Cast iron lasagna is an incredibly easy take on lasagna, made all at once in a skillet with a cheesy, meaty tomato sauce and it’s delicious and hearty. Total family favorite!
Whats so good about cast iron lasagna?
It’s lasagna made start to finish in a cast iron skillet. It’s so easy because the sauce is made right in the skillet, then lasagna noodles are broken into the sauce and cook directly into the sauce.
You don’t need to pre boil or pre cook the lasagna noodles! Just follow the instructions and you’ll end up with pasta that cooks right in the skillet.
Because a cast iron skillet is ovenproof, we finish off the lasagna by sprinkling mozzarella cheese on top and finishing in the oven until bubbly and golden brown. So good!
No bechamel sauce or ricotta cheese required, the tomato sauce is meaty and made just a little creamy with some evaporated milk. It all comes together really easily, and is a total family favorite.
Ingredients you need:
For the meat:
A little olive oil that you cook onion and garlic in before adding ground beef and browning. Salt, pepper, and allspice or seven spices for seasoning.
For the tomato sauce:
canned tomato sauce, canned diced tomatoes, dried basil, dried oregano, salt and pepper.
This is optional, but if you like your sauce to be a little creamy (sort of like my pink sauce pasta) then you can add evaporated milk, like I did, or heavy cream.
To assemble:
No boil lasagna noodles, and shredded mozzarella cheese.
How to make cast iron skillet lasagna:
- Cook the meat in a little olive oil with some diced onions and garlics. I like to drain the fat off the meat once it’s cooked, then add the spices after draining.
- Make the tomato sauce by adding the diced tomatoes and tomato sauce to the meat, stirring to combine, then adding the spices.
- Add the evaporated milk and stir to combine.
- Break in the lasagna noodles and press down until they are covered in sauce. They should be submerged so that they fully cook. Cover with a lid and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until pasta is cooked.
- Add a little mozzarella cheese and stir to mix it in, then top with the remainder of the mozzarella cheese and broil in the oven for just a few minutes until golden brown and bubbly.
You can see all the steps in the video embedded in the recipe card below!
Tips and tricks for cast iron lasagna success:
- Make sure that you cover the noodles well with the sauce so that they are able to cook through in the liquid. Break them in pretty small pieces, like you see me do in the video in the recipe card.
- Reduce the heat to medium low when the noodles are simmering, so that the beef and noodles at the bottom of the skillet don’t burn.
- Taste as you go, and add more or less seasoning as you see fit.
- Although you could do this without broiling the cheese at the end, I think it makes such a big difference in the flavor and appearance. It really makes this seem like an oven baked lasagna!
Storing leftover skillet lasagna:
Leftovers will last well, tightly covered in the fridge 4-5 days. I usually just pop a slice in the microwave to warm it, and it’ll heat well in the oven too.
Store leftover lasagna in the freezer for up to 3 months tightly covered.
Cast Iron Lasagna
Ingredients
For the meat:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small onion, finely diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 lb ground beef 500 g
- 1/2 teaspoon allspice or seven spices
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
For the sauce:
- 1 can diced tomatoes 14 oz (400g) each can
- 2 cans tomato sauces 14 oz (400g) each can
- 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 6 oz evaporated milk 170g
- 12-14 no boil lasagna noodles 8 oz , 250g
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large cast iron skillet. Once hot, add the diced onions and cook for a few minutes until softened. Add garlic and cook for another minute.
- Add the ground beef to the skillet, and brown. Once beef has cooked through, drain the fat, then stir in the all spice (or seven spices), salt and pepper.
- Add the diced tomatoes, and tomato sauce and mix to combine. Stir in the basil, oregano, salt and pepper.
- Add the evaporated milk- anywhere between 1/2 can to a full can depending on how creamy you want the sauce. Stir again.
- Break the lasagna noodles over the skillet into the sauce. Press the noodles down into the sauce to cover them as much as possible. Cover the skillet with a lid, and simmer on medium for 15-20 minutes until noodles have cooked through. Preheat the oven to 350 F (180C) while noodles are simmering.
- Add a handful of mozzarella cheese and stir to combine, Top the lasagna with the rest of the shredded mozzarella cheese. If you like, place the skillet in the oven for a few minutes on broil to get the top golden brown and bubbly. Enjoy!
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