This cheesy, dreamy, homemade lasagna recipe takes 25 minutes from start to finish! It’s the easiest lasagna recipe ever. You don’t even have to pre-boil the noodles first, making it the ultimate easy comfort food recipe!
An Easy Lasagna Recipe That’s Ready in 25 minutes!
My favorite recipes are the kind where you make everything in one pot, so you only have one dish to wash at the end of the night. Lasagna usually doesn’t fall into this category. A typical lasagna recipe usually takes at least 30 minutes to prepare and another 45 minutes to cook. Even frozen lasagna can take over an hour to bake! Usually by the time I get home and start trying to figure out dinner, I’m starving and I want to eat now! Not an hour and a half later.
But with this easy lasagna recipe, you can have gooey, cheesy lasagna made in one pan and ready in less than 30 minutes. Everything you need for this lasagna recipe cooks in one pan on the stovetop. Hallelujah for easy clean-up!
Can You Really Make Lasagna in 25 Minutes?
Yes! Everything you need for this lasagna recipe cooks in one pan on the stovetop in just 25 minutes. This lasagna recipe has it all — layers of noodles, seasoned ground beef, and gooey, melty cheese, just like lasagna is supposed to be. But you can make this easy lasagna recipe in a fraction of the time.
Let’s make this easy lasagna recipe, shall we?!
Ingredients for this Simple Lasagna Recipe:
Here’s all you need to make this easy lasagna recipe.
- Onions: frozen, diced onions are a time saver here! You can just add them straight from the bag – no need to thaw.
- Sausage: lately, my favorite sausage has been the Jimmy Dean pre-cooked turkey sausage crumbles. I use this in place of port breakfast sausage because it tastes just the same but has 60% less fat. Plus, it’s pre-cooked, which makes this meal even easier!
- Lasagna noodles: I use regular lasagna noodles, not the oven-ready or no-boil kind.
- Tomato sauce: one 8-oz. can of unflavored tomato sauce is all you need!
- Diced tomatoes: one 10-oz. can of diced tomatoes gives this lasagna a nice texture to go with the meat and cheese. I love Ro-tel diced tomatoes because of the extra spice it adds, but regular is fine if you don’t like spicy.
- Mozzarella cheese: this recipe uses fresh shredded mozzarella, along with fresh mozzarella pearls to achieve that yummy, gooey, cheesy layer on top. I find the mozzarella pearls in the cheese case in the deli section of my grocery store. If you can’t find pearls, you can always buy a ball of mozzarella and slice it, or use shredded. I’ve done it both ways and either way is fabulous in this lasagna recipe!
- Garlic: fresh, minced garlic gives this lasagna the classic Italian flavor.
- Ground beef: lasagna just isn’t lasagna without ground beef
How To Make Lasagna (Step by Step)
First, brown the ground beef and diced onion in a large skillet over medium-high heat. If you can’t find the pre-cooked turkey sausage crumbles, go ahead and brown 1/2 lb breakfast sausage here with the beef and onions.
Drain any excess grease if necessary, then turn heat to medium. Add 2-3 cloves minced garlic and stir for one minute until fragrant.
Next add the pre-cooked sausage and broken lasagna pieces. Remember, you don’t have to pre-boil the noodles first!
And top with diced tomatoes…
And tomato sauce.
Then pour over 2 cups of water and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Give it a gentle stir as best you can to combine, then cover and simmer over medium to medium-low heat. While cooking, give it a shake occasionally to evenly distribute the noodles as they soften.
In 15-minutes you’ll have delicious, saucy noodles.
Turn off the heat, top with cheese, and stir to combine.
Like so.
Generously top with fresh mozzarella pearls.
And broil in the oven for 3-4 minutes until golden and bubbly.
Top with fresh basil and grated parmesan cheese if desired.
Variation Ideas
I love how lasagna can easily be customized to fit anyone’s dietary needs or favorite flavors. Here are some simple ideas for making this recipe your own:
- Add some veggies: You can make your lasagna completely vegetarian and replace the meat with vegetables, or if you are a veggie and a meat lover, you can keep the meat and add some veggies!
- Add fresh herbs: Obviously, dried herbs you already have on hand are easier to work with, but fresh herbs bring more flavor to your table.
