35-Minute One-Skillet Lasagna
Broken lasagna noodles simmered right in a meaty tomato sauce in one covered skillet, finished with Parmesan and creamy dollops of ricotta. No oven, no layering.
This is lasagna rebuilt for a Tuesday. America's Test Kitchen's Julia Collin Davison worked out how to cook dry noodles directly in the sauce on the stovetop, thinning canned tomatoes with water so the pasta can absorb it (how-to:). It has every flavor of the classic and none of the layering.
🇺🇸 This one is American
Broken lasagna noodles simmered right in a meaty tomato sauce in one covered skillet, finished with Parmesan and creamy dollops of ricotta. No oven, no layering.
🇮🇹 The original
In Bologna, lasagne are thin green spinach pasta layered with a slow meat ragù, béchamel and Parmigiano. No ricotta and no mozzarella. See the Lasagne Verdi alla Bolognese recipe.
Why it works the kitchen science
Thinned sauce cooks the pasta
Adding water to the tomatoes gives the dry noodles enough liquid to soften in 20 minutes, and their starch thickens the sauce as they go (ATK).
Ricotta on top, not stirred in
Dolloping the ricotta and letting it warm under the lid keeps it in creamy pockets, like the layers in a baked lasagna (ATK).
Step by step
- Step 1
Pour the diced tomatoes and juice into a 4-cup measure and top up with water to the 4-cup line.
- Step 2
Heat the oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Cook the onion and salt about 5 minutes, until starting to brown. Add the garlic and pepper flakes and cook 30 seconds.
- Step 3
Add the meat and cook, breaking it apart, about 4 minutes, until no longer pink.
- Step 4
Scatter the noodle pieces over the meat without stirring. Pour the diluted tomatoes and the tomato sauce over the top. Cover, bring to a simmer, then lower to medium-low and simmer 20 minutes, stirring now and then, until the noodles are tender (the meat is well past 160°F by now).
- Step 5
Off the heat, stir in 1/2 cup Parmesan and season. Dollop heaping tablespoons of ricotta over the top, cover and let stand 5 minutes. Sprinkle with basil and the rest of the Parmesan and serve.
35-Minute One-Skillet Lasagna
Serves 4 · one 12-inch skillet · 35 min total
Sauce and noodles
- 1 can (28 oz) diced tomatoes with their juice, plus water to make 4 cups
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 lb meatloaf mix (or ground beef)
- 10 curly-edged lasagna noodles, broken into 2-inch pieces
- 1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce
To finish
- 1 1/4 oz Parmesan, grated (about 2/3 cup), divided
- 8 oz (1 cup) whole-milk ricotta
- 3 tbsp chopped fresh basil
Method
- Pour the diced tomatoes and juice into a 4-cup measure and top up with water to the 4-cup line.
- Heat the oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Cook the onion and salt about 5 minutes, until starting to brown. Add the garlic and pepper flakes and cook 30 seconds.
- Add the meat and cook, breaking it apart, about 4 minutes, until no longer pink.
- Scatter the noodle pieces over the meat without stirring. Pour the diluted tomatoes and the tomato sauce over the top. Cover, bring to a simmer, then lower to medium-low and simmer 20 minutes, stirring now and then, until the noodles are tender (the meat is well past 160°F by now).
- Off the heat, stir in 1/2 cup Parmesan and season. Dollop heaping tablespoons of ricotta over the top, cover and let stand 5 minutes. Sprinkle with basil and the rest of the Parmesan and serve.
Adapted from America's Test Kitchen, "Skillet Lasagna" by Julia Collin Davison (2011, serves 4 to 6). Quantities unchanged; method in our words. America's Test Kitchen. Ingredient list follows the source; the method is in our own words.
All sources (2)
Tips
- Use curly-edged noodles, not no-boil sheets; the related ATK Skillet Meaty Lasagna warns against swapping them.
- A tight-fitting lid matters; if steam escapes, add a splash of water.
The rules people argue about
What the sources agree on, what they don't, and what is just a good story.
- It is not "real" lasagna. Folklore: true in the layered sense, and ATK presents it as a skillet take on the baked dish, not a replacement.
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