 mg
26 comments on “Skillet Lasagna Recipe”
What’s does apper mean in step 6
In the meantime combine ricotta, egg, parmesan cheese, basil, flour, garlic powder, salt, and apper in a large bowl. Mix until combined.
Oh goodness that was a typo. Should have said pepper. Basically you’re missing all those ingredients in bowl until they are combined then you’re going to dollop them over the pasta mixture in the pan.
How would I cook this for a crowd? Could this be finished in the oven to avoid using two skillets?
Yes. It definitely could. I would just spray the bottom of a baking dish with cooking spray, add the mixture, cover it with tinfoil and then bake until cooked through. Hope you love it!
Quick question: what does this mean? 1 1/1 teaspoon garlic powder, divided.
ugh… typo sorry about that Susie. It should say 1 1/2 teaspoons of garlic powder
Ok, this kind of recipe is right up my alley. I need to order the cookbook ASAP! This is seriously a stunning dish of pasta, girlfriend! Your photos are always spot on!
Yes you do. You’d love it! Fun recipe for sure! 🙂 Thanks Justine!
I love the idea of making 3 different meals with the same main ingredients – that’s genius! This pasta looks amazing, plus I’m always looking for new meals that are quick to make on those busy school nights!
I know right … and makes “mom life” much easier come dinner time!
This looks wonderful! And I love the idea of making three student recipes with the same ingredients!
Its so creative! I would have never thought of that! She’s a genius! Hope you enjoy this recipe Courtney!
Thank you so much for sharing my book Krista!! You’re so sweet, and I’m so glad you’re enjoying it! Your photos are simply gorgeous!
You’re welcome! It is inspiring to look at and makes me hungry everytime I open the front page! YUM! Congrats again girl! Definitely an accomplishment!
I’m loving Shawn’s cookbook! AND who could resist something named Polka Dot!? Beautiful dish!
Right! It’s so fun and the such an easy delicious recipe!
WOWZERS – this looks incredible! Making this tonight!!!
haha.. enjoy it! Soooo good!
Back-to-school dinner, here I come!
haha.. right! Genius recipe!
Shawn seems like a wonder woman with 4 kiddos, a blog, and cook book!!! Thanks for sharing your love for her book!
haha.. i know right!
I prefer the lightened recipes you post! Could you repost a lighter version of this recipe to make?
Hey Kim, I love that you enjoy my lighten up versions. Totally makes me day! I am working on a lighten up lasagna recipe. But if you wanted to lighten this one up a bit, you could add just parmesan cheese on top instead of the ricotta mixture or add cottage cheese mixed with garlic powder and dry basil. 🙂 Hope that helps and stay tuned for a lighter lasagna recipe in the future! 🙂
You had me at the name of this recipe because POLKA DOT? SO FUN!
Shawn’s book looks amazing! Just those few photos you showed look gorgeous. I love me some lasagna, so I want to dive mouth first into this pot! Pinned!
haha.. I know right! I loved that name too, and it may have been the reason I picked to feature that recipe today! hehe
Thanks for the pin sweet friend!