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What makes a skillet lasagna? This has all of the same elements of a classic lasagna recipe – meat sauce, cheese sauce and pasta plus more cheese of course, but the process couldn’t be easier. Everything is stirred together with penne pasta (no layering required) and it cooks fast!
GUESS WHAT?? There is no ricotta cheese in this easy lasagna recipe. It is replaced with a surprising ingredient that works really well. My sister, Sveta (who is also my Marketing Manager) came up with this recipe, filmed an irresistible pasta cheese pull on her phone and sent it my way. My first thought was “HOLD ME BACK!!”
I have a weakness for incredible cheese pulls but it wasn’t just that – the meat sauce underneath the lovely crown of cheese is equally amazing. Every bite of this Skillet Lasagna Casserole is juicy, satisfying and loaded with flavor (see next photo for proof).
We have included Amazon affiliate links to our favorite kitchen tools used in this recipe.
Lasagna Cheese Sauce Ingredients:
10 oz Ranchero Cheese (Queso Fresco), crumbled
1 Tbsp sour cream
1 egg
4 oz (1 cup) mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 Tbsp parsley, chopped
1 tsp garlic salt
Lasagna Pasta and Toppings:
1 lb penne pasta, or broken up lasagna noodles, cooked al dente
1/2 to 3/4 cup reserved pasta water
2 oz (1/2 cup) cheddar, shredded
2 oz (1/2 cup) mozzarella cheese, shredded
Lasagna Meat Sauce Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef (use lean 90/10 or an 85/15 fat content)
1 medium diced onion
1 tsp granulated sugar
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/8 tsp ground black pepper
24 oz marinara sauce (homemade, or store-bought)
How to Make Easy Skillet Lasagna
1. Bring a 5 Qt pot of water to a boil and add about 1 Tbsp salt. Add penne pasta and cook according to package instructions until al dente (firm to the bite).
2. In a large, deep, oven safe pan, combine ground beef and diced onion and sauté over medium/high heat, breaking up the meat with a spatula, until meat is fully cooked and onion is soft (5 to 8 mins). Spoon out and discard any excess fat released from ground beef.
3. Stir in the seasonings: 1 tsp sugar, 1/2 tsp oregano, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp cumin, 1/8 tsp pepper then pour in marinara, bring to a simmer and turn off the heat.
4. Meanwhile, place 10 oz ranchero cheese into a medium mixing bowl and crumble/ mash it up with a wooden spoon. Add remaining cheese sauce ingredients: 1 Tbsp sour cream, 1 egg, 1 cup shredded mozzarella, 2 Tbsp parsley and 1 tsp garlic salt. Stir together then add it to the meat sauce and mix just until combined.
5. Stir in cooked pasta and reserved pasta water to make it juicier (I used 1/2 cup pasta water). (Transfer to 9×13 casserole dish if not using an oven-safe pan). Smooth out the top and sprinkle with 1/2 cup cheddar and 1/2 cup mozzarella. Bake at 350˚F for 20 minutes or until cheese melts and center is hot and steamy.
This easy, cheesy lasagna pasta bake is such a treat! It also refrigerates and reheats really well so leftovers are niiice!
Print-Friendly Skillet Lasagna Casserole Recipe:
Easy Skillet Lasagna Recipe
Ingredients
Lasagna Cheese Sauce Ingredients:
- 10 oz Queso Fresco (Ranchero Cheese)
- 1 Tbsp sour cream
- 1 egg
- 4 oz mozzarella cheese, (1 cup shredded)
- 2 Tbsp parsley, chopped
- 1 tsp garlic salt
Lasagna Pasta and Toppings:
- 1 lb penne pasta, (reserve 1 cup pasta water)
- 2 oz cheddar cheese, (1/2 cup shredded)
- 2 oz mozzarella cheese, (1/2 cup shredded)
Lasagna Meat Sauce Ingredients:
- 1 lb lean ground beef, use 90/10 or an 85/15 fat content
- 1 medium diced onion
- 1 tsp granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 tsp ground cumin
- 1/8 tsp ground black pepper
- 24 oz marinara sauce, homemade, or store-bought
Instructions
- Bring a 5 Qt pot of water to boil and add 1 Tbsp salt. Add penne pasta and cook al dente according to package instructions.
- In a large, deep, oven-safe pan, combine beef and onion. Sauté over med/high heat, until meat is fully cooked and onion is soft (5 to 8 mins), breaking up meat with a spatula. Discard any excess fat released from beef.
- Stir in seasonings: 1 tsp sugar, 1/2 tsp oregano, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp cumin, 1/8 tsp pepper. Add marinara and bring to simmer then remove from heat.
- Meanwhile, crumble up ranchero cheese in a medium bowl. Add 1 Tbsp sour cream, 1 egg, 1 cup shredded mozzarella, 2 Tbsp parsley and 1 tsp garlic salt. Stir together then add it to the meat sauce and mix just until combined.
- Stir in cooked pasta and add reserved pasta water to taste for a juicier casserole (I used 1/2 cup pasta water).* Smooth out the top then sprinkle with 1/2 cup cheddar and 1/2 cup mozzarella. Bake at 350˚F for 20 min to melt cheese and make the center steaming hot.
Notes
Nutrition Per Serving
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen
Mmm… Cheesy saucy goodness! Are you hungry yet? 😉
P.S. If you’re a big lasagna fan, you won’t want to miss our slow cooker lasagna recipe which is perfect for Sunday lunch.
Natasha Kravchuk
Hi! I'm Natasha Kravchuk. Here you'll find delicious, trusted recipes with easy step-by-step photos and videos. 
Hi, I don’t like sour cream so I never have it on hand for recipes… what can I use instead of sour cream?
Thanks
Hi Sharon, I have not tested any substitution to advise.
Regular lasagne is now dead to me! This recipe was seriously easy and super tasty. I used sweet Italian sausages instead of ground beef and used remnants of two open jars of pasta sauce that were in my fridge. I used just a pinch of sugar (not a full teaspoon) and added red pepper flakes and extra oregano. Something about the queso and the cumin gives this a really interesting and yummy flavor. This recipe makes a huge pot of pasta so there will be plenty to freeze for future meals. Thanks for this GREAT recipe!
You’re so very welcome, Lori! Thank you for sharing.
Hi, Who doesn’t like lasagna but I’m lazy and don’t like the work involved. I never used queso cheese before. Nice.. much more flavorful and better texture than ricotta. And queso doesn’t cost much more. TIP: I divide it up into those small, reusable, microwave safe, black plastic containers with lids (Walmart) and freeze for later before baking. One container is perfect size for kids or elderly couple. Lightly coat container with non stick spray. Once frozen the entire contents will pop out easily in one piece. Flip over and transfer to pie pan and bake in toaster (energy saver) or regular oven. Or leave in plastic container and microwave on medium. Your recipe tastes just as good as traditional lasagna and much easier. Thanks for sharing
Hello Luke, thanks so much for your detailed review and feedback. So happy that you loved the recipe!
Hi Natasha… do you think I can freeze this recipie? I didn’t realize how much this recipe makes 😅😅😅 should have made atleast half. Don’t want it to go to waste.
Hi Olga, I haven’t tried freezing it but in general lasagna does freeze well so I think that should work fine with this recipe.