9 One Pot Lasagna Recipes For Busy Weeknight Dinners

These one pot lasagna recipes for busy weeknight dinners give me the ricotta, the meat sauce, and the melted mozzarella of a real lasagna without the layering, the boiling, or the hour in the oven.

From a skillet lasagna to a lasagna soup, a white chicken lasagna soup, a lazy lasagna with broken noodles, and a one pot lasagna pasta, the noodles cook right in the sauce and the cheese goes on at the end.

Here are the nine that stand in for the real thing at my house!

The trade is that none of these cut into neat squares, and in exchange they’re on the table in thirty to forty minutes with one pot to wash.

On a Tuesday, that’s a trade I’ll make every time, and nobody at my table has ever asked where the layers went.

1. Skillet Lasagna

Ground beef and Italian sausage brown in the skillet, then marinara, broth, and broken lasagna noodles go in and simmer until the noodles are tender.

Spoonfuls of ricotta and a layer of mozzarella go on top, the lid goes back on, and the cheese melts in a few minutes.

It’s the closest thing to a real lasagna on this list, and it takes thirty minutes.

Fresh basil on top and garlic bread on the side!

2. One Pot Lasagna Soup

Sausage, onion, garlic, crushed tomatoes, and broth simmer with broken lasagna noodles, and every bowl gets a spoonful of ricotta mixed with parmesan on top.

It’s lasagna in a bowl, and the ricotta melting into the hot soup is the whole point.

The noodles soak up broth as they sit, so add a splash when reheating the leftovers.

It’s the dinner everyone asks for once the weather turns.

3. White Chicken Lasagna Soup

Chicken, spinach, garlic, and broken lasagna noodles in a creamy parmesan broth, and it’s the white lasagna turned into a soup.

Rotisserie chicken makes it a twenty-five minute dinner, and the noodles cook right in the pot.

A little lemon at the end keeps the cream from being heavy.

Crusty bread, and the leftovers are better the next day.

4. One Pot Lazy Lasagna

Ground beef, marinara, broken noodles, and water simmer together, and ricotta and mozzarella get stirred through at the end so every bite has cheese in it.

It’s called lazy for a reason, and it’s the one I make when I’m too tired to think.

A jar of good marinara is most of the flavor, so buy the one you like.

Parmesan on top and a bagged salad next to it.

5. One Pot Lasagna Pasta

The same meat sauce with bowtie or short pasta in place of lasagna noodles, and it’s easier to eat, especially for the kids.

Ricotta goes in at the end in dollops, and mozzarella melts over the top under the lid.

It’s lasagna flavor with a pasta shape that stays on a fork.

6. One Pot Stovetop Lasagna

Ground beef, marinara, broken noodles, and a little cream simmer until the noodles are soft, and the cream makes the sauce cling to them.

The three cheeses go on at the end, and a lid melts them in five minutes.

It’s a full lasagna dinner in under forty minutes with one pot.

Fresh basil, and it’s gone.

7. Easiest One Pot Lasagna

Italian sausage, crushed tomatoes, broken noodles, and broth, with ricotta and mozzarella folded in at the end, and it comes together in the time it takes to boil water for the regular kind.

The sausage brings all of the seasoning, so there’s not much to measure.

A pinch of chili flakes balances the sweetness of the tomatoes.

My kids eat this faster than the baked version, which I try not to take personally.

8. One Pot Creamy Lasagna Soup

The lasagna soup above with cream stirred in at the end, and it’s richer, smoother, and the version my family prefers.

Broken noodles cook in the soup, and the ricotta and mozzarella go into the bowls.

It’s a bowl of comfort on a cold night, and it’s done in half an hour.

Garlic bread for dipping.

9. Polka Dot Lasagna Skillet

Ground turkey or beef, marinara, and broken noodles in a skillet, with dollops of ricotta dotted over the top before the lid goes on.

The ricotta stays in soft pockets across the top, which is where the polka dots come from, and the kids each claim one.

It’s lighter than the others on this list and just as filling.

Basil on top, and a crisp salad to cut through the cheese.

Notes on Lasagna in One Pot

Regular lasagna noodles broken into two-inch pieces work in every one of these, and they need about fifteen minutes in the simmering sauce to get tender.

Don’t use the no-boil noodles for the stovetop versions, since they turn gummy in a pot and are made for the oven.

The ricotta goes in at the end in spoonfuls and gets stirred only a little, so it stays in creamy pockets and doesn’t disappear into the sauce.

Mozzarella melts under the lid off the heat in about five minutes, and a 12-inch skillet with a lid is the right pan for the skillet ones.

A Dutch oven is better for the soups, since they need the depth.

Stir with a wooden spoon every few minutes while the noodles cook so they don’t stick to each other or the bottom.

A microplane for the parmesan, and a ladle for the soups.

The soups freeze well without the cheese, and the skillet ones are best eaten the same night.

More Comfort Food Dinners on the Site

My crockpot chicken alfredo pasta is the other pasta dinner that skips the pot of boiling water.

The slow cooker chicken and dumplings is the comfort food I make when it’s not a lasagna night.

And the quick crockpot dinners with ten minutes of prep post has more dinners for the same kind of week.