Bow tie lasagna is a family favorite that is full of tender pasta, savory ground beef, gooey mozzarella, and tastes just like regular lasagna without all of the prep work. It’s perfect for busy weeknights, because our homemade lasagna is ready in just 30 minutes.
I like to call this lazy lasagna. While I love a traditional lasagna recipe, I hate all of the layering that has to happen. So I decided to ditch that process and create easy skillet lasagna on the stove top instead. If you have a little extra time, make pull apart garlic bread. It’s insanely tasty and you can use store bought bread dough for the perfect meal.
Speaking of pure comfort food you don’t want to miss my Mexican lasagna and white chicken lasagna. Both are fun twists on the classic lasagna recipe and have delicious flavor when you want something different.
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🍝 Ingredients:
- Ingredients:
- bow tie noodles – you could also use rigatoni or ziti. Please note we’re only using HALF of a standard 1 lb. package.
- oil – vegetable or canola oil – we drizzle oil over the pasta to prevent it from sticking together, you can also use oil to brown your onion and ground beef if using a leaner meat.
- ground beef – go with a leaner cut to reduce the amount of grease.
- onion – we use yellow onions here
- garlic – we used fresh cloves, but store bought minced garlic will work as well.
- Italian seasoning, sea salt, and black pepper
- Cheeses: ricotta cheese, mozzarella, and parmesan
- marinara sauce – we used store bought pasta sauce to make the process go faster, but my homemade marinara sauce would also be delicious.
For a full list of ingredients and their measurements, 📋 please view my printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Optional Garnish:
Garnish this skillet lasagna recipe with fresh parsley or fresh basil and additional cheese.
Substitutions and Variations
- Meat – use ground turkey or sausage in place of ground beef if desired. Italian hot sausage would be especially tasty!
- Crock pot bow tie lasagna recipe – turn this into slow cooker lasagna casserole by cooking the pasta and the beef and onion mixture as instructed. Grease the crockpot and pour all of the ingredients in. Cook on low for 1.5 – 2 hours. In the last 30 minutes of cooking add the remaining cheese and finish cooking until melted.
- Cottage cheese – can be substituted for the ricotta.
🔪 Instructions:
Step 1: Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Drain and drizzle with a little oil and set aside.
Step 2: Brown the ground beef and onions with the salt and pepper. Cook until the meat is no longer pink and the onions are soft. Add the garlic and Italian seasoning, cooking for a minute longer.
Step 3: Stir in the ricotta, a cup of mozzarella, and ½ cup of parmesan.
Step 4: Pour in the marinara and bring to a simmer over low heat.
Pro Tip: Place the skillet of lasagna under the broiler at the end to finish melted the cheese or give it a little toast.
Step 5: Stir in the cooked pasta.
Step 6: Top with the leftover cheeses and heat until melted.
SERVE: Garnish bow-tie lasagna with parsley and serve with a side salad and garlic bread.
Recipe Tips for Bowtie Lasagna
- You don’t have to broil the dish at the end, but it’s a great way to quickly melt the cheese without scorching the bottom of the lasagna. I also love the little golden toast it gives to the cheese.
- Be sure the onions are cooked all the way through by the time the beef browns, because they will not cook any further once the other ingredients simmer together.
- If the beef has a higher fat content drain the grease off before adding the cheese mixture.
- Tossing the cooked pasta in oil keeps it from sticking together.
- You will only need ½ a standard box of pasta for this recipe.
Fun Fact
The traditional meat lasagna wasn’t created until the Renaissance. The first version was actually vegetarian! -Rossini
Recipe FAQs
Leftovers can be stored for 2-3 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Yes! Wrap the dish well with plastic wrap and freeze for up to 3 months. Reheat in the oven at 350 degrees until warm.
If you tried this Bow Tie Lasagna Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how you liked it in the 📝 comments below.
Bow Tie Lasagna
Ingredients
- ½ pound 8 oz. bowtie pasta
- 1 teaspoon vegetable or canola oil
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 small yellow onion diced
- 2-3 cloves of garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 cup ricotta
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese divided
- 1 cup parmesan cheese divided
- 24 oz. jar marinara sauce
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the bowtie pasta until al dente or desired tenderness. Drain and toss with a drizzle of oil. Set aside.
- In a large skillet, saute ground beef, onion, salt and pepper over medium heat until the meat is cooked through and the onion is translucent. Add in garlic and Italian seasoning and saute 1 minute longer.
- Add the ricotta, 1 cup of mozzarella and ½ cup parmesan cheese to the meat mixture and stir to combine.
- Pour marinara sauce into the skillet and bring to a simmer.
- Stir bowtie pasta into the meat sauce.
- Top with the remaining cheeses and heat until cheese is melted. Or place under the broiler in the oven for a few minutes to melt the cheese.
- Serve hot.
Notes
Store leftover lasagna skillet in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days or freeze for 2 months Notes: Broiling the cheese will help it to melt without scorching the bottom. Use cottage cheese in place of ricotta if desired. Slice the onion into small pieces so it cooks quickly. Be sure it’s done before adding other ingredients so they won’t be crunchy. Use homemade marinara or your favorite spaghetti sauce. The oil keeps the pasta from sticking together. You will only need ½ box of pasta noodles. Ground turkey or sausage can be swapped in place of the ground beef. Drain the grease off the meat if it has a higher fat content.
Nutrition
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Comments & Reviews
David worley says
Made this a Trader Joe’s recipe! Used their tomato basil sauce and added Italian diced tomatoes. Very good!