Dumpling Lasagna Skillet (Printable)

One-pan fusion with ground turkey, cabbage, dumplings, cheese, and tomato sauce for comfort and flavor.

# What You'll Need:

→ Proteins

01 - 1 pound ground turkey

→ Vegetables

02 - 1 small head green cabbage, shredded (about 4 cups)
03 - 1 medium yellow onion, diced
04 - 2 garlic cloves, minced

→ Sauces and Dairy

05 - 2 cups marinara or tomato pasta sauce
06 - 1 cup ricotta cheese
07 - 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
08 - 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

→ Dumpling Layer

09 - 10 to 12 round dumpling wrappers

→ Seasonings

10 - 1 tablespoon olive oil
11 - 1 teaspoon dried Italian herbs or basil
12 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
13 - 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
14 - Pinch of red pepper flakes, optional

# How to Make It:

01 - Heat olive oil in a large oven-safe skillet over medium heat. Add diced onion and cook for 3 minutes until softened. Add minced garlic and cook for 1 minute more. Add ground turkey, salt, pepper, and Italian herbs. Cook, breaking up the meat with a spoon, until browned and cooked through, approximately 6 to 7 minutes.
02 - Stir in shredded cabbage and cook for 5 to 6 minutes until softened. Pour in 1 cup of marinara sauce and simmer for 2 minutes. Remove half the turkey-cabbage mixture from the skillet and set aside on a plate.
03 - Arrange half the dumpling wrappers over the mixture in the skillet, overlapping as needed to cover the surface. Spread half the ricotta cheese over the wrappers. Sprinkle with half the mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.
04 - Layer the reserved turkey-cabbage mixture on top of the cheese. Arrange the remaining dumpling wrappers over the turkey-cabbage layer, overlapping as needed.
05 - Spread the remaining marinara sauce over the top. Dollop with the remaining ricotta cheese. Top with the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.
06 - Cover the skillet with a lid or aluminum foil. Cook over low heat for 10 minutes to steam the dumpling wrappers until tender.
07 - Remove the lid or foil and place the skillet under the oven broiler for 2 to 3 minutes until the cheese is bubbly and lightly browned.
08 - Remove from heat and let rest for 5 minutes before slicing and serving.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • Everything cooks in one skillet, which means you spend more time eating and less time scrubbing pans.
  • The dumpling wrappers get tender and pillowy but somehow stay sturdy enough to hold all those cheesy, meaty layers.
  • It feels fancy enough to serve guests but casual enough to eat straight from the pan on a Tuesday night.
02 -
  • Don't skip the resting step at the end, or everything will slide around your plate like it's on ice, even though it tastes just as good.
  • If your skillet isn't oven-safe, transfer everything to a baking dish before the broiler step, because the handle situation becomes important when things are screaming hot.
03 -
  • If you can't find round dumpling wrappers, square ones work just fine—they just look slightly less polished, which honestly nobody cares about once they're eating.
  • Make this earlier in the day and refrigerate it unbaked, then bake it covered for an extra five or ten minutes when you're ready to eat, which is a game-changer for meal planning.
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