Easy Skillet Lasagna with Cottage Cheese (40 Minute Recipe!)
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This Easy One-Skillet Lasagna has all the traditional flavors you love in a classic lasagna dish but is an easy to make one pan low-effort version! Everything gets cooked in a skillet on the stove and no layering or baking is required. It’s also a healthier and high protein version of the classic dish thanks to using lean ground chicken and cottage cheese instead of ricotta.
If you like easy lasagna recipes, try my Buffalo Chicken Ravioli Lasagna next.
I love a hearty and comforting homemade lasagna dish. However, making lasagna the traditional way can be time consuming so I don’t often make it. This Easy One-Skillet Lasagna has been a savior for my lasagna cravings!
About This Recipe
This Easy Skillet Lasagna is a healthier version of the hearty and cheesy comfort food dish! I’ve made it with lean ground chicken and cottage cheese in addition to melty mozzarella cheese and savory Parmigiano Reggiano!
It’s a quick and easy one pan meal that’s essentially a deconstructed lasagna. Everything gets cooked in a skillet on the stovetop in just 40 minutes, which means less dishes and clean up! Even the cheeses are melted on top in the skillet!
It’s healthier than traditional lasagna because I’ve used cottage cheese instead of ricotta to add the signature creaminess. The cottage cheese adds extra protein and makes this lasagna a high protein meal!
While I’ve used lean ground chicken to make this chicken skillet lasagna, you can make it with lean ground beef, turkey or even Italian sausage. As for veggies, I added some onion and baby spinach but you can add more veggies or serve with a side salad to make it a complete meal!
This easy and quick skillet lasagna is bursting with all the classic lasagna flavors and textures! I think you and your family will love it!
Table of contents
Why This Recipe Works
- Quick and easy! All you need is 40 minutes from start to finish, which makes this easy skillet lasagna a breeze to make with minimal effort on any given weeknight.
- One Pot Meal. Everything gets cooked in one pan and unlike traditional lasagna, no pre-boiling lasagna noodles, layering or baking is required!
- Customizable. You can customize it with your favorite protein (ground turkey, beef, or Italian sausage) and veggies. It’s also vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free adaptable.
- Make ahead and freezer-friendly. Leftovers taste delicious and can be reheated during the week for an easy dinner. It also freezes beautifully and can be made ahead and frozen for future easy meals!
- High protein. Using cottage cheese instead of ricotta makes this comforting lasagna dish high in protein and lower in fat and calories. It’s a healthier alternative without compromising on flavor or creaminess!
Ingredient Notes and Substitutes
- Olive Oil: Or use any other cooking oil you like.
- Fresh veggies and aromatics: I used yellow onion, garlic, fresh red chilies and baby spinach. I used Thai Bird’s Eye chilies but any hot red chilies will work. Omit the chilies for a milder dish.
- Lean Ground Chicken: Or use lean ground turkey, beef, or Italian sausage if you prefer. Feel free to substitute the baby spinach with baby kale.
- Tomato Pasta Sauce: I used Muir Glen Tomato Basil Pasta Sauce with no sugar added. Use your favorite jarred pasta sauce or marinara sauce.
- Spices and Seasonings: Kosher salt, black pepper, Italian seasoning, dried oregano to season the lasagna meat sauce. To spice things up, I add ground cayenne, crushed red pepper flakes and a hot smoked paprika. Use less of the spicy seasonings for a milder dish and a sweet smoked paprika instead.
- Lasagna Noodles: We’ll be breaking up traditional lasagna noodles (not the no cook type) into thirds and cooking them in the sauce. You can use wholewheat or gluten-free lasagna noodles if needed. Jovial (brown rice based lasagna) or Chickapea (made with chickpeas and lentils) are great options.
- Low Fat Cottage Cheese: To keep things lighter, we’ll use cottage cheese instead of ricotta. It adds extra protein and creaminess to this skillet lasagna. Or you can use regular or low-fat ricotta if you want the traditional lasagna flavors.
- Mozzarella Cheese: My favorite mozzarella cheese is Tillamook Low Moisture Part-Skim Farmstyle Shreds but you can choose your favorite! Tillamook is the only brand I’ll use store-bought pre-shredded cheese from.
- Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese (or Parmesan cheese): I recommend using a box grater to grate the cheese yourself at home as it tastes fresher and better than store-bought pre-shredded parmesan in bags.
- Fresh Basil: To garnish. Feel free to use chopped fresh parsley, green onions or cilantro instead.
