Easy Skillet Lasagna with Italian Sausage is ridiculously easy to make and only uses one pan for cooking and serving. This simple lasagna recipe with Italian sausage has fewer calories than classic lasagna and cooks on the stove in minutes. Great taste in half the time!
What is lasagna?
Classic lasagna is traditionally made with wide, flat pasta noodles with ruffled edges. It is most often made in a baking dish with layers of pasta and marinara or tomato sauce. It also includes several types of cheeses, including mozzarella, ricotta, and parmesan, and usually includes ground beef and a combination of vegetables.
How many calories?
Low-calorie lasagna is an oxymoron. But, I will say this skillet lasagna comes in at just under 400 calories instead of over 500 calories for a serving of classic or traditional lasagna. That’s a savings of over 100 calories. Did you know you would have to walk almost a mile to burn off those 100 calories?
What’s the difference between a skillet and classic or traditional lasagna?
Besides the calorie difference, skillet lasagna only takes about 50 minutes to make versus classic lasagna, which takes almost two hours to prepare. And the best part, skillet lasagna only uses one pan to cook and serve.
Classic lasagna takes a skillet to brown the meat, a large pot to boil the noodles, and a bowl to mix the eggs and ricotta cheese. Plus, it takes another baking dish to cook the lasagna. Wow! It makes me tired just thinking about washing all of those dishes. Who has time for that on a busy weeknight?
Now, don’t get me wrong, I love traditional lasagna as much as the next person, and I almost always order it when we go to an Italian restaurant for dinner. My skillet lasagna recipe is delicious in its own right, but I must admit that if there were a side-by-side taste test, classic lasagna with all of its creamy, rich, cheesy deliciousness would win hands down.
However, if you are like me, you don’t always have two-plus hours to make dinner. And you need to get a healthy, satisfying meal on the table. This skillet lasagna with ricotta cheese is the perfect choice for that meal! It’s the very definition of comfort food!
What is Italian sausage?
Italian sausage is simply pork sausage with fennel and oregano as the primary seasonings. I think it’s much more flavorful than ground beef and gives this dish a greater depth of flavor. It can be purchased mild or spicy, and the amount of red pepper flakes added determines its spiciness. Sweet Italian sausage has basil added.
How to make the sauce:
Gather your ingredients and heat the olive oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the onion and cook until it has softened which should take about 5 minutes.
While the onions are cooking, pour the diced tomatoes with their juice into a quart measuring cup. Pour in enough water to measure 4 cups in total.
Add the garlic and red pepper flakes to the onions and cook for another 30 seconds. Then, add the Italian sausage and break up the meat into small pieces. Cook until the pork is no longer pink, which should take about 5 minutes. Drain off any accumulated fat or grease.
How to make it:
Break up the lasagna noodles and place them over the meat mixture.
Add the diced tomatoes and tomato sauce. Top with Italian seasoning and mix well. Cover and bring the mixture to a simmer.
Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Check after 15 minutes and add additional water if the sauce is starting to dry out. Cook for an additional 15 minutes or until the lasagna noodles are tender and can be cut easily with a fork.
Remove the skillet from the heat and add the parmesan cheese — season to taste with salt and pepper.
Dot the top of the mixture with the ricotta cheese and add the mozzarella cheese. Cover the skillet, and let it sit for 5-10 minutes to melt the cheese. Before serving, garnish the lasagna skillet with basil. Serve immediately.
More Italian sausage pasta recipes:
Check out these other delicious and popular Italian sausage recipes on my blog: Easy Make-Ahead Baked Ziti with Sausage and Ricotta, Easy Supreme Pizza Casserole, and Easy Baked Spaghetti Pie Casserole.
More easy skillet meals:
If you like easy one-pan meals like this one, I think you might also like these flavorful recipes: Creamy Skillet Chicken with Bacon and Mushrooms, Skillet Chicken with Lemon and Olives, Beef and Tomato Skillet with Polenta, and Healthy Chicken Cauliflower Skillet.
What to serve with it:
Pair skillet lasagna with a simple salad, and it’s the perfect answer to the “what’s for dinner tonight” question!
Sharon’s Expert Tips:
- Just like classic lasagna, skillet lasagna leftovers are even better the next day.
- If you don’t have lasagna noodles, substitute your favorite pasta.