- Skip the noodles: There are many noodle-free options for lasagna. Some favorite substitutions include zucchini and eggplant. Simply cut the zucchini or eggplant lengthwise in very thin slices. Then you’ll drain the veggie noodles, sprinkle them with salt and let them lay flat for 30 minutes on paper towels to drain. After the 30 minutes is up, rinse the veggies with water, pat them dry, and add them to your lasagna.
How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
You can store this lasagna in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to five days. When you are ready to eat, you can warm up the lasagna in in the microwave until warmed through. Be sure to cover the lasagna so that it doesn’t splatter in the microwave and make a mess.
How to Freeze and Reheat Lasagna
Cook your lasagna according to directions. Remove the lasagna from the broiler and let it cool. Once cool, transfer the lasagna to a freezer and oven safe container. Wrap the lasagna tightly with plastic wrap to prevent any significant flavor or texture changes. Place the lasagna in the refrigerator to cool completely.
Before you move the lasagna to the freezer, you will need to wrap it in a second layer of plastic wrap and then tightly cover everything with foil. Label the lasagna and store it on a flat level surface in the freezer for up to three months.
When you are ready to eat the lasagna, take it out of the freezer and let it thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Once thawed, remove all the plastic wrap and cover the lasagna tightly in foil. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, or until cooked, with an internal temperature of 165 degrees.
We love, love, love this easy lasagna recipe. Hope you enjoy!
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Easy Lasagna Recipe
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Prep Time: 7 minutes -
Cook Time: 18 minutes
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Total Time: 25 minutes
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Yield: 4 servings 1x
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Category: Dinner
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Method: Stove
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Cuisine: Lasagna
Prep Time:
Yield:
Category:
Method:
Cuisine:Description
This easy lasagna recipe shows you how to make lasagna in 15 minutes from start to finish.
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb lean ground beef
- 2 cups diced onion
- 2–3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 (9.6 oz) bag Jimmy Dean pre-cooked turkey sausage crumbles OR 1/2 lb cooked pork breakfast sausage
- 8 oz (about 10) lasagna noodles, broken into 1/4ths
- 1 (10 oz) can Ro-tel diced tomatoes (or regular diced tomatoes)
- 1 cup tomato sauce
- 2 cups water
- salt and pepper to taste, about 1/2 teaspoon each
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 4 oz fresh mozzarella pearls
Instructions
- In a large skillet, cook the ground beef and onion over medium-high heat stirring occasionally until browned. Drain excess grease if necessary. Stir in the minced garlic and cook for one minute until fragrant.
- Evenly add the pre-cooked sausage, lasagna pieces, tomatoes, tomato sauce, and water over the skillet. Sprinkle evenly with salt and pepper. Stir gently to combine.
- Cover and simmer for 15 minutes over medium to medium-low heat. Shake the skillet occasionally to evenly distribute the noodles as they soften. Remove from heat and stir in cheese. Top with mozzarella pearls and broil for 3-4 minutes until golden and bubbly.
Great recipes. we loved this one. keep posting.
I love to eat in late nights, and this is simply perfect for me!
Hello, I am professor Ileana Canetti. Just found your page looking for information about Quito, Ecuador.
Cause I like to cook, I just found your recipes. So good and easy very nice if you are going t share with friends. Is nice to find people like you.
God Bless
Thank you so much for your sweet comment!
Made this tonight… with a few simple personal alterations…. cuz I’m a cheese freak.. and just cant leave a recipe alone…
14 oz can ital chopped tomatoes, Paul Newmans pasta sauce, fresh diced tomatoes, and 2 TBSP pesto sauce for a total of 2 cups.. Jimmy Deans HOT Sausage and cooked it up instead of the crumbles.. with some added red pepper flakes
Shredded a Fresh Mozzarella Ball, Added Ricotta, FRESH grated Parmigiano Reggiano/Pecorino Romano cheeses, Fresh Basil…
Was AWESOME… This was a great base recipe to build off of… I have a foodsaver, so I make recipes, freeze portions in flat containers.. so they’ll stack /take less room.. then vacuum seal them, and throw back in the freezer.. .. to reheat.. throw them in boiling water for 20 minutes like a boil in bag… From my years of “cant live without it” I have evolved to actually hating using my microwave …. Food tastes SO much better reheated on the stove, or oven….
Hi I’m in the U.K. The tomatoe sauce is this ketchup or purée or something completely different?
Thank you ?
This was a hit! I didn’t have all the ingredients and had to be a bit creative, and it still worked. Thank you so much!
