Skillet Lasagna – A Better Hamburger Helper

Skillet Lasagna is a great alternative to Hamburger Helper. Are you ever looking for an inexpensive meal to prepare on a weeknight? I know I am, and I have a solution for you.

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Budget Friendly Skillet Lasagna

Recently some of my CopyKat Youtube folks were looking for inexpensive meals to prepare. I wanted to come up with a recipe that was inexpensive to make, and very hearty. I always enjoyed Hamburger Helper as a child, and I wanted to recreate this favorite childhood recipe.

What Is Skillet Lasagna? 

This one-pan meal has all the flavor of lasagna and the ease of making regular pasta. It’s a great recipe to make if you don’t want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen cooking or cleaning up but still want to serve your family something nutritious and tasty. 

Why This Easy Skillet Lasagna Is So Much Better Than Hamburger Helper Lasagna 

What’s not to love when it comes to this skillet lasagna recipe? It’s an incredibly easy and tasty way to use any leftover lasagna sheets or pasta in your pantry.

And unlike Hamburger Help or other boxed lasagna meals that use powdered or condensed mystery ingredients, you know exactly what you are feeding your family. So, skip the overly processed box, and make this one skillet lasagna recipe instead. 

Hamburger Helper Lasagna Recipe Ingredients

Here’s a list of what you need for making one skillet lasagna:

• Ground Italian Sausage or Ground Beef
• Onion
• Garlic
• Tomato Sauce
• Canned Chopped Tomatoes
• Water
• Italian Seasoning
• Salt
• Ground Black Pepper
• Lasagna Noodles or Pasta
• Ricotta Cheese

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions

Choose your favorite ground meat or even a mixture. Ground beef is good, but Italian sausage adds more flavor to this dish. But you don’t have to use red meat. Ground turkey or even soy crumbles also work well in this recipe. 

Although you shouldn’t miss this chance to use up those few sheets of lasagna noodles left in the box, any short pasta you have, like bow ties or penne, will work in this recipe. If you only have no-bake lasagna noodles, you will need to add a little more water to the pan, about a quarter cup. 

I use fresh onions and garlic. If you happen to have some bell peppers in your fridge, you could toss in one of those if you like. This recipe is very flexible.

I use ricotta cheese to add some flavor. If you like, you could swap this out for cottage cheese as either one will work. I personally prefer the ricotta because I like the taste and texture more when the cheese is heated.

How to Make Skillet Lasagna

Here are the simple steps for this easy skillet lasagna recipe:

1. Pour a little oil into a large skillet and warm over medium-high heat.
2. Brown the ground meat in the pan. Pour out any excess grease, leaving about a tablespoon behind in the pan.
3. Add the garlic and onions to the pan and cook until the onions become translucent. 

4. Stir in the water, tomato sauce, chopped tomatoes, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper.

5. Break the lasagna sheets into two-inch squares and add to the pan. Stir well.

6. Cook uncovered until the pasta is al dente. The timing can vary depending on the type of pasta you are using. You may need to add more water if the pan is getting a little dry. 
7. Add spoonfuls of ricotta cheese to the top of the skillet lasagna and cover to allow the cheese to melt slightly.
8. Serve immediately. You can also top it with grated Parmesan or Romano if desired.

Recipe Variations 

Lasaga is like the pizza of pasta dishes. People love it, there are about a million different ways to make it, and everyone has their own favorite. Here are three ways to modify this lasagna skillet if you want to try something a little different. 

• Make easy skillet lasagna with cottage cheese, instead. Save calories and fat by replacing the ricotta cheese with cottage cheese. 
• Slip a few vegetables into the pan. Roasted eggplant, sauteed broccoli rabe, and cooked peppers are great additions. 
• Garnish with basil. Fresh, chopped basil adds a wonderful flavor and aroma to this dish. 

What To Serve With Skillet Lasagna 

This may be a favorite recipe for many busy cooks because it needs only one pan, but that doesn’t mean you’re not allowed to dirty a few more to make some great side dishes:

• Garlic bread. This recipe for cheesy garlic toast from the Pasta House Company is perfect. 
• Spinach salad. Dress with a simple balsamic vinegarette, or get fancy with a warm bacon dressing. 
• Sauteed broccoli rabe. The vegetable’s slight bitterness pairs so well with the richness of the lasagna, so if you are not adding it to the main course, why not serve it as a side dish? 

How To Store Leftover Skillet Lasagna

Go ahead and save any extra lasagna in the fridge for up to three days or in the freezer for up to two months. Take the remaining lasagna out of the pan and put it in a freezer-safe container with a firm-fitting lid. 

How to Reheat Skillet Lasagna 

The best way to reheat leftover lasagna is to put it back in the skillet with some tomato sauce on the bottom to keep it from sticking. Cover the pan and heat it over medium-low until the lasagna is warmed through. Make sure to thaw frozen lasagna overnight in the fridge or do a quick defrost in the microwave before reheating. 

Inexpensive meals do not have to be flavorless they can be both filling and delicious. Cabbage roll casserole is made with fresh cabbage, ground meat, and rice.

Love Hamburger Helper? Try this Ground Beef Stroganoff recipe.

More Italian Recipes

• Baked Ziti with Ground Beef
• Chicken Carbonara
• Chicken Gnocchi Soup
• Instant Pot Italian Sausage Pasta
• Italian Rice Balls
• Olive Garden 5 Cheese Lasagna
• Olive Garden Minestrone Soup
• Parmesan Risotto
• Red Clam Sauce
• Stuffed Manicotti with Meat

Favorite Budget-Friendly Meals

• Porcupine Meatballs
• Sausage Mac and Cheese Casserole
• Taco Spaghetti

Check out more of my easy dinner recipes and the best Italian recipes here on CopyKat!