About this recipe

All the cozy, cheesy comfort of classic lasagna — made in one skillet in under an hour. Broken lasagna noodles simmer right in a rich, meaty tomato sauce with Italian sausage and ground beef, then get blanketed with dollops of creamy ricotta and melted mozzarella. No boiling noodles separately, no layering in a baking dish, and barely any cleanup. This is weeknight lasagna done right.

Instructions

1. 1

   Heat a large, deep skillet over ^[medium-high heat]. Add the sweet Italian sausage and lean ground beef, breaking them up with a wooden spoon. Cook until browned and no pink remains, about 5–6 minutes. Drain excess fat if needed, leaving about 1 tablespoon in the pan.

2. 2

   Reduce heat to ^[medium]. Add the diced yellow onion to the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 3–4 minutes. Add the garlic, Italian seasoning, dried basil, fennel seeds (if using), salt, and black pepper. Stir and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.

3. 3

   Pour in the crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, and water. Stir to combine, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Bring the sauce to a gentle boil, then add the broken lasagna noodles pieces, pressing them down so they are mostly submerged in the sauce.

4. 4

   Reduce heat to ^[medium-low], cover the skillet with a lid, and simmer for 18–20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes to prevent sticking, until the noodles are tender and have absorbed much of the sauce. Add a splash of water if the sauce gets too thick before the noodles are done.

5. 5

   Stir half the mozzarella cheese (¾ cup) into the skillet. Drop spoonfuls of ricotta cheese evenly across the top of the pasta. Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella cheese and all of the Parmesan cheese over the ricotta dollops.

6. 6

   Cover the skillet again and cook on ^[low heat] for 3–5 minutes, until the cheeses are melted and the ricotta cheese is warmed through. Remove from heat, garnish with fresh parsley, and serve directly from the skillet.