Lasagna in a Skillet - in About 30 Minutes!

"What I love about this recipe, is that it's possible to have lasagna within approx. 30 minutes and only have one pan to wash! It's an easy weeknight recipe to prepare. Comfort food with ease. :) This is an adaption from Cook's Illustrated. *Note: I use preshredded cheeses for quick prep. The 30 minute time is what the original recipe states, and the time it takes me to prepare - however, the time is an approximation and may take a bit longer. Enjoy!"
 
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photo by anniesnomsblog photo by anniesnomsblog
photo by anniesnomsblog
photo by Lavender Lynn photo by Lavender Lynn
photo by Linajjac photo by Linajjac
photo by Leggy Peggy photo by Leggy Peggy
photo by Leggy Peggy photo by Leggy Peggy
Ready In:
35mins
Ingredients:
11
Serves:
4-6
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ingredients

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directions

  • Cook meat in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, breaking it into pieces with a wooden spoon, for about 5 minutes (until cooked through).
  • Drain meat and return to skillet.
  • Stir in garlic, red pepper flakes and 1/2 t. salt and cook over medium-high heat until fragrant (about 30 seconds -- do not burn garlic).
  • Sprinkle broken lasagna noodles into the skillet, then pour in marinara sauce and water over the top.
  • Cover and cook, stirring often and adjusting heat as necessary to maintain a vigorous simmer, until noodles are tender (about 20 minutes).
  • Take the skillet off the heat source and stir in half of the mozzarella and half of the parmesan. Season with salt and pepper.
  • Dot heaping tablespoons of ricotta over the noodles, then sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and parmesan.
  • Cover and let stand off heat until the cheeses melt (about 3-5 minutes).
  • Sprinkle with basil before serving.

Questions & Replies

  1. Do you think this would work substituting zucchini sliced lengthwise. Instead of pasta? I know you would need to change the amount of water needed
     
  2. The water puzzles me. I will probably boil the pieces first then add them ..es of lasagna them add them to the marina meat mixture.
     
  3. Can this be made meatless? Also can the recipe be easily doubled?
     
  4. Nutrition values? Calories, carbs, protein, fats, etc.
     
  5. I must be the only person who cannot figure out how to print the recipe. Any help would be appreciated.
     
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Reviews

  1. This turned out great. Simple to prepare. I did not use the "meatloaf mixture", but just used lean ground beef. I was worried, due to another reviewer's attempt, that the lasagna noodles would be gummy, that did not happen. It did, however, take a little longer for them to cook and I did have to add more water. (That was probably just the brand I used.) I also replaced the ricotta (not a fan) with cottage cheese and mixed it into the "lasagna". Thanks for the recipe LifeIsGood.
     
  2. Super recipe and so simple to prepare. I used 93% lean ground beef only as the only change. I did add a bit more water to keep it from drying out but that is to be expected based on the sauce used and the fact I had a bit more beef than what was called for in the recipe. That is one of the bonuses - you could add veggies to this and skip the beef, you can bulk up on more sauce or less, more cheese or less and truly make it your own lasagna dish with minimal effort. We really enjoyed it and I know I'll make it again as it saved me so much time! I tagged this in the I Recommend tag game based on weekend cooker's review.
     
  3. This in wonderful! I hadn't had lasagna in forever because of the time it takes to make. But this was quick, easy and SO good! I make this weekly. Thanks so much LifeIsGood! *5/17/09* I just wanted to add that I only use ground beef. I make this about once a week because of the ease and the requests from hubby. I've made this for numerous people and I always get compliments.
     
  4. Very good recipe. Made a few changes. I used ground beef instead of meatloaf mix and added onions as it browned, added a little extra garlic, and fat free ricotta. Quick and easy recipe and was perfect because it made a smaller amount than a pan. Thanks for sharing!
     
  5. This was very very yummy! I used hot pork sausage instead of the beef and eyeballed the other ingredients (oops, forgot the basil) and will definitely be making this again. Even picky girl who doesn't like melted cheese ate 3 servings worth!
     
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Tweaks

  1. I did a couple things differently. I used italian sausage instead of meatloaf mix. I used 3 very large cloves of garlic (larger tend to be milder in flavor). I added an onion, halved and sliced. I added a 10oz can of sliced mushrooms, chopped a little bit, and used the liquid as part of the 2c. water. I also added 10oz of frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed, using that liquid as part of the water as well. I added the mushrooms and onions when the meat was about 75% cooked. Spinach was added with the marinara sauce (I used Classico Roasted Garlic). (TIP: use the mushroom/spinach liquid to rinse the inside of the marinara jar, then add enough water to that to make 2 cups. SAVE ALL THAT FLAVOR!) The ricotta I got was a bit on the sweet side, so i added a little extra salt and pepper to it, as well as the chopped basil. I kept an eye on the done-ness of the noodles as it was simmering, and added a bit more water (beyond the 2c. liquid already added). I probably simmered it a bit more than the 20 minutes, and left it covered for all the cheese to melt for about 10 minutes. Also....I added a bit of extra mozz and parmesan. Don't use too much mozz, or it gets ridiculously stringcheesy! LOL. Enjoy!!
     
  2. Added tofu and vegetables
     
  3. I used a mix of ground beef and spicy sausage. I also used bow tie pasta instead of lasagne noodles and it came out great!
     
  4. Oh my gosh, how much easier can it be? I wanted to make this vegetarian, so I used TVP instead of ground meat. And it would have been fine without either. I also used canned spaghetti sauce instead of marinara. About 10 minutes into the cooking, I added in diced zucchini, mushrooms, onions, red bell pepper and some frozen spinach. It took a bit longer than 20 minutes to cook, but the noodles cooked fine and all of the veggies were cooked. It was great! We'll definitely be using this lasagna recipe again!!
     
  5. This was very very yummy! I used hot pork sausage instead of the beef and eyeballed the other ingredients (oops, forgot the basil) and will definitely be making this again. Even picky girl who doesn't like melted cheese ate 3 servings worth!
     

RECIPE SUBMITTED BY

Hello! I have a wonderful husband and two fantastic kids. I love to read, have fun with family and friends, stay active with: running; soccer; golf; biking; hiking; and gardening. I love to travel. I'm looking forward to more international travel someday. Cooking has become a passion for me. I love to read cookbooks, watch the Food Network, and try new recipes. I have way too many cookbooks! A few of my favorites are: Barefoot Contessa (any - but especially 'Family Style'),Rachael Ray 30-Minute Meals 2, Roasting by Barbara Kafka, Beyond Parsley & The Black Dog Summer on the Vineyard Cookbook. I try to carefully choose recipes that I think my family will enjoy, which is why most of my ratings are 3-5 stars. Happy cooking!
 
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