I just made this for dinner and OMG!! I love it!! I omitted the diced tomatoes and used 2 cups of of spaghetti sauce! I will be making this over and over! And it’s less than $30! Great idea! Thanks for the recipe! I’m so excited about it!
Way too many ads! Great recipe but I had to clock back into it on my phone about 15 different times after getting transferred to King.com and a lot of other site that wouldn’t let me go back.
Did you drain the rotel first?
I have made this several times and it was perfect. Accidentally used no bake noodles today. Big mistake :(
My husband absolutely loved this dish! Super delicious, even my picky kids liked it!
This was delicious! I used up some extra fresh onions I had and bought fresh sausauge meat as I couldn’t find the pre-cooked Jimmy Dean’s. The Rotel tomotoes have a lot of flavor and the sauce was quite yummy–I used fewer pieces of the lasagna to keep the carbs down and there was still plenty of pasta. Just don’t forget that this goes into the broiler–I ended up transferring from my non-broiler safe skillet to a Le Creuset dutch oven (not ideal as it took a while for the cheese to melt in the pot). So if transferring, use a lasagna pan instead.
I would use Italian style tomatoes and a flavored tomato sauce/spaghetti sauce:-)
Thanks for the recipe. I’ve never made Lasagna before so I had no idea what to expect! Turned out well, although I found with adding that much water it was a bit too liquidy. I also added thinly sliced zucchini, oregano, smoked paprika and a dash of cayenne and next time will use kale and beet greens from the garden as well.
Hi I’m an Italian student and I wanted to try this recipe to impress my housemates.
I was wondering though, I don’t get what is the broiling temperature! Could you give me a hint? :) Grazie!
I have never heard of frozen chopped onions before reading one of your posts! This simply does not exist in Canada…we must cry every night chopping onions for cooking! HOWEVER! I did recently find a 3 lb bag of chopped onions at a warehouse store, and bought it. I brought it home and spread the onions on cookie sheets to freeze quickly…then re-bagged them (once frozen) into 2 large ziplock freezer bags and stuck it back in the freezer. Now I have chopped onions when I want to cook! INGENIOUS! I still keep a fresh onion or two around for other dishes, but frozen onions! Who knew?
Do you drain the diced tomatoes? My kids don’t like chunks of tomatoes (even petite diced) so I will process them finer — just wondering if I should drain them first.
I don’t drain. :) Hope this helps!
My hubby and I made this for dinner tonight and loved it! My skillet is not oven-proof, so I transferred everything to a 9×13 pan for the broiling step. Maybe you could edit the recipe to indicate that an oven-proof skillet is needed, or they’ll have to add the step of transferring to another pan. Will definitely be shopping for an oven-proof skillet for next time. :) Thanks for sharing!
For some reason all sorts of pictures are showing on this recipe as of rice crispier, ice cream, etc… Doesn’t look like the original recipe
Just made this tonight. Flavor was very good, but after the 15 minutes of cooking, mine was still very soupy. Maybe I should have drained the tomatoes?
Thank you very much for this excellent idea! I made it last week and my family really enjoyed it. And I also made very happy my foodblog followers by posting this recipe on my site :)
Hi! Must say: this lasagna is excellent!! I made this and it was a complete success. All the people at home praised it. Thanks for this awesome recipe.
This was excellent! I didn’t have the mozzarella pearls, so I just put dollops of ricotta on top and shredded mozzarella. Also, I don’t eat meat, so I used the ground beef substitution “crumbles”. This was so easy and I can definitely see myself making this regularly and maybe changing the cheese I use and/or the fillings. Thanks for this awesome idea!
I’m a long time visitor of your blog but I have never commented before. This lasagna is AMAZING. I can’t say enough good things! I was very hesitant to try this, but my boyfriend hates ricotta, and it’s a one-dish meal so I figured ‘why not?’. My lasagnas have always turned out terrible but this was soooooooo perfect. Easy, flavorful, and quick! Shredding the cheese took the longest out of everything! I hate onions so I left those out. I forgot tomato sauce so I used some pasta sauce and pizza sauce I had in the fridge and it was still amazing. I can’t wait to try it again with the actual ingredients :)
I plan on making this at least once a week!
We love this recipe! We used ground sweet Italian sausage instead of the precooked sausage, just because we love Italian sausage. This is definitely a new favorite for my family, thanks so much for sharing. Our other favorite recipe of yours is the baked bean recipe.
