Sunday, August 12, 2012

Skillet Lasagna


 

So I've been holding out on you guys... I have a lot going on right now (all good things!), one of which is that we're moving!  If all goes according to plan, we'll be closing on our new house at the end of this month.  Woot!  As excited as I am to have a big backyard and a bigger kitchen, that comes with a price - cleaning and packing up our current house - and our lives for the last 9 years.  As you might could imagine, this will be no small feat with two small children underfoot.  Caroline loves to "help" me pack, which roughly translates to "ooooh look I found my favorite toy! " (some random ball that she hasn't touched for 2 years) and "Can I play with this book of 2000 stickers that you're trying to pack?  I promise not to make a mess!"

So needless to say, the less I have to pack and take with us, the better.  Which brings us to this lasagna.  I'm trying to pare down my pantry, fridge, and freezer.  The less we have, the less we have to pack or throw away.  I always seem to have several boxes of half-empty pasta, so this made the perfect dinner to use those up.  I actually did have some partially full boxes of lasagna noodles, but really any small or medium pasta would work well here.

The beauty of this dish is that it really does taste like lasagna, but it comes together in right around half an hour and is completely cooked one skillet.  Joey even ventured to say that he likes it better than traditional lasagna.

Peeled tomatoes are pulsed in a food processor to form the tomato sauce - but I think you could use crushed tomatoes and still have great results.  Onion and ground beef are then sautéed, flavored with some garlic, herbs, and spices, and the noodles and tomato sauce are added.  They are simmered on the stovetop, absorbing all the tomato-goodness, leaving you with a super flavorful dish.  And THEN, ricotta, parmesan, and mozzarella are stirred in, MORE cheese is sprinkled over the top, and a quick trip under the broiler leaves you with the melty, gooey top that is a necessity to any lasagna.

I'll most definitely be making this dish in our new house time and time again.  It has quite easily become a family staple.



Skillet Lasagna
adapted from America's Test Kitchen, Pasta Revolution
serves 4 to 6

  • 3 (14.5 oz) cans whole peeled tomatoes (or 1.5 28 oz cans)
  • 1 Tbs olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 3-4 garlic cloves, minced
  • pinch red pepper flakes
  • 3/4 tsp dried Italian seasoning
  • 1 lb ground sirloin
  • 10 (curly-edged) lasagna noodles, broken into 2-inch pieces
  • 3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 3/4 cup ricotta cheese (part-skim is fine)
  • 3 Tbs chopped fresh basil
Pulse the tomatoes in a food processor until coarsely ground and no large pieces remain, about 12 pulses.

Heat the oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat.  Add th onion and 1/2 teaspoon of salt and cook, stirring often, until softened, 5 to 7 minutes.  Stir in the garlic, pepper flakes, and Italian seasoning and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Add the ground beef to the skillet.  Cook, stirring often and using a wooden spoon to break up the meat, about 3 to 5 minutes, or until it's no longer pink.

Scatter the pasta in the skillet, then pour the tomatoes over the top.  Stir, increase the heat to medium-high, and cover.  Cook at a vigorous simmer, stirring often, until the pasta is tender, 20 minutes (if you don't stir it, the pasta will clump together and stick to the bottom and sides of the skillet).

Meanwhile, preheat the broiler.

Remove the skillet from heat, and stir in half the mozzarella and parmesan, and 1/4 cup of the ricotta.  Dot the remaining ricotta over the noodles in tablespoons, then sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella and parmesan.  Transfer to the oven and broil until the cheese melts and is starting to brown.  Remove from oven, sprinkle with basil, and serve.


27 comments:

Laura said...

I made something similar from a Cook's Country recipe. You know I love that test kitchen! Looks great.

Anonymous said...

Congrats on the new home and best luck with the move!! This is exciting! :D Great quick and easy recipe. I have to get a cast iron skillet to try it out!

Kelsey said...

Wow, Josie--so much excitement in your life right now! Congratulations!

Shoe Fanatic said...

LOVE this recipe. We make it with ground turkey; it's quickly become one of my favorite weeknight meals.

Anonymous said...

looks wonderful and so much healthier than Hamburger Helper!! :)

Dana said...

Congratulations on the relocation! It's never as easy as you would like it to be, I find, but hopefully all of the cleaning and packing leads you to an awesome new home!

Joanne said...

Congrats on the move!! That's so exciting. :) I may not be moving any time soon but I can always use an easier version of lasagna! Love.

Michelle said...

The good news for you is that if you DO have stuff left in your pantry or fridge, it isn't going far, so you can put it in the car and drive it over. I am sad at how much I'll lose when we move at the end of the month. You'll have to come over and grab one of my many bags of flour I have in the freezer.

Krystal R said...

Congrats on the move and new house!! How exciting to have a bigger yard and bigger kitchen! This looks like a great way to clean the pantry. ;-)

j3nn said...

I looove lasagna and haven't had it in so long. With easy recipes like this, why do I even bother with traditional? :) YUM!!

Alexis Franzi said...

Josie,

First off, congrats on the move! How exciting! Second, this Skillet Lasagna sounds incredible. This looks great/I love this idea! We at Mr. Food would love for you to submit a similar recipe to The Search for the Ultimate Weeknight Meal, offering a grand-prize to one lucky blogger who will tape a segment to air on national TV! If you're interested, check out our contest page for more details.
http://www.mrfood.com/Editors-Picks/Search-for-Ultimate-Weeknight-Meal-Blogger-Contest

Alexis Franzi
Editor, Mr. Food

Anonymous said...

I cannot wait to try this...the only thing I would suggest in this recipe is to avoid nonstick cookware. It really is hazardous to your health. I will probably add extra evoo and use my cast iron skillet. :)

Mrs. Measurement said...

I've made skillet lasagna before and I absolutely love it. I actually think it has more flavor than layered lasagna.

Aimee ~ See Aimee Cook said...

Josie, made this last night and it was delicious! We just moved ourselves and while a huge headache, totally worth it! Congrats on your new place!

Unknown said...

Just made this tonight and it was fabulous! The perfect weeknight meal - thank you!

Anonymous said...

This has become a regular in our weeknight rotation. I love that it's so easy to fix and even easier to clean up after dinner! Thank you for the recipe!

deborah@delicioushappens.com said...

This looks awesome! I love quick and easy! Can't wait to make it!

Amber DeGrace said...

Great recipe! My ultra-picky 4-year old even told me he wants me to make this forever and ever.

Winnie said...

This sounds delish! I can't wait to try this.

Anonymous said...

For those living in Canada, this was in the What's Cooking Kraft magazine this year. Really yummy and easy, I have to agree.

Anonymous said...

This was incredible! I followed the recipe to a tee and it was perfect!!! Thank you!

Lindsey said...

Made this, but with Italian sausage instead of the ground sirloin (I like the added spice and flavor). So yummy and easy compared to traditional lasagna! Thanks for the recipe!

Ana said...

This is quick and delicious! We were fighting for the one Tupperware of leftovers this morning! We really like it with fresh parsley on top instead of basil. (I currently have a pregnancy aversion to basil :-\)

normanka said...

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Materi Kuliah

Josie said...

Would fresh pasta work?

Josie said...

Stephanie, I don't think this particular recipe is very well-suited for fresh pasta. You'd have to adjust the amount of liquid pretty greatly, and adjust the cooking time as well.

Josie said...

Okay - thank you! This will still be on my agenda because it looks amazing.

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