White Skillet Lasagna
Updated October 8, 2025
- Ready In
- 1 hr
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Ingredients
Salt and pepper
12 dried lasagna sheets (about 12 ounces)
Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
1½ pounds leeks, root and leaf ends trimmed, then thinly sliced and rinsed (about 9 cups), see Tip
5 garlic cloves, sliced
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, divided
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1½ cups whole milk
8 ounces smoked mozzarella or smoked gouda, grated
Fresh parsley leaves, for serving, optional
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
104 grams carbs; 77 milligrams cholesterol; 825 calories; 12 grams monosaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 16 grams saturated fat; 32 grams fat; 7 grams fiber; 1074 milligrams sodium; 31 grams protein; 15 grams sugar
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Heat oven to 425 degrees. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, season with salt and cook the lasagna sheets until al dente, then drain. If the pasta is done before you’re ready to use it, lightly drizzle with olive oil so the sheets don’t stick together.
- Step 2
Meanwhile melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a medium (10-inch) skillet over medium-high. Add the leeks, garlic and 1½ teaspoons thyme and cook, using tongs to toss and turn the leeks, until softened, 5 to 7 minutes. (At first the pan will be very full, but the leeks will shrink quickly.) Transfer to a large bowl.
- Step 3
Make the béchamel: Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter in the skillet over medium-low, then whisk in the flour until smooth, about 1 minute. While whisking constantly, slowly pour in the milk in a thin stream and whisk until it’s incorporated and the sauce is smooth and slightly thickened, about 7 minutes. Turn off heat, then pour béchamel over the leeks. Add about three-fourths of the cheese, mix well and season with salt and pepper.
- Step 4
Lay three lasagna sheets on the bottom of the skillet (if they hang over the edge of the skillet that’s OK), then spread a third of the leek mixture over. Arrange another three lasagna sheets so they form a cross with the first layer of pasta. Repeat layering the leek mixture and lasagna twice more, ending with lasagna sheets as the top layer.
- Step 5
Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top and drizzle with olive oil. Bake lasagna until it’s bubbling, the edges are golden brown and the cheese has melted, 15 minutes. Let cool slightly and top with the remaining ½ teaspoon of thyme leaves and some fresh parsley, if using, before cutting and serving.
To clean the leeks, toss the sliced leeks into a big bowl of cold water and give them a good swish to rinse out any dirt. Scoop them out, repeating once more with fresh water if necessary. Drain in a colander, then gently pat dry with a clean towel.
Private Notes
Comments
Tasty. btw I didn't have a white skillet - used my trusty cast iron black one :) Rename 'Skillet White Lasagna' ?
People! I haven’t boiled a lasagna sheet in 10 years. Ina Garten’s method is foolproof. In a glass baking dish, soak unbroken noodles (regular, not the yucky, gummy no-cook kind) in hot tap water for 20 minutes. Literally just turn on your tap—don’t boil or superheat the water. No need to get fancy. After 20 mins, add the noodles to your lasagna recipe as directed.
This sounds really good, but I have questions. I gave up making lasagna till I realized how much easier it was to make it with fresh pasta than to struggle with pre-boiling those wiggly-edged noodles. Just roll each sheet as it's added, then layer with a (very aqueous) sauce and cheeses, and the pasta cooks beautifully. Would that work for this recipe, without much water, and with edges sticking out? I'm doubtful. Also "lasagna sheet" is undefined - there seem to be a lot of sizes out there.
I made this as written and found it bland, so began tinkering. This is where everyone’s comments proved invaluable. Here’s where I ended up: 1) Add 16 oz fresh ricotta. Spread it between layers and on top 2) Season the leeks with salt and pepper and dried herbs (sage, thyme, rosemary) while cooking 3) Add a large sprig of rosemary to the béchamel while whisking and let it sit in the leek mixture. Remove before assembly. It will add so much flavor. 4) Sprinkle sea salt and fresh pepper on top. Skip the drizzle of olive oil, which just makes it slimy and weird. 5) Do the Ina Garten trick to save time (pasta noodles in hot tap water for 20 mins) and the leeks washing trick (halve lengthwise and stick in a vase with cool water) as described in other comments. These saved me so much time. Thank you to those people for their tips!
This recipe needs a protein like shredded chicken. I found it bland and unsatisfying as usual. Might also be better with different noodles in place of lasagna sheets.
Cook in regular glass baking pan as for regular lasagna. Add white beans for protein and maybe some greens (and onions?)