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Lamb lasagna in under an hour! This deliciously addictive pasta lamb skillet recipe is simple enough for a weeknight & impressive enough for dinner guests.
One of my family's favorite, most repeated meals is Skillet Lasagna. It's such perfect comfort food, and it's always a hit. It's great for when it's just the three of us, and it makes a great stress-free meal for when we have dinner guests as well.
I love how easily this recipe comes together, and that I don't have to worry about pre-boiling noodles or layering them neatly in a baking dish.
You literally break up the noodles and pile 'em right on top of the ground meat mixture. A can of diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, and a little wine are all the liquid you need to get the noodles nice and al dente right in one pan.
I've made this skillet lasagna recipe for countless dinner parties and it never disappoints. Though I not-so-secretly prefer to make it when it's just us because I looooove having it for leftovers throughout the week.
The original incarnation of this recipe involved ground beef, but one day I had picked up some ground lamb from my local farmers market. It inspired me to change things up a bit and put a new spin on this classic pasta recipe. And thus, lamb lasagna was born!
Lamb isn't typically in lasagna meat mixes (they're often beef/pork/veal), and the use of it along with the fresh mint and rosemary gives it a bit of a Greek-meets-Italian vibe. And I am oh.so.into.it.
A pasta lamb skillet recipe is exactly what you need to get out of any cooking rut you may find yourself in. Of course, if you aren't a fan of ground lamb or you can't find it in your area, you can totally change this lamb pasta skillet into a beef or turkey pasta skillet recipe. No matter how you switch things up, it's guaranteed to be delicious!
And again, it's so much less labor-intensive than a standard lasagna recipe. One-pot meals like this are so wonderful, especially for busy weeknights! The leftovers hold up great in the fridge, too.
Lamb isn't something I grew up eating, but it has become a family favorite over the past few years. It's really versatile - I've used it in recipes like my Pan-Seared Lamb Chops Over Roasted Spaghetti Squash w Pomegranate + Aged Balsamic, Instant Pot Braised Lamb Shanks with Tomato, Lamb Fajitas, and Grazin' TriBeCa's Lamb Burger.
I even used lamb when I made my Persian Malbec Lamb Burgers with Mast-o-Khiar and Pomegranate Tomato Jam (which, by the way, got the Adam Richman seal of approval!).
Your move, @AdamRichman: Persian Malbec Lamb Burgers w Mast-o-Khiar & Pomegranate Tomato Jam https://t.co/YYmGLaOdMz pic.twitter.com/w5RusfEEmT
- Ashley Covelli (@bigflavorsblog) February 11, 2016
I bow to your greatness... https://t.co/4mrMTtzjZd
- Adam Richman (@AdamRichman) February 11, 2016
In addition to swapping in lamb for the ground beef or meatloaf mix (which is a blend of equal parts beef, pork, and veal), I added some fresh rosemary and carrots in with the aromatics. I also used white wine instead of water.
The dollops of ricotta and sprinkling of fresh mint at the end really brought it all together.
It turned out so beautifully! And it was a big hit with the friends that we had over for dinner that night.
One of my favorite tools for breaking up the meat for recipes like this or tacos, chili, etc., is this meat chopper. It's very affordable and a really simple tool that makes the sometimes tedious job of breaking up ground meat very easy.
I saw it in use on an episode of the Great British Baking Show, and my mom got it for me as a stocking stuffer that Christmas. I honestly didn't think I'd like it as much as I do, but it's been a total game-changer for me and I highly recommend getting one!
You can see it in action in the Facebook LIVE video I did that's embedded in this post (skip to 14:15 to see the meat chopper part, or click here to start from exactly that part over on YouTube).
I served this Skillet Lasagna with Easy Homemade Garlic Bread (made on potato rolls for some extra pillowy-soft deliciousness) and this Belgian Endive and Walnut Salad.
We wrapped up the meal with my favorite Tiramisu for dessert. It was a crazy delicious meal - one that we'll be having again and again (and again!).
Looking for more one pan recipes? Check out some of our favorites:
- Broiler Kebab Sheet Pan Meal
- Spanish Chicken + Sausage Skillet
- Pan-Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Balsamic Tomatoes
- Iron Skillet Chicken + Carrots with Toasted Lager Mustard Sauce
- Sausage and Peppers
- Our Favorite Steak Fajitas
- Single-Skillet Bacon-Rosemary Chicken Thighs with Roasted Tomatoes
- One Pan Seared Salmon and Spinach with Remoulade
- Pan Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Fairy Tale Eggplant & Tomatoes
- Latin-Spiced Pork + Squash Skillet with Chili Lime Cherries
- Baked Chicken Thighs with Potatoes and Peas
- Latin Chicken Skillet with Black Beans + Tomatoes
Recipe for Skillet Lasagna with Lamb, Ricotta + Mint
If you try out this recipe, please come back and give it a star rating and comment below. It helps other people find my recipes, and I'd love to know what you think of it!
