Easy Skillet Lasagna
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This Skillet Lasagna is one of the best recipes to come into our life – all the delicious, cheesy flavor of a classic lasagna without the layering, the extra pot of boiling water, or the hour in the oven.
You simply break the noodles into the skillet and let the marinara sauce do all the work, so this gluten free skillet lasagna comes together in one pan on the stovetop. Trust us, this dairy free skillet lasagna is one to keep in your weekly rotation.
Reasons Why You'll Love This Gluten Free Lasagna Skillet
- This easy skillet lasagna meal tastes amazing. It's creamy, flavorful, and comforting...it tastes like something you'd get at an upscale restaurant
- It's made in one pan (yes, you read that right!!), so cleanup is so easy peasy
- And it's ready in 40 minutes
- The leftovers taste like you just took it off the stove top
- The noodles aren't soggy or limp. The sauce tastes even better the next day.
Ingredients Needed
Get information on all the ingredients and the full recipe in the recipe card at the bottom of the screen.
- First, the gluten free lasagna noodles are easy to work with in the skillet. We like to use these Tinkyada gluten free noodles and we have for years. For this recipe there is no need for an extra pot to boil them in.
- They do their magic noodle transformation in the pasta sauce. No need to fret about them not breaking as they're boiling.
- Next, dairy free ricotta is one of the best dairy free products to hit the market. We use Kite Hill ricotta in this recipe. It's a dairy free brand using non-GMO almonds. But if you have a brand that you prefer, feel free to use that.
- A homemade dairy free ricotta would also work.
- Lastly, we like to use easy, store bought pasta sauces. So our family enjoys marinara sauce with most of our pasta dishes, including my homemade oven-baked lasagna recipe.
How to Make Skillet Lasagna
Here's a quick overview of how this gluten free dairy free skillet lasagna comes together. Full ingredient amounts and instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until translucent, then add the green pepper and cook for another 3-4 minutes.
- Add the ground beef and Italian sausage, breaking it into crumbles. Once cooked through, drain off the excess fat.
- Stir in the marinara sauce, garlic powder, brown sugar, and oregano.
- Add the broken gluten free lasagna noodles along with a pinch of salt and pepper.
- Bring everything to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium, cover, and simmer for 18-20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the noodles are tender. Stir in a little extra marinara sauce (or a splash of water) if the pan starts to look dry before the noodles are done.
- Remove from the heat and top individual servings with dollops of dairy free ricotta and fresh parsley.
Storage and Reheat
Storage: Store any leftovers in an airtight container and keep them refrigerated for up to 3-4 days. You can freeze leftovers for up to 2 months.
The texture of the lasagna may change once frozen, thawed, and reheated.
To reheat: Any leftovers can be reheated in a skillet on the stove for even heat distribution. We prefer this over the microwave.
Recipe Tips
- Keep an eye on the noodles as they cook in the sauce – gluten free noodles can go from tender to mushy faster than you'd expect.
- Use a large, oven-safe skillet so the noodles have room to cook evenly and everything blends together nicely.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning in your sauce before adding the ricotta mixture, since that's your last chance to season the base.
- If the pan looks dry before the noodles are fully tender, stir in a splash of water or extra marinara sauce so nothing scorches on the bottom of the skillet.
Recipe Variations
- Add Veggies: Stir in fresh spinach, mushrooms, or diced zucchini along with the sauce.
- Swap the Meat: Ground turkey or Italian sausage both work well in place of ground beef.
- Extra Cheesy: Add a layer of dairy free mozzarella on top and pop it under the broiler for a couple minutes before serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, using this recipe is the easiest way to make lasagna in a skillet. It's the easiest way to make lasagna without having to layer the pasta or worry about it breaking.
No. That's one reason we love this recipe so much is that there's no extra boiling steps. You just need to let the sauce get hot enough to cook the pasta in it.