Full ingredient list and amounts are in the recipe card below.
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How to Make One Pan Skillet Lasagna
Below is a visual step-by-step overview on how to make this recipe. The full recipe with detailed instructions can be found in the printable recipe card below.
Serving Suggestions
This skillet lasagna is rich in protein and has a good balance of carbohydrates and healthy fats. A simple side salad would pair well with it. If you’re extra hungry, buttery garlic bread would also be a delicious side.
Storing and Reheating Leftovers
Store lasagna leftovers in a sealed airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. Reheat in the microwave for 2-3 minutes, or until hot throughout. I recommend garnishing with basil after reheating. When added as a garnish or topping, fresh basil tends to blacken and become bitter if reheated in the microwave for too long.
Cook’s Tips
- Choose an appropriate skillet before you start cooking. A large deep skillet is needed to cook this lasagna. However, be sure to use an oven safe pan such as a cast-iron skillet if you’d like to broil the cheese to make it bubbly and a little browned. This way you can avoid having to transfer to a baking dish after cooking and keep this a one pan meal.
- Adjust spice level to taste. If you’re not big on spice or are dining with kids, omit or use less of the red chilies, crushed red pepper flakes and ground cayenne to make a milder lasagna. If you like it spicy, use more of these ingredients and serve with some hot sauce such as buffalo sauce on the side or add ¼ to ⅓ cup buffalo sauce to the tomato sauce while cooking.
- Stir frequently after adding the lasagna noodles. It will ensure that the noodles cook evenly and prevent them from sticking to the pan. That said, a little sticking and slightly charred lasagna noodles tastes delicious to me as long as it isn’t burnt!
- Add more water or broth if needed. If you find that the lasagna noodles have absorbed most of the liquid during simmering and are still not fully cooked, add a little extra water or broth and continue cooking until al-dente.
Variations
- Make it vegetarian. Use a plant-based meat substitute that crumbles such as Impossible Meat or Beyond Beef. You could also use vegetarian Italian sausage. Alternatively, leave out the meat and add more veggies like bell pepper, mushrooms, carrots, celery, zucchini, broccoli, etc. Use a plant-based parmesan cheese without rennet.
- Make it dairy-free. Use plant-based/vegan cheeses.
- Make it vegan. Same as for making it vegetarian but use dairy-free cheeses too.
- Gluten-free skillet lasagna. Simply use gluten free lasagna noodles!
- Use rotisserie chicken or leftover cooked shredded chicken breasts. Add to the pan halfway through the cooking time for the lasagna noodles so that it can reheat and take on some of the flavors of the sauce.
- Use a different protein. Besides ground chicken, lean ground turkey, beef, or Italian sausage are great options to make this high protein lasagna.
- Use short-cut pasta. Penne, ziti, rigatoni would be great options for making a lazy lasagna skillet dish!
FAQs
After cooking and cooled completely, transfer the lasagna to freezer friendly containers and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat on high in the microwave for 2-3 minutes until hot throughout. Garnish with fresh basil after reheating.
I like using a 5-quart nonstick large deep skillet by Anolon. If you’re planning on broiling to melt the cheeses, use a cast iron skillet or other oven safe skillet.
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More One Pot Pasta Recipes
Easy Skillet Lasagna with Cottage Cheese
This Easy Skillet Lasagna has all the traditional flavors in a classic lasagna dish but is a healthier and high protein one pan meal made with ground chicken and cottage cheese! It’s ready in just 40 minutes and perfect for any night of the week!