- You can also substitute ground beef, ground chicken or turkey, or a combination for the Italian sausage. If you do, I would add another shake of the Italian seasonings and maybe an additional pinch of red pepper flakes.
- Be sure to stir the sausage, tomato, and noodle mixture thoroughly and separate the noodle pieces with a fork while they are cooking. If the noodles stick together, they will not cook properly.
- Feel free to customize this recipe with the addition of a handful of mushrooms, spinach, kale, bell peppers or any vegetable your family likes.
- This recipe works best with a deep-sided skillet (at least 2.5 inches deep) to keep the sauce from overflowing on your stove.
- Italian sausage is sold in both links and as ground sausage. This recipe uses ground sausage. In a pinch, if you can’t find ground sausage, you can buy the links and remove the casings.
- I used purchased ricotta cheese in this recipe; however, it’s easy to make your own. Check out this easy recipe from Pudge Factor for homemade ricotta cheese.
**If you make this recipe, please leave a star rating and a comment to let me know how you liked it!**
📋 Recipe:
Easy Skillet Lasagna with Italian Sausage - Great Taste in Half the Time
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced or grated
- 1 pinch red pepper flakes
- 1 lb ground Italian sausage
- 28 oz diced tomatoes I like fire-roasted tomatoes
- 8 oz tomato sauce
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 8 lasagna noodles not no-boil noodles
- ½ cup parmesan cheese
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
- ½ cup mozzarella cheese shredded
- ¼ cup fresh basil chopped for garnish
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a 12-inch non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and ½ teaspoon of salt and cook until the onion has softened about 5 minutes.
- While the onions are cooking, pour the diced tomatoes with their juice into a quart measuring cup. Add enough water to measure 4 cups in total.
- Add the garlic and red pepper flakes to the onions and cook for another 30 seconds.
- Add the sausage and break up the meat into small pieces. Cook until the pork is no longer pink, which should take about 5 minutes. Drain off any accumulated fat or grease.
- Break up the lasagna noodles and place over the meat mixture. Pour the diced tomatoes and tomato sauce over the pasta. Sprinkle the Italian seasoning over the top and mix well. Cover and bring to a simmer.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 15 minutes stirring occasionally.
- Check after 15 minutes and add additional water if the sauce is starting to dry out. Cook for an additional 15 minutes or until the lasagna noodles are tender and can be cut easily with a fork.
- Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in parmesan cheese. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Dot the top of the mixture with the ricotta cheese and top with mozzarella cheese. Cover the skillet, and let it sit for 5-10 minutes to melt the cheese.
- Before serving garnish with basil. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Just like classic lasagna, skillet lasagna leftovers are even better the next day.
- If you don't have lasagna noodles, substitute your favorite pasta.
- You can also substitute ground beef, ground chicken or turkey or a combination for the Italian sausage. If you do, I would add another shake of the Italian seasonings and maybe an additional pinch of red pepper flakes.
- Be sure to stir the sausage, tomato, and noodle mixture thoroughly and separate the noodle pieces with a fork while they are cooking. If the noodles stick together, they will not cook properly.
- Feel free to customize this recipe with the addition of a handful of mushrooms, spinach, kale, bell peppers or any vegetable your family likes.
- This recipe works best with a deep-sided skillet (at least 2.5 inches deep) to keep the sauce from overflowing on your stove.
- Italian sausage is sold in both links and as ground sausage. This recipe uses ground sausage. In a pinch, if you can't find ground sausage, you can buy the links and remove the casings.
- I used purchased ricotta cheese in this recipe, however, it's easy to make your own. Check out this easy recipe from Pudge Factor for homemade ricotta cheese.
Nutrition
I may never make traditional lasagna again! I made half a recipe, which gave two good meals for two people; it was ever better the second time. Also, I used turkey Italian sausage, and salt-free chicken broth instead of water.
Hi Grace, I’m so glad you liked it!
All my best,
Sharon
Nice! Skillet Lasagna is a great way to enjoy the comfort of lasagna without the fuss.
Velva
Great idea, Sharon! For those nights you don’t want to turn on your oven but still want lasagna for dinner 😉
Thanks so much Elena!
Wouldn’t you drain the fat from the ground church and sausage?
Yes, you absolutely should drain it. So glad you caught that and I will make the correction right now!
Thanks!