We shared our favorite brand for lasagna noodles earlier in the post. They're made from brown rice and hold up very well considering that they're gluten free.
Again, we shared our favorite dairy free ricotta cheese to use above in the post. It adds a creaminess to the sauce that really amps up the flavor.
Any skillet you have will work just fine. We have used a stainless steel skillet and we have made this in our cast iron skillets before.
We'd suggest tossing in whatever veggie your family would eat.
We've added a handful of spinach in at the end of cooking.
We've also added finely diced zucchini, yellow squash, peas, carrots, corn, and broccoli.
Basically anything we had on hand that the family would eat will make this a little healthier and will bulk this out to go even further around the dinner table.
Yes! The meat and marinara mixture can be made 1-2 days in advance and stored in the fridge. When you're ready to eat, reheat it in the skillet, then stir in the broken noodles and continue with the recipe as directed.
This skillet lasagna is hearty enough to be a meal on its own, but we love pairing it with a simple green salad, gluten free garlic bread, Gluten Free Texas Toast or roasted vegetables like broccoli or asparagus on the side.
Not as written. If you'd like more heat, use hot Italian sausage instead of mild, or stir in a pinch of red pepper flakes with the seasonings.
Yes. We recommend cooking the noodles just to al dente and waiting to add the dairy free ricotta until you reheat and serve, so the texture holds up better once thawed. Store in an airtight, freezer-safe container for up to 2 months.
If it looks a little soupy right after cooking, don't worry. Let it sit off the heat, uncovered, for 10-15 minutes. The noodles will keep absorbing the sauce and everything will thicken up as it rests.
Check Out What a Reader Shared on Instagram
Hannah- "This skillet lasagna has become a staple in our house. It's one of the few meals EVERY one of us likes."
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More Dinner Recipes
Easy Skillet Lasagna
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon oil
- ½ onion diced
- 1 green bell pepper diced
- ½ pound ground beef
- ½ pound Italian sausage
- 32 ounces marinara sauce 2 16-ounce jars- plus more as needed, see note below
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- 7 gluten free lasagna noodles broken in 2 inch pieces, brand suggestion in post
- ½ cup dairy free ricotta brand suggestion in post
- garnish with a few sprigs of fresh parsley if desired
Instructions
- In medium skillet heat oil over medium heat. Add onions and cook until they are translucent, stirring occasionally. Add green peppers to skillet for another 3-4 minutes.
- Add in ground beef and Italian sausage. Break it apart into crumbles. After it's heated through, drain fat off.
- Stir in marinara sauce, garlic powder, brown sugar, oregano.
- Stir in broken lasagna noodles. Add in a pinch of salt and pepper.
- Bring it to a boil then reduce heat to medium and cover the pan.
- Cook until the noodles are soft 18-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add in more marinara sauce as needed.
- Remove the pan from heat. Scoop and serve. Top servings with dollops of dairy free ricotta cheese and fresh parsley.
- The marinara meat mixture can be prepared a day or two ahead of time. Reheat in a skillet and add in broken lasagna noodles.
- Cover and refrigerate any leftovers.
Notes
- See post for answers to common questions.
- Store appropriately.
- Always check your ingredients to ensure they're gluten free and dairy free as brands can change ingredients at any point in time.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
These Nutritional Facts are ESTIMATED. Your actual nutritional info with this recipe may vary depending on the brands you choose. “Eating Gluten and Dairy Free” is not a registered dietician or nutritionist. The provided nutritional info above is based on a generic calculator, if you want more accurate info, use your nutritional calculator of choice where you can choose brands and get more info that way.
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Can we use a non iron skillet? Because iron skillets are not supposed to ever have acidic things, specifically like tomatoes, in them because it causes pitting. Which ruins them.
So I'd like to use something else.
Thanks for reaching out Kimberly. You bet-- since this dish doesn't go into the oven you can use any kind of kitchenware you're comfortable with over the stove top. Again- thanks and enjoy this gluten and dairy free meal. Jill