Print📖 Recipe
Skillet Lasagna with Lamb, Ricotta + Mint
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 4-6 Servings 1x
- Category: One Pan
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian, Greek
Description
Fragrant rosemary enhances the flavor of this deliciously addictive one-skillet meal. Simple enough for a weeknight & impressive enough for dinner guests!
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, finely chopped (about ½ cup)
- 1 carrot, finely chopped (about ¼ cup)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, minced
- One pinch red pepper flakes
- 1 pound ground lamb
- 10 curly-edged lasagna noodles, broken into 2 inch lengths
- 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
- 1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
- ½ cup white wine (or water)
- ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus more for serving
- 8 ounces ricotta cheese
- ¼ cup fresh mint, torn or roughly chopped right before using
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet with tight fitting lid over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, garlic and salt and cook till soft, about five minutes. Add rosemary and red pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. And lamb and cook until browned throughout, breaking the meat up with a wooden spoon or spatula as you go, about 5 minutes. Drain any excess fat from pan.
- Sprinkle noodle pieces evenly over meat. Pour diced tomatoes, tomato sauce and wine (or water) on top. Without stirring, cover the skillet with the lid and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue to simmer, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is tender, about 20 minutes.
- Turn off the heat. Stir in Parmesan and season to taste with salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Dot heaping tablespoons of ricotta over the pasta and place the lid back on the skillet. Let stand for 5 minutes.
- Sprinkle with freshly torn mint leaves and serve with extra grated Parmesan on the side. Enjoy!
Notes
Recipe adapted from Cooks Illustrated
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 705
- Sugar: 8.2 g
- Sodium: 540.5 mg
- Fat: 39.5 g
- Saturated Fat: 17.7 g
- Carbohydrates: 46.7 g
- Fiber: 8.2 g
- Protein: 34 g
- Cholesterol: 115.4 mg
Sophia Del Gigante says
I am IN LOVE with this girl!! AMAZING work!
Allie R Taylor says
I gotta try this Ashley. We love lamb!!!!
Kacey @ The Cookie Writer says
Rosemary and lamb pair perfectly, so you just made this dish even better! I love the whole skillet lasagna idea and must give it a try!
Manila Spoon says
Yumminess all over! I want this for lunch, pretty please? 🙂
Gwen says
I much prefer lamb over beef. You totally nailed the flavors going on in this beautiful dish!
MomOnTimeout says
What a great dish! Perfect for dinner!
Laura @MotherWouldKnow says
What a simple and lovely weeknight dinner. Pinned so I can make it soon.
Searchingforspice says
I love lamb with mint and ricotta and think it's such a great idea to make it into a skillet lasagne
Homemade & Yummy says
We do love lamb in our house. This looks like a nice comfort food dish for the upcoming cold weather season. Lots of great flavours happening for sure.
Jenni Ward says
This looks amazing! I am a huge fan of lasagna, but rarely make it because of all the work it requires. Love this easy skillet version - especially with lamb and mint! Lovely!
Leslie Haasch says
Oh man, this looks amazing. I love the idea of skillet lasagna - it's a great way too mix it up!
Julia (@Imagelicious) says
What a wonderful idea making a lasagna on a skillet. I am definitely going to do something similar. And the flavours sound delicious!
Dixya Bhattarai RD says
lamb makes meals so hearty..i love this lasagna idea.
Amy Nash says
I love using lamb as well! This lasagna sounds so delicious and hearty! I wouldn't want to share either!
Stacey says
This sounds so good! I have some ground lamb and now I know what I'm going to make with it! Thank you!
Shadi Hasanzade says
I love lamb! It goes so well with mint. I've never tried the combo in lasagna but I must!
Julie | Bunsen Burner Bakery says
Perfect timing - last night a box of lasagna noodles fell out of the cabinet and broke and I was trying to think about what to do with them. Looks like a skillet lasagna is in our future!
Beth St. James says
Making it now... Carrots in the ingredients, but not in the directions. 🙂
<3
Beth St. James says
But it's GOOOOOOOOD
Ashley says
Thanks so much for catching that, Beth! I edited the instructions to reflect that. I adapted this from a beef skillet lasagna recipe that we love and forgot to add the carrots to the instructions. Glad you and your family enjoyed it! (Did ya save me a few scoops??) 😉
ellyn says
This is a fantastic and easy recipe to prepare. Friends loved it! I will definitely be making this again for future potlucks, it's a flavorful dish and unexpected when you tell people you're bringing lasagna.
I'm not going to fuss with layered lasagna anymore 😉
Made this with beef but am going to make the next one with local lamb!
Thanks BFTK!
Ashley says
I am so so glad to hear that this worked out well for you and your friends, Ellyn! And yayyy for local lamb! I used some when I made it on Facebook LIVE last week and it was so tasty! I appreciate the feedback!
beth says
Such a pretty and delicious dinner! Huge hit with the family.
Ashley says
I’m so glad!! Gotta love a solid one-pan meal