Life on Food: Skillet Lasagna

I have been seeing skillet everything for a while now. Most of them involve a cast iron skillet. I don't have one.

Hint, hint. Cough, cough. My birthday is coming up.

Thus, I have been holding off on attempting any of these delicious creations. Finally I decided I was tired of waiting.

I love lasagna. It was one of those things I requested at home every break from college. I don't make it regularly myself because well it makes a ton of food, a ton of dishes, and it takes a long time to make. Definitely not ideal for a work day meal.

But then came the skillet lasagna. It still makes a ton of food but you do everything in one pan and the cook time is only about 30 minutes. Super easy.

First off you cook the onions, garlic and green peppers. Then, you add in the meat to brown.

Followed by the pasta layer. I picked bow tie. I don't get why you would buy lasagna noodles to break them up. Bow tie was on sale for $1 per box. They are exactly like mini lasagna pieces. Topped with diced tomatoes and sauce. Put the lid on and simmer for 20 minutes.

I was skeptical that the pasta would cook enough with the minimal liquids. I basically stood hovering over the dish for the whole twenty minutes.

It was a long wait. When the timer finally chimed off, I quickly took of the lid to sample the pasta. Perfect. I don't know if I got lucky or what but the pasta was just past al dente.

The recipe calls for ricotta which I used sparingly since Mr. J hates ricotta. I added fresh mozzarella. He didn't notice the ricotta and I was a bit peeved I didn't add more. I love the extra cheesiness.

With the cheese added, you put the lid back on to soften everything up for about 5 minutes.

Not bad for a Monday night dinner. I had a cutting board, knife, and large spoon to clean in addition to the skillet.

I am still working on the ton of food part. We ate about 1/4 of this dish. Let's just say I planned to have plenty available for lunch the rest of the week.

Skillet Lasagna

by Emily Morris

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Keywords: saute entree Italian

Ingredients (serves 4)

1 28-oz can diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, minced
1 small green pepper, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 pound ground beef
1/2 pound Italian sausage
10 lasagna noodles, broken into 2-inch pieces
1 8-oz can tomato sauce
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup ricotta cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

Instructions

Add the diced tomatoes along with their juice to a 1 quart (4 cup) measuring cup. Add enough water to bring the volume to 1 quart total.

Set a large nonstick skillet over medium heat and add the oil. When it starts to shimmer, add the onion, green pepper and the salt. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until the onion begins to brown, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and red pepper and cook just until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the meat, using a wooden spoon to break it apart. Cook until the meat is browned.

Add the broken noodles to the pan, but do not stir - just let them sit on top of the onion/meat mixture. Pour the tomato/water mixture and the tomato sauce over the noodles (again, don't stir). Cover the pan and bring the liquid to a simmer. Reduce the heat to maintain a simmer and cook, now stirring occasionally, until the pasta is tender (about 20 minutes).

Turn off the heat under the pan. Stir in 1/2 cup of the Parmesan and season to taste with salt and pepper. Drop the ricotta by heaping spoonfuls onto the top of the lasagna (don't stir to incorporate), then cover and let stand for about 5 minutes to allow the cheese to soften. Remove the cover and sprinkle with the basil and remaining Parmesan.