11 Easy Lasagna Recipes for the Ultimate One-Dish Meal (2024)

Lasagna: It's the quintessential comforting casserole and a baked pasta dish that's as welcome at weeknight dinners as it is for special guests and holidays. It also freezes well, so it's a great make-ahead option to share with friends or new neighbors.

Classic Italian lasagna features pasta, tomato sauce, cooked ground meat (usually beef and/or sausage), and layers of cheesy mozzarella and creamy ricotta; finished with a final sprinkling of Parmesan and bright parsley. While this basic recipe is so well-loved, cooks and creative culinary types have ventured into other flavor profiles, putting their own spin on this layered favorite. What about creamy béchamel sauce instead of tart tomato sauce, or sautéed squash and leafy greens in place of meat? And how about using convenience foods to help speed up prep time for weeknight cooking, too?

We collected our favorite lasagna recipes, each with a unique flavor and cooking method, so you can find just the right spin on this pasta favorite.

7 Secrets for Making Better Lasagna

01of 11

Skillet Spinach Lasagna

11 Easy Lasagna Recipes for the Ultimate One-Dish Meal (1)

For weeknights, with little time to layer and stack a classic lasagna recipe, turn to this one-pot stovetop option. Everything you love from the original is here—pasta, tomato sauce, ricotta, and spinach—but it's baked into a sliceable skillet dish that's every bit as good as the original.

Get the recipe.

02of 11

Mushroom and Spinach Lasagna

11 Easy Lasagna Recipes for the Ultimate One-Dish Meal (2)

This twist on lasagna intersperses layers of pasta with tender mushrooms and silky wilted spinach and swaps a luscious cream sauce for the marinara. It's easy to make and highly impressive, so use this when you need a dish that shows off.

Get the recipe.

Slow-Cooker Squash Lasagna

11 Easy Lasagna Recipes for the Ultimate One-Dish Meal (3)

What's better than a lasagna bubbling away in your oven while you prep dinner? One that slowly cooks over several hours so you can complete an afternoon of chores, or finish a novel on your couch.

This slow-cooker lasagna recipe calls for pureed winter squash as the sauce, which adds a brightness to this cozy dinner. Don't worry, ricotta and mozzarella are still here, providing even more scrumptious flavor and next-level creaminess. Serve with a side salad topped with a tangy vinaigrette to offset the rich flavors of this unique meatless lasagna.

Get the recipe.

Make It Yourself: Fresh Ricotta

04of 11

Broccoli and Three-Cheese Lasagna

11 Easy Lasagna Recipes for the Ultimate One-Dish Meal (4)

Broccoli isn't typical in most lasagna recipes; but layers of pasta, sauce, Parmesan, mozzarella, and ricotta brilliantly hide this stealthy, healthy ingredient. Kids and picky eaters will be so dazzled by its ooey-gooey cheesy layers, they'll ask for seconds long before they realize they're getting a hearty dose of vitamin C and fiber.

Get the recipe.

05of 11

Microwave Lasagna

11 Easy Lasagna Recipes for the Ultimate One-Dish Meal (5)

One of the most agonizing elements of cooking a lasagna is the long wait from when you pop the feed-a-crowd casserole into the stove until it's bubbling and table-ready. But this recipe promises a mixture of cheese, no-boil noodles, marinara sauce, and spinach ready in just 20 minutes. Be sure you're adding a box of no-cook noodles, which are designed for this microwave cooking method. (Regular lasagna noodles won't tenderize during the cooking process.)

Get the recipe.

06of 11

Stovetop Bacon Lasagna

11 Easy Lasagna Recipes for the Ultimate One-Dish Meal (6)

The adage "bacon makes everything better" certainly applies here. The key to the dish is maintaining distinct layers in the pan: First, spicy bacon-infused onions, then broken lasagna noodles, a layer of basil-infused tomatoes, and finally, generous dollops of ricotta and shredded cheese. The result is nothing short of perfection that, best of all (aside from the bacon, of course), comes together in under an hour.

Get the recipe.

07of 11

Last-Minute Lasagna

11 Easy Lasagna Recipes for the Ultimate One-Dish Meal (7)

This super-easy lasagna recipe is so simple, you can pull it together in mere minutes with just five ingredients. Substitute frozen ravioli for traditional noodles and a jar of well-seasoned pasta sauce for long-simmering meat sauce, and you have the makings of a quick weeknight meal. This dish will no doubt become a back-pocket recipe for a fast family-friendly dinner.

Get the recipe.

08of 11

Potato "Lasagna"

11 Easy Lasagna Recipes for the Ultimate One-Dish Meal (8)

This pasta-free twist on lasagna has layers of potatoes, tomatoes, spinach, bacon, and cheese. No, it's not the Italian dish you're used to, but its comforting nature it makes it ideal for brisk fall and winter evenings when you crave a decadent hearty meal.

Get the recipe.

09of 11

Slow-Cooker Spinach and Ricotta Lasagna With Romaine Salad

11 Easy Lasagna Recipes for the Ultimate One-Dish Meal (9)

When there's no time to prepare dinner, simply layer ingredients in your slow cooker and walk away. Just four hours later, frozen spinach will have tenderized and absorbed the herb-infused flavors of the sauce, and noodles will have softened in the moisture of the spinach and sauce. Add a crisp green salad on the side to finish off this easy weeknight dinner.

Get the recipe.

10of 11

Turkey Lasagna Rolls

11 Easy Lasagna Recipes for the Ultimate One-Dish Meal (10)

This lasagna-like dish swaps meat with turkey (cooked or ground) and adds creamed greens for a savory and creative Thanksgiving leftover idea.

But think of this as more of a guideline than a recipe—meaning toss in whatever you have that can be folded between layers of pasta: mashed potatoes, diced root veggies, stuffing, whatever. It's your lasagna, and hopefully a new tradition you can look forward to when it's time to clean out the fridge. Once you get the hang of it, you'll be rolling everything between two noodles.

Get the recipe.

11of 11

Pesto Skillet Lasagna

11 Easy Lasagna Recipes for the Ultimate One-Dish Meal (11)

Unlike a traditional lasagna with red sauce, this version is bright green, thanks to a creamy pesto that's packed with flavor. Spinach adds to the vibrant hue (and the nutritional quotient), while lemon zest brightens everything up.

get the recipe

11 Easy Lasagna Recipes for the Ultimate One-Dish Meal (2024)

References

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Foster Heidenreich CPA

Last Updated:

Views: 6463

Rating: 4.6 / 5 (56 voted)

Reviews: 87% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Foster Heidenreich CPA

Birthday: 1995-01-14

Address: 55021 Usha Garden, North Larisa, DE 19209

Phone: +6812240846623

Job: Corporate Healthcare Strategist

Hobby: Singing, Listening to music, Rafting, LARPing, Gardening, Quilting, Rappelling

Introduction: My name is Foster Heidenreich CPA, I am a delightful, quaint, glorious, quaint, faithful, enchanting, fine person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.