Skillet Lasagna
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This easy skillet lasagna recipe takes just 20 minutes to make and is made with ground beef, egg noodles, cottage cheese, mozzarella cheese, tomatoes, and lots of flavorful seasoning.
I absolutely love traditional lasagna, but it has a few strikes against it. Even though my slow cooker lasagna is a dear favorite, it makes enough to feed an army and requires a little bit of planning ahead. And if you’re just now tuning in, there are two things that I’m not: organized or a planner. This skillet lasagna recipe is a new favorite of mine for several reasons. First of all, let me start by telling you that no matter what you think, it does not taste just like spaghetti.
Here are lots of reasons why you need this skillet lasagna in your life:
- Easily made in about 20 minutes. All we need to do is brown the ground beef, stir in the remaining ingredients, cook the egg noodles, and top the lasagna with both cottage cheese and mozzarella cheese. It truly takes less than 30 minutes for dinner to be on the table.
- Economical. It stretches a 1/2 pound of ground beef to feed 4 people.
- It features all the flavors I love in lasagna but in a perfect serving size for a smaller family. We’ve got double the tomato flavor, double the ooey-gooey melted cheese goodness, and lots of seasoning to make the tastiest lasagna ever!
- You can easily double the recipe (see notes below on how I do that).
Ok, all this writing is making me hungry so let’s get started!
Recipe Ingredients
- Italian seasoning
- Garlic powder
- Diced tomatoes
- Tomato paste
- Ground beef
- Onions
- Mozzarella cheese
- Cottage cheese
- Egg noodles
How To Make Skillet Lasagna
The beauty of this recipe is that it feeds about four people with only 1/2 pound of ground beef, which is a real budget saver.
In a large skillet over medium-high heat, brown the ground beef and onions until it’s no longer pink in the center. Break it up into smaller pieces as you do so. Drain off any grease once it’s cooked.
Add in your water, tomato paste, diced tomatoes (with juice), Italian seasoning, and garlic powder.
Stir that up well and reduce heat to low. Simmer the for about 10 minutes or until you get tired of simmering.
Either or works for me! I promise I’m not grading on how well you follow instructions.
Cook them noodles!
Your package tells you how in case you need to know.
Stir in your cooked egg noodles.
Stir your two kinds of cheese together.
Drop that by spoonfuls onto the top of your skillet.
Cover and let cook for about 5 minutes until the cheese melts.
Enjoy!
Storage
- Store leftover lasagna in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat either in the microwave or on the stovetop.
- You can also freeze leftovers for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating as above.
Recipe Notes
- Here are some variations to try to make this skillet lasagna recipe your own:
- Use ground turkey instead of ground beef.
- Substitute the egg noodles for the pasta of your choice, like penne pasta or bowtie pasta. You can also add uncooked lasagna noodles to the skillet when you add the sauce ingredients and let them cook as it simmers. You may just need to let it simmer for longer until they cook. Just make sure they’re submerged in the sauce.
- Add veggies, like diced carrot, chopped spinach, diced zucchini, sliced mushrooms, or corn kernels.
- Substitute the cottage cheese for ricotta cheese. You can also add 1/4 cup of grated parmesan cheese for a 3-cheese lasagna (who can say no to that?).
- Use minced garlic instead of garlic powder.
- Add a 1/4 teaspoon of for some heat.
- Garnish with fresh basil leaves or chopped fresh parsley.
Recipe FAQs
How do I double this skillet lasagna recipe?
To double the recipe: cook the entire package of egg noodles and double the sauce and cheese. After you drain the egg noodles, pour them into a 9×13 baking dish. Spoon cooked sauce over top and dollop with spoonfuls of cheese and bake in a 350-degree oven until cheese melts (about 5 minutes).
Check out these other pasta recipes:
Low-Carb Lasagna-Stuffed Chicken
Ham Pasta Salad With Ranch Dressing
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound ground beef
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- 1 16-ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained
- 1 6-ounce can tomato paste
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 tablespoon dry Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 8 ounces egg noodles, cooked and drained
- 1 cup cottage cheese
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- In a large skillet, cook ground beef and onion over medium-high heat until no longer pink in the center. Drain off any grease.1/2 pound ground beef, 1/2 cup chopped onion
- Add tomatoes in juice, tomato paste, water, Italian seasoning, and garlic powder to the skillet. Stir well and lower heat to simmer for 10 minutes, while you cook the egg noodles separately.1 16-ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained, 1 6-ounce can tomato paste, 1/2 cup water, 1 tablespoon dry Italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- Stir cooked egg noodles into the sauce.8 ounces egg noodles, cooked and drained
- In a separate bowl, stir together the cottage cheese and mozzarella. Drop spoonfuls over the top of the lasagna skillet. Cover and let cook for about 5 minutes until the cheese melts.1 cup mozzarella cheese, 1 cup cottage cheese
Notes
Nutrition
“The less you associate with some people, the more your life will improve. An important attribute in successful people is their impatience with negative thinking and negative acting people.”
~Colin Powell
I have my grandmothers recipe to this only a few minor differences than yours. She used to cook it at the school house when she was a cook. (way back before these silly food requirements kids have now)
I made a double batch of this tonight for my family. I tried to fit it all in one 9×13 pan like suggested in the notes, but I must not have used a deep enough one. I ended up splitting it between the 9×13 pan and a 2.5 qt casserole dish. I placed them both in the oven for 15 minutes until the cheese was nice and melty. It was delicious! Usually when a recipe says “feeds about 4 people” I double it so we can have leftovers the next night. I served the 2.5 qt dish with some steamed green beans and some garlic bread. We probably had enough leftover in the dish to feed 2 more people generous servings. I love how economical this dish is! With a pound of ground beef my family can eat on a double batch 3 times! We look forward to the leftovers tomorrow, and I put some in a 6 cup container in the deep freezer for a future meal!
I just love this!!! Can I add some parmesan cheese to the other cheeses and maybe fresh garlic instead of powder??? THANKS!!
This recipe looks so delicious. I can’t wait to try it. I will probably substitute ricotta for the cottage cheese, since that’s how I make my lasagna. I might even try freezing some of it. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Christy hon, I just love your sense of humor. I started giggling at the “your egg noodles” and like to died by the time you called them “burglar chefs.” You gotta put that one in a future cookbook. 😀
Your recipe is quite close to a casserole I make that I named Poor Man’s Lasagna. Our versions are so much easier to make that the usual one and just as tasty!! I hope folks will take you up on your suggestion to be creative with the cheese mixture and share pictures. I’d LOVE to see just what they come up with. Will be having this tomorrow nite. Looking forward to it! Thanks Christy!!
Christy, this looks delicious and fast. My two most attributes in weeknight dinners. I agree with you 100% about the just sayin’ remark. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen people use that saying as an excuse to throw out a mean/petty/ugly/disrespectful comment toward someone else. My opinion on the matter is, “If you don’t feel good about what you’re about to say without adding “just sayin’ on the ending, you don’t need to be sayin’ it.” Just sayin’… 😉
Do you think this would be good with a can of mushrooms?
Definitely, Jill!! But then, I LOVE mushrooms…
Me too