This frying pan lasagne turns a long cook time into a quick and easy dinner

Lasagne has always been a labour of love…until now. You can still add the love in, but there’s no longer as much elbow grease involved with this frying pan lasagna. Make your sauce and throw everything in the one saucepan, making a usually time-consuming dish as easy as can be!

While traditional lasagne has different components that require lots of pots and pans, this recipe simplifies it down to just one dish!

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large brown onion, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, crushed

2 tablespoons tomato paste

750g pork and beef mince

1 tablespoon Italian dried herbs

700g jar tomato passata

1 1/4 cups beef stock

Sea-salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper, to season

375g fresh lasagne sheets

500g fresh ricotta

1/4 cup milk

1 1/2 cups grated pizza cheese

2/3 cup basil leaves

30g parmesan, finely grated

Salad leaves, to serve

Method

Step 1

Heat a large, 6cm deep, 30cm round flameproof pan over medium heat. Add oil, onion and garlic. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until the onion softens. Add tomato paste and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Increase heat to high, add mince, then cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until the mince changes colour. Add herbs, passata and stock, then bring to a simmer. Season. Cover with a tight-fitting lid (it’s important it’s tight fitting so the meat sauce doesn’t dry out). Simmer for 8 minutes, stirring after 4 minutes.

Step 2

Tear lasagne sheets into 3cm wide strips. Stir into sauce. Cover and simmer for 3–4 minutes, until tender.

Step 3

Preheat grill on medium high heat. In a food processor, pulse ricotta and milk until smooth . Stir in 1 cup pizza cheese. Season. Dollop over the pasta and sauce. Sprinkle with remaining pizza cheese. Place on an oven tray.

Step 4

Grill for 4–5 minutes, until lightly golden. Sprinkle with basil and parmesan. Serve with mixed salad.

frying pan lasagne with basil sprinkled on top and mixed leaf salad on the side — (Photography: Con Poulos, Styling: Lucy Busuttil)

Can you make lasagne in a frying pan?

It’s easy to make a lasagne in a frying pan. Use all the same ingredients as a traditional lasagne, except stir in fresh lasagne sheets instead of layering. This makes for a simple lasagna dish that can be made on the stovetop. Make sure your frying pan is oven-safe, so you can grill a layer of bubbling cheese on top at the end.

Senior food editor Sarah Murphy Senior food editor

Sarah Murphy is a Senior Food Editor who has worked across leading Australian food magazines since 2010. She holds a Bachelor of Communications (Advertising and Public Relations) and has contributed to magazines including delicious., The Australian Women’s Weekly Food, Super Food Ideas and Woman’s Day. Sarah has also worked across multiple cookbooks for delicious. magazine and The Australian Women’s Weekly Cookbooks. Currently, Sarah is the Senior Food Editor for Better Homes and Gardens Magazine and oversees all food content, creating and developing achievable recipes for readers that still excite and impress.