I’m planning on making this but halving the ingredients (I only cook for myself!!). Do you think the cooking times will be the same?
Yes, the cooking times will be the same. Enjoy!! :)
I just made this -thank you so much for this great recipe. My mistake was that I was trying to make this from reading my iPhone and kept getting frustrated that the amounts weren’t listed (say for the onions and noodles) and it was not as good as it should have been had I seen the recipe up top. Any way to flip in the future to have the ingredients and quantity up top before the step by step?
I like this dish but having a problem with the lasagna noodles still not being cooked after 30 minutes. Tried boiling the noodles before hand and adding them to the dish and then there was no flavor. Help!
Made this last night…my family LOVED it! Even my brother, who HATES onions, said it was awesome!
I don’t eat onions (hate hate hate them lol)…do you think this would be worth making without the onions?
This sounds awesome, but I have a question. Do you know how much jarred spaghetti sauce I could sub for the diced tomatoes and tomato sauce? I think the jarred sauce would give it a more Italian flavor. Thanks for the recipe!
Hi Robbin! I haven’t tried it, but I’d probably start with 2 cups. Good luck! :)
Lasagna is one of my favorite meals but I rarely make it because it has so many steps and takes so long. I am SO happy to have found your recipe! Thank you so much, I will be making this really soon!
Every time I look at this site I find a meal that my picky eaters just gobble up! Thanks so much!
This looks so good! I have somehow accumulated 5+ boxes of lasagna and don’t want to turn my oven on with no A/C during this 100°+ weather.
Tried this yummy recipe tonight! Delicious!! Will definitely go on the regular rotation menu list. I could not find the precooked sausage crumbles or mozzarella pearls, so I used your alternatives and it worked just fine! Put the other 1/2 pound beef and sausage in the freezer…..ready for another lasagna dinner soon!!
I made this last night. I followed the recipe pretty much exactly and it was super simple and yummy. I will never buy Hamburger Helper again!
I have a large family and 4-5 portions isn’t nearly enough. How can I double this?
I have to agree with an earlier reviewer that it was more like 30 minutes but still super quick and easy. It has the ease of “Hamburger Helper” but like an earlier reviewer you can use fresh ingredients.
The only modifications I would suggest (depending on your individual taste and if on hand) are adding a few more spices. I added a blend of Italian seasoning, fennel, oregano, and crushed red pepper as I had that on hand and those seasonings are pretty popular in Italian recipes.
Another caveat is that rotel has lots of flavor so you may not need the additional spice, I just had crushed tomatoes and fresh tomatoes on hand so felt it needed a little more kick. But very good recipe, thanks for sharing!
Yes! Yum! The whole process took about 30 minutes. I used no-boil lasagna because that’s what I had. I think next time I’ll simmer it about 5 minutes longer – some people in my family prefer soft cooked pasta and this was al dente.
I had no ground beef but I used about a half pound of pork sausage, added green bell pepper with the sausage and onions, and before broiling, I sprinkled mini pepperonis on top. This is my version of “pizza lasagna,” since I cannot eat yeast bread, but I can eat pasta.
I would also like to try it with cottage or ricotta cheese mixed in. I could not find fresh mozzarella pearls today so I just sprinkled regular shredded mozz on top. Husband loved it too. Will make again. And again, and again.
Thank you for this recipe!
wow!!! this is just super awesome, i had tried various lasagna recipes even the difficult ones but so far this was the best and easiest lasagna, thank you very much for sharing this recipe…:D
As usual your recipe and directions worked perfectly! It came out awesome! This will be a weeknight dinner go to for sure!
Made this for dinner and it was a big hit! I found a new “go to” super…thank you!
Oh wow..saw that you posted this a couple of weeks ago, and have been waiting for the right time to try it. Tonight was the night, and it was FABULOUS!!! Thanks sooo much for sharing…will be making this often!
xo~
Maria
I was wondering could you use whole wheat noodles?
Sure!
Hi Amanda,
The recipe looks delicious, but I am a vegetarian so if you could suggest some alternate for the meat.
Thanks
Abhi
This looks so good! Definitely making this for my next comfort meal.
I am in love with this idea!! That last photo with all that cheese? SWOON!
