One Pan, No Bake 20 Minute Lasagna

One Pan, No Bake 20 Minute Lasagna

Lasagna is one of my all-time favorite comfort foods. But boiling noodles, layering all the ingredients, and waiting for it to bake is a little too much effort to combat my cravings. 

Cheese. No baking or boiling. Oh yeah, and cheese. My One Pan, No Bake 20 Minute Lasagna recipe is by far the most popular recipe on Broke and Cooking. I originally posted it on my blog back when it was hosted on Tumblr, and so many of you awesome people have shared photos of your One Pan Lasagnas with me!

This month's @MISSBISH #MISSDISH is one of my favorite recipes since it's so easy, delicious, and straightforward. The results are great every time. A nice cheesy crust, tender lasagna noodles, creamy ricotta, savory Italian sausage, and zesty tomato sauce simmer on the stove for a mere 20 minutes and magically become the world's easiest lasagna. Once you've got all the ingredients prepped, the actual cook time is a breeze. Throw everything in one pan and impress your loved ones. I generally have a bunch of these ingredients on hand in my pantry so it's a great dish to make for last minute dinners. Find out how next...let's get cookin! 

What You Need:

  • Your largest pan with straight sides and a lid
  • 1 - 28 oz can of Crushed Tomatoes - I prefer S&W Italian Seasoned 
  • Drizzle of EVOO
  • 1 small yellow onion, or 1/2 medium 
  • 3-4 Italian Sausages - My favorite brand is New York Style Sausages, available widely in supermarkets and Costco
  • 1/2 lb of 80/20 ground beef 
  • 1 tsp Oregano
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 2 tsp Italian seasoning
  • 2 cups beef broth
  • 8 sheets Barilla No-Boil Lasagna sheets (1 package contains about 15 sheets)
  • 1 cup or more shredded Jack and Mozzarella cheese blend (the more, the merrier)
  • 2 cups ricotta cheese
  • Zest of 1-2 lemons
  • fresh Basil
  • fresh Parsley

What To Do:

  • Prepare all the ingredients first.
  • Dice 1 small or 1/2 medium yellow onion into a 1/4" dice, set aside.
  • Taking a paring knife, score the Italian sausages lengthwise and remove the outer casing so that you are left with just the sausage. Use your fingers to break the sausage apart into bite sized pieces. Place aside in a bowl.
  • Dice 3 cloves of garlic, or mince it against a grater. Set aside.

  • In a large skillet, add a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil on medium-high heat. Just as the oil begins to bubble, add the onions, Italian seasoning, a dash of salt, and a few grinds of black pepper.

  • Cook until the onions are tender and translucent. Add the garlic and stir. 

  • Add the Italian sausage and ground beef into the pan and break the pieces up, making sure to incorporate them with the seasoning and onions. Check for seasoning. 

  • Pour in 2 cups of beef broth and gently bring the pan's contents to a boil.

  • Add the entire 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes and stir. 

  • Break up about 8 sheets of no-boil lasagna sheets into large shards. It doesn't matter what size or shape they are. I like larger pieces so that the finished product feels like a traditional lasagna. Think 2" x 2" pieces.

  • As the sauce is gently boiling, nudge and nestle the broken pasta sheets beneath the liquid and meat. You want the pasta to be nicely distributed, because this is how the lasagna is going to set.

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  • Dab mounds of ricotta all over the pan. I also like to gently lift the noodles and put mounds of ricotta underneath, so that each bite is filled with cheesy goodness. 

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  • Cover the entire pan with shredded cheese and let it melt. Top the lasagna off with a few cracks of black pepper. You're done!!

  • I like to let the lasagna set for a few moments, letting the edges of the cheese get all crusty, and allowing the lasagna to set up. 

  • Top each serving with a fresh parsley, basil, and a spoonful of ricotta cheese. A little fresh lemon zest over the ricotta is absolutely lovely. 

This dish is so flavorful, so quick, and truly easy to prepare. There is so much dimension in flavor - from the fennel in the Italian sausage to the rich tomato sauce, gooey cheese, and mild, almost sweet ricotta. I hope you try this recipe - lasagna is easier than you think :) If you try this or any other recipes out, let me know how it went! :) Or take a pic and tag #brokeandcooking on twitter or ig! Have a great week!!