One Pot Lasagna
This one pot lasagna is lasagna with beef, sausage, ricotta, mozzarella, parmesan, all made in a single Dutch oven. No layering, no boiling noodles separately. It gives you everything you love about a lasagna in a weeknight meal.
A Note from Teri on One Pot Lasagna
I’ve made a lot of lasagna in my life. I love to make a classic lasagna that feels like a whole production on a Sunday. I love making my mom’s meat sauce or Roy’s ragu, and letting things simmer and cook all day into something fabulous. But I also wanted something I could make on a Tuesday that tastes delicious and comes together without the same amount of prep. When I started seeing lasagna soup all over, I knew I could make a version that is spectacular.
I am not usually the queen of a one pot meal, but in this case the recipe is better for it. You brown the meat in the dutch oven, build the sauce in it, add broken noodles directly into the sauce, top with ricotta and fresh mozzarella, cover it, and bake. Then you take the lid off, add parmesan, and let it bubble and brown. That’s it! The flavor is incredible, and after you add everything to the pot, it is a hands off recipe.
Why This One Pot Lasagna Works
Most one pot lasagna recipes are either a stovetop pasta dish that does not resemble lasagna, or they require a separate pot for the noodles anyway. This one is truly one pot, and every bite feels like a classic lasagna.
The key is nestling dry no-cook noodles broken in half directly into the meat sauce before it goes into the oven. They stand up on their long sides, fully submerged, and cook right in the liquid. The sauce absorbs into the noodles and the noodles release starch back into the sauce, which helps the texture come together like a layered lasagna. And the key to getting a deep flavor is both ground beef and Italian sausage. It adds a ton of flavor without simmering forever.
The three-cheese finish is spectacular. Ricotta is dolloped over the top before it goes in the oven, fresh mozzarella is scattered over everything, parmesan is added in the last 15 minutes uncovered. This method gives you the same cheesy, browned top you’d get from a traditional lasagna. You can feel free to swap in or add other cheeses you love in lasagna, but be sure not to skimp!
Ingredients and Variations
- Olive oil: You’ll need just enough to get the meat going in the pot.
- Ground beef: The base of the meat sauce. I recommend using a ground beef with a higher fat content for more flavor. 80/20 is best.
- Italian sausage: This is what makes the sauce taste like lasagna instead of just meat and tomatoes. It is absolutely worth it to do the sausage and beef!
- Italian seasoning: This simple seasoning adds so much flavor. It blooms as the meat cooks and gives the sauce so much depth.
- Celtic Sea Salt®: I use Celtic Sea Salt Fine Ground™ throughout this recipe, in the meat, in the sauce, and as a final seasoning before the noodles go in. If you care about what you eat, you should care about your salt!
- Chicken stock: Used to deglaze the pot after the meat is browned. Those brown bits on the bottom are pure flavor, so don’t skip the deglazing. You can use a high quality store-bought brand or a homemade one.
- Marinara sauce: You’ll need two full jars to get the right amount of liquid in the lasagna. Make sure to use a high quality sauce, because it is the star of the show.
- No-cook lasagna noodles: Half a box, broken in half lengthwise. They cook directly in the sauce in the oven so you do not have to boil them separately.
- Whole milk ricotta: Dolloped over the top before baking. You absolutely want to use whole milk ricotta for this. Part skim is a much thinner texture and not as luxurious.
- Fresh mozzarella: Make sure to use fresh so it melts perfectly. I love to use mini or pearls so it gets into every corner of the lasagna.
- Parmesan: Add the parmesan in the last 15 minutes to finish off the lasagna and get perfectly bubbly and golden brown.
- Basil: Fresh basil is the best way to garnish this dish! It adds a little color as well as the perfect final flavor.
How to Make This One Pot Lasagna
Step One: Brown the Meat
Preheat oven to 375F. Heat the olive oil to a Dutch oven or oven-safe pot over medium-high heat and add the ground beef and sausage. Cook until browned, about 15 minutes, breaking it up with a wooden spoon as it cooks.
While the meat is cooking, break your lasagna noodles lengthwise and set aside.
