This One Pot Lasagna is the perfect cozy meal recipe to make on cold nights. It’s quick and easy and combines all the traditional, authentic Italian flavors of lasagna with ricotta, mozzarella, and ground beef in just one pot.
On those cold, rainy or snowy nights – or just when you’re feeling like a lazy day! – there’s nothing you want more than warm comfort food. Something cozy to last you for a few days and fill you up with ooey, gooey, cheesiness that just tastes amazing and is super simple to make.
This quick and easy One Pot Lasagna is my go-to on one of those nights. It’s a breeze to make during our busier weeks and it’s a quick meal-prep dish that lets me feel like I am prepared for the week even when there’s a lot going on.
Dishes like this are the ultimate cozy meal because they are so fast, filling, and nourishing. Best of all, making lasagna in one pot saves you time on cleaning. You can just scoop it from the dish to serve or even refrigerate it as is to grab a bite to reheat the next day. It lasts for about a week in the fridge if you store it properly in an airtight container.
Plus, if you’re feeling extra lazy, you can just gather around the pot with a few forks and go to town! (We don’t judge around here.)
I use a Dutch oven for this recipe to get the best (and safest) cook on my lasagna. A Dutch oven is a heavy, wide, and shallow pot that comes with a tight-fitting lid. Dutch ovens are basically heavy pots that help maintain a constant temperature, so they’re suitable for dishes like this where they need to sit in an oven or stove for a long time while retaining even heat.
You can make a lot of amazing things in a Dutch oven, but I love to use them for one-pot meals because you can saute onions, cook meat, warm sauces, and so on without worrying about ruining your pan or having to switch between different pots and pans.
Italian-American food is our favorite food to have at home. My husband, Chris, makes his own pasta sauce for the lasagna, which is what I always use. You can choose to make your own sauce or make your life easier by using store-bought sauce.
Although this lasagna recipe is so simple it hurts, it still uses all the traditional ingredients of a classic lasagna, like ricotta, mozzarella, and ground beef. In other words, you can keep the authentic flavor of the dish without worrying about creating a time-consuming mess in the kitchen.
I like to use the slow-dry De Cecco Pasta, Lasagne 16 oz for this recipe, but you can use any brand you like, including gluten-free pasta. Just be sure to review the cook time for the one you choose!
Since you are going to be assembling the lasagna in a Dutch oven pot, there is no need to cook the lasagna noodles ahead of time. Simple break up the noodles to help them fit into the shape of your skillet.
This is also what helps absorb all the flavor of your sauce to help make the one pot lasagna even more delicious!
I love this recipe because it’s so flexible.
You can substitute the cheese in my recipe for any other cheese you love, including dairy-free options. You can also make this a vegetarian one-pot lasagna by removing the ground beef and substituting it for your favorite veggies, such as zucchini, mushrooms, or eggplant.
In a Dutch oven, sauté the beef and onion over medium-high heat until the beef is browned. Drain the extra fat from the pan.
Stir in the seasonings and add the tomatoes + fresh garlic. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 20 minutes.
Now transfer about 6 cups of the meat mixture into large bowl. Set aside for layering.
Preheat the oven to 325°F.
In another bowl, combine the ricotta, eggs, and 2 cups of the mozzarella.
With the meat you have left in the Dutch oven, begin to lay about 4 of the lasagna noodles on top – you can break them to fit. Then top with some of the ricotta mixture (I eyeball this for the most part). You want to repeat the layers two more times, using the meat mixture and ricotta mixture in each layer. Top with the remaining 2 cups shredded mozzarella.
Cover the Dutch oven, transfer to the oven, and bake for 1 hour 30 minutes. Let the lasagna stand at least 30 minutes before serving. Store, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 5 days!
View Video
