Skillet Lasagna Recipe

Classic lasagna made in a 12 inch cast iron skillet. This recipe features a meat sauce, mozzarella and ricotta filling, and a final layer of broiled fresh mozzarella.

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Skillet Lasagna Recipe

Believe it or not, finding our perfect variation of homemade lasagna was a lot easier said than done. Patty and I experimented with several recipes before landing on our own skillet lasagna recipe. This recipe features a meat sauce made with marinara, ground beef, and sweet Italian sausage. It’s layered with noodles, a mix of ricotta, mozzarella, and parmesan cheese, and a final layer of fresh mozzarella cheese.

I love this skillet lasagna because it’s the perfect ratio of marinara, meat, and cheese. It sounds obvious but so many recipes fail to find the right balance of layers. This recipe is very tender, creamy, and has plenty of sauce to prevent it from being bland or dry. Once you’ve got the right recipe, lasagna is actually really easy to make at home!

How to Layer Lasagna

You can fit your ‘standard’ 9×13 lasagna in a 12-inch cast-iron skillet. It will be packed to the very top but fits just fine. The only real difference with my recipe is fitting the noodles to a circular design. If you do it right, you really only need to trim the edges of the outer noodles. I don’t think you need to go crazy and make it perfect but scissors make it a neat and easy task.

This recipe calls for 4 sets of layers as follows:

  • sauce, noodles, ricotta filling
  • sauce, noodles, ricotta filling
  • sauce, noodles, ricotta filling
  • noodle, sauce, fresh mozzarela (added in last 15 minutes for a final melt/broil)

Bake and Broil Lasagna

Bake lasagna (covered) for about 45 minutes at 350ºF. Add the final layer of fresh mozzarella cheese, and bake for the remaining 15 minutes until the top layer of cheese is melted. At this point, it’s totally up to you if you want to finish with a quick broil. This will lend a slightly golden exterior and bubbling cheese. It’s one of my favorite ways to finish any cheesy baked pasta dish.

Just note, broiling tends to scorch things VERY fast. Monitor closely and only broil for 45 seconds to 1 minute.

Make Lasagna Ahead

This recipe can be made a few days in advance and stored in the fridge until ready to bake. While you can freeze your typical uncooked lasagna, I can’t say I would want to be out a skillet for several days. This recipe can be easily adapted to a standard baking dish with no other adjustments other than needing fewer noodles!

Skillet Lasagna Recipe

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Skillet Lasagna Recipe

  • Author: Shawn Williams
  • Prep Time: 20
  • Cook Time: 60
  • Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
  • Yield: 10 1x
  • Category: Dinner
  • Cuisine: Italian
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Description

Classic lasagna made in a 12 inch cast iron skillet. This recipe features a meat sauce, mozzarella and ricotta filling, and a final layer of broiled fresh mozzarella.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 16 lasagna noodles (1 box)
  • 8 ounce ball fresh mozzarella, cubed

Sauce

  • 1/2 pound 85% lean ground beef
  • 1/2 pound sweet Italian sausage
  • 1 yellow onion, diced
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 40 ounces marinara sauce (2 24 ounce jars)
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

Ricotta Filling

  • 2 cups ricotta cheese
  • 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
  • 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
  • 1 egg

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook lasagna noodles for 8 minutes, strain, rinse with cool water, and set aside.
  2. Meanwhile, combine ricotta filling ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Set aside.
  3. Heat oil over medium heat in a 12 inch cast iron skillet. Cook onions until softened, about 4 minutes. Add beef and pork and cook until browned and no longer pink. Use the tip of a spatula to break up the meat into very small chunks. Discard the fat and add the marinara, garlic, and tomato paste. Simmer for 5-7 minutes until thickened.
  4. Transfer the meat sauce to a large bowl, reserving about one cup in the skillet. Evenly spread to coat the bottom of the pan. Top with a layer of noodles without overlapping. Trim the noodles with a knife or scissors to roughly fit the circular shape (it does not need to be perfect). Layer with 1/3 of the ricotta filling and 1 heaping cup of meat sauce. Repeat twice more.
  5. Finish lasagna with a final layer of noodles and another layer of sauce. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes.
  6. Remove from oven, top with fresh mozzarella cubes, and return to the oven uncovered for another 15 minutes. Broil for the last 1-2 minutes to give the cheese a nice bubbly finish.
  7. Let rest for 15 minutes before cutting so the lasagna can set. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley and serve.

Notes

This recipe can easily be made in a standard 9×13 baking dish. In this case, you will likely only need 12-14 lasagna noodles. I always like to make a few extra just in case.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 peice
  • Calories: 682
  • Sugar: 11.3g
  • Sodium: 975mg
  • Fat: 26.9g
  • Saturated Fat: 10.5g
  • Carbohydrates: 71.5g
  • Fiber: 5.4g
  • Protein: 37.9g
  • Cholesterol: 88mg

Keywords: skillet lasagna, lasagna recipe