Step Two: Assemble the Lasagna
When the meat is no longer pink, deglaze the pot with the chicken stock, scraping up any brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Add marinara and bring to a gentle simmer. Taste and add more salt if needed.
Turn off the heat and nestle the broken noodles horizontally into the sauce so that they are standing up on their long sides and fully submerged in the sauce. Dollop the ricotta over the top and then sprinkle the mozzarella balls over everything. Cover the Dutch oven and place in the oven.
Step Three: Cook and Enjoy
After 30 minutes, check the lasagna and if it looks like it is drying out, add a little more broth. Continue baking for 15 minutes. Remove Dutch oven from the oven and sprinkle the parmesan over top then return to the oven, uncovered, for 15 minutes, until brown and bubbling.
Remove from oven and let sit for 10-15 minutes.Garnish with basil, serve and enjoy!
Tips for The Best One Pot Lasagna Recipe
- Use a large Dutch oven. You need room for everything: the meat, both jars of sauce, and the noodles standing up inside it. Make sure you are using a big enough oven-safe pot.
- Don’t rush the meat. Give the beef and sausage a real 15 minutes to cook. You want browning, so you get that fond on the bottom of the pot to build your sauce.
- Break the noodles before you start. Once the meat is done and you’re deglazing, things move quickly. Have your noodles broken and ready to go.
- Check at 30 minutes. Different ovens and different pots mean differences in cook times. If the sauce looks like it’s reducing too fast and the noodles might dry out, add a little more broth before putting the lid back on.
- Let it rest. I know it’s hard to wait, but 10-15 minutes makes a real difference in the texture when you scoop it.
Recipe FAQs
Yes. Assemble it through the ricotta and mozzarella step, cover, and refrigerate to cook later in the day. Allow it to reach room temperature before cooking, or add 10-15 minutes to the bake time when cooking from cold.
No-cook noodles are what make this truly one pot. They cook directly in the sauce in the oven without pre-boiling. Regular noodles can work, but you need to boil them to al dente in a separate pot first.
Yes. You can use all ground beef if you prefer, or swap in chicken sausage. The Italian sausage adds a lot of flavor to the sauce, so season the sauce really well if you swap it.
The sauce is still very loose when it comes out of the oven. Resting lets it set so it scoops cleanly instead of running everywhere.
Yes. Let it cool completely, portion it into containers, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
Try These Other Easy and Cozy Recipes
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One Pot Lasagna
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 pound ground beef
- 2 italian sausage links about ? pound bulk, casings removed
- 1 ½ teaspoons Italian seasoning
- Salt
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 2 24-ounce jars marinara sauce
- ½ box no-cook lasagna noodles (or less)
- 8 ounces whole milk ricotta
- 4 ounces mini or pearl fresh mozzarella
- ½ cup parmesan
- 1 handful basil leaves whole, torn, or ribboned
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F.
- Heat the olive oil to a Dutch oven or oven-safe pot over medium-high heat and add the ground beef sausage on the other. Cook until browned, about 15 minutes, breaking it up with a wooden spoon as it cooks..
- While the meat is cooking, break your lasagna noodles lengthwise and set aside.
- When the meat is no longer pink, deglaze the pot with the chicken stock, scraping up any brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Add marinara and bring to a gentle simmer. Taste and add more salt if needed.
- Turn off the heat and nestle the broken noodles horizontally into the sauce so that they are standing up on their long sides and fully submerged in the sauce. Dollop the ricotta over the top and then sprinkle the mozzarella balls over everything. Cover the Dutch oven and place in the oven.
- After 30 minutes, check the lasagna and if it looks like it is drying out, add a little more broth. Continue baking for 15 minutes.
- Remove Dutch oven from the oven and sprinkle the parmesan over top then return to the oven, uncovered, for 15 minutes, until brown and bubbling.
- Remove from oven and let sit for 10-15 minutes.Garnish with basil, serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Make sure to use no-cook lasagna noodles for this recipe.
- You can feel free to swap in or add other cheeses you love in lasagna, but be sure not to skimp!
- Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- You can freeze one pot lasagna portioned out in an air tight container. Thaw overnight and reheat to enjoy.