Yum! Made this tonight. Some of my lasagna noodles stuck together…guess I should have stirred more. I stirred a few heaping tablespoons of pesto in with the sauce. Delicious and oh-so- easy! Thanks for sharing this.
AMEN times a kazillion.
You saved the day for me!! I made this for supper last night and my family loved it! I couldn’t find the Jimmy Dean precooked crumbles, so had to brown some ground pork, but otherwise, I followed your recipe. I will definitely be making this again. Thanks so much! I love 15 minute recipes that taste great!
It’s like Hamburger Helper…only without the packet of salt and preservatives! Yum! Soon to be pinned!
I am giggling because in the first picture of the mozzarella pearls (before they melted), they look like mini marshmallows.
This looks YUMMY
This looks amazing!!! Can’t wait to try it!
This is awesome and completely delicious looking! That cheese shot is killing me!
How do you make everything look so delicious!? You always get me with those steamy and stretchy cheese photos – I just love them!
Awesome! I am so making this! Thanks!!
I just made this, OH it is so yummy!
It took me longer than 15 min, but I don’t care since the result is sooooo goooood. My son loves it,too and I have to get a bigger skillet for sure. Thank you for this fabulous recipe and these mouthwatering photos. I just love you.
I am making this right now. To be fair–this really isn’t 15 minute lasagna. More like 30 MINUTE lasagna. It’s just not possible to prep/gather ingredients, brown beef and onions, add tomatoes, sauce and water to get the noodles going, simmer for 15 minutes AND also broil for a few minutes. Yes, it’s 15 minutes to soften the noodles……But not complete the whole dish. It still will be a great dinner but not a 15 minute dinner. You would have had as much traffic and interest if you had just called it what it is—25 or 30 minute skillet lasagna. Just pointing out the obvious……delicious….but not 15.
I made a few alterations, most because I was distracted by my kids and didn’t realize there were measurements in the box below the step by step which I attempted to follow! I added a defrosted and drained box of chopped spinach, substituted a bag of soy crumbles (we are veggie) for the meat and subbed the remainder of a container of ricotta cheese for some of what I thought was supposed to be 2 cups of shredded mozzarella. I went by the picture and used a full pound of noodles, so I had to add some extra water and simmer a bit longer, and it worked out that I basically doubled the grated cheese! I’ll let you know how it came out. :)
It was a hit despite my crazy not following directions and my subs/adds. Took about 30 min. Yum!
Love this idea! My family adores lasagna, but I don’t adore the laborious process. Thanks for sharing — I’m sure this will become a family favorite. Pinned!
I love this receipe! I am definitely going to try this this week! I enjoy receipes like this which are so simple and easy to make! I have a question: what size skillet do you use? I have a small one but I don’t think all those ingredients will fit into it and will be going out to purchase one. Thanks!
Hi Kizzie! I use a 12-inch skillet. You’ll want to use the largest skillet you can find, maybe even a dutch oven with high sides! :) Hope this helps! :)
Oh my word, that is so cheesy and amazing looking!
Um, yes. This is fantastic and I need to make it as soon as possible!!
One pot meals are my favorite and I LOVE one pot pasta meals!! Yum! I’ve been buying those mozzarella pearls for a while now and I just think they’re awesome. I’ll be trying this soon!
Think subbing some ricotta for the shredded mozzarella would work? I have some ricotta that needs eating.
Hi Sara! Read your updated comment, so glad to hear your ricotta subbing was a success! :)
Lasagna in 15 minutes?! Amazing, I’m sold!
Wow… I was thinking you boiled the noodles until I scrolled down. That’s such a time saver. I’m so making this recipe.
Thanks again.. :)
My kinda meal- that looks so easy and yummy!
I love it! Yummy & Easy! I can’t wait to give it a try.
15 minute dinner, and lasagna no less? You’re awesome! pinned
LOVE skillet lasagna!! Your version looks perfect! xoxo
This looks sooooo good! Cant wait to make this! Thank you so much for sharing your delicious recipes!
This is so clever! Love how quick + easy it is.
This is the best lasagna recipe! So quick and easy for a gorgeous meal! Love this and can’t wait to try it out :)
I am SO in love with simple dinners like these. Do you know how hard it is to make dinner with a toddler all up in your business?? This makes life so much easier!
Thanks for this simple recipe. Am going to try it this week.
Love a quick meal for week nights! This looks great. I’m gong to try this recipe this week. Thank Amanda!