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 30
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 5 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Simmer
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- ½ medium / 100 grams Yellow Onion – finely chopped
- 6 cloves / 30 grams Garlic – minced
- 9–10 pieces / 30 grams fresh Red Chilies (such as Thai Bird’s Eye, optional, to taste – note 1*) – finely chopped
- 1 TBSP Olive Oil
- 1 pound / 454 grams Lean Ground Chicken
- ½ TSP Kosher Salt (to season the chicken)
- 25.5 ounce jar / 722 grams Tomato Pasta Sauce (or marinara sauce, I used Muir Glen Tomato Basil Pasta Sauce with No Sugar Added)
- 2 cups / 500ml Water (or low sodium chicken broth)
- ¾ – 1 TSP Kosher Salt, to taste
- ½ TSP freshly cracked Black Pepper
- 1 TSP Italian Seasoning
- ½ TSP Dried Oregano
- ½ – 1.5 TSP ground Cayenne, to taste (note 1)
- ½ – 1.5 TSP Crushed Red Pepper Flakes, to taste (note 1)
- 1 TSP Smoked Paprika (hot or sweet – I used hot)
- 9 ounces / 255 grams (12 pieces) Lasagna Noodles (use gluten-free lasagna noodles if needed) – broken into three pieces each
- 2 cups / 66 grams Baby Spinach
- ¾ cup / 200 grams Low Fat Cottage Cheese
- ¾ cup / 84 grams shredded Low Moisture Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese (I used Tillamook Farmstyle Shreds)
- ¼ cup / 25 grams freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese (or Parmesan cheese)
- To Serve: Chopped fresh Basil Leaves or Parsley
Instructions
Prep:
- Prepare the fresh ingredients: Chop the yellow onion, garlic and red chilies (if using) as indicated in the ingredients section. Break each lasagna noodle sheet into three pieces each. Grate the
Easy Skillet Lasagna with Cottage Cheese
- Sauté aromatics: Sauté onion in olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until translucent. Add the garlic and chilies and sauté for another minute until fragrant.
- Cook the ground chicken: Add the ground chicken and season with ½ teaspoon kosher salt. Cook for 3-4 minutes, breaking the clumps with your spatula until just cooked through.
- Build the sauce. Add the pasta sauce, water, and all the seasonings – remaining ¾ teaspoon kosher salt, black pepper, Italian seasoning, dried oregano, ground cayenne, crushed red pepper flakes and smoked paprika. Stir to combine.
- Add the lasagna noodles: Add the broken lasagna noodles and stir to combine, making sure to spread them out evenly and submerge in the sauce.
- Simmer: Bring the sauce up to a boil, then cover the pan and reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer for 16-18 minutes, uncovering to stir every 5 minutes (this is important) to prevent the lasagna noodles from sticking to the pan, until the lasagna is al-dente and tender.
- Add baby spinach: Add the baby spinach and mix until just wilted – 1 minute.
- Add cottage cheese: Add the cottage cheese and stir until evenly combined – about 1 minute.
- Top with cheeses: Scatter the mozzarella and Parmigiano Reggiano cheese evenly over everything. Switch off the heat and cover the pan for 5 minutes to let the cheese melt. Alternatively, if you’d like the cheese to brown a little and become bubbly, broil for 3-4 minutes in the oven.
- Serve: Let the lasagna cool for 5-10 minutes. Garnish with chopped basil and serve.
Equipment
Analon 5-Quart Deep Large Sauté Pan
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La Chinata Smoked Paprika (Hot)
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- Fresh Red Chilies. If you’re not big on spice or are dining with kids, omit or use less of the red chilies, crushed red pepper flakes and ground cayenne to make a milder lasagna. You can sprinkle crushed red pepper on top after serving if you like it spicy but others you are dining with don’t. To make a spicier lasagna dish, use more of the aforementioned ingredients and serve with some hot sauce such as buffalo sauce on the side. Alternatively, add ¼ to ⅓ cup buffalo sauce to the tomato sauce while cooking.
- Storing and reheating leftovers. Store leftovers in a sealed airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. Reheat in the microwave for 2-3 minutes, or until hot throughout. I recommend garnishing with basil after reheating. When added as a garnish or topping, fresh basil tends to blacken and become bitter if reheated in the microwave for too long.
- Freezing and reheating. After cooking and cooled completely, transfer the lasagna to freezer friendly containers and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat on high in the microwave for 2-3 minutes until hot throughout. Garnish with fresh basil after reheating.
- Nutritional information is approximate and will vary with ingredients substitutes and the brands you use.
- Dietary modifications. Use gluten-free lasagna noodles to make it gluten-free. For dairy-free, use plant-based/vegan cheeses. For vegetarian, use a plant-based meat substitute that crumbles or add veggies like bell pepper, mushrooms, carrots, celery, zucchini, broccoli, etc. Also, use a plant-based parmesan cheese without rennet. For a vegan version, same as for making it vegetarian and dairy-free.
- See the ‘Variations’ section in the post above to customize this skillet lasagna.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/5 of recipe
- Calories: 565
- Sugar: 10g
- Sodium: 933mg
- Fat: 22g
- Saturated Fat: 6.2g
- Unsaturated Fat: 15.7g
- Trans Fat: 0.1g
- Carbohydrates: 53.8g
- Fiber: 5.4g
- Protein: 37.7g
- Cholesterol: 96.8mg
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