Stove-top Skillet Lasagna

Here’s a scenario:

It’s summer, much like it is now… Let’s say it is, oh, 90 degrees outside.

You’re hot…

Tired…

Had a long day at work and now you have to go home and cook.

For your family…

Because those mofos are hungry.

You ask the kids; “Hey kids, what would you like to eat for dinner tonight?”

And without a moment’s hesitation they shout; “Lasagna!”

You are torn between, “What – Are you, crazy – In this heat?!” Or; “Man, lasagna sure does sound good”.

So what do you do? Do you really want to turn on a 425 degree oven? What if your A/C breaks down? Is your need to make lasagna that great?

No, it isn’t. Not really… But you really want to please your kids, and you are kinda tasting all that stringy cheese in between layers of pasta and ground meat; but – No! It can’t be done…! It’s too damn hot outside. You don’t really want to wash all them lasagna dishes, do you?

No, you don’t…

If only you could make lasagna in a skillet; use one skillet for the entire meal, including the pasta…

Flow with me; I’m gonna hook you up.

One skillet, that’s all it takes for skillet lasagna. Some cooked ground meat, tofu or veggies, tomato sauce, cheese and wait for it – No boil lasagna sheets.

What?!

Unbelievable isn’t it? No boil lasagna sheets exist.

And yes, you can do this; in like, 35 minutes.

I know…!

I’ll give you a minute to let it sink in and pick your jaw up off the floor. You’re letting in mosquitoes.

This pretty much works like regular lasagna. Cook your meat, tofu, whatever – Remove from the skillet and set aside. Pour some tomato sauce on the same skillet and begin with a layer no boil lasagna sheets. Is gonna be perfect? No – It’s skillet lasagna. Do whatever you like. It’s all good…

Meat first?

Sure…

Cheese first?

Why not?

Vegetarian lasagna?

Go for it!

Just make sure you layer with lasagna sheets and when you’re done, sprinkle more cheese on that, cover your skillet and cook until those no boil lasagna sheets have softened and your cheese has melted; anywhere from 20-25 minutes.

There you have it – A one skillet meal.  And! You didn’t burn to a crisp. And! You can bust out the paper plates. Its summer and everyone eats on paper plates. Just go outside, pretend it’s a barbecue. A one skillet barbecue…

Love,

Me

: Skillet Lasagna

Source: An M.O.B. Production

Ingredients:

• 2lbs ground beef, turkey or chicken, seasoned to taste. I use a couple of tablespoons of my special sofrito blend, salt an pepper; but you can season however you like.
• 2 tbs olive oil
• 1 lb grated mozzarella cheese, grated
• 8 oz cheddar cheese, grated
• 1 12 oz container ricotta cheese
• 2 8 oz packages no boil lasagna sheets, or about 24 sheets
• 32 oz tomato sauce; jar or homemade, preferably something with loads of garlic

Directions:

1. Heat 2 tbs of olive oil in a 14 inch skillet (preferably a deep skillet) over medium high heat and cook the ground meat until it’s no longer pink, about 10-12 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat and transfer the meat to a medium bowl. Cover and set aside.
2. Turn the heat to low and spread half the tomato sauce on the skillet and layer about 6 no boil lasagna sheets over the sauce, covering as much of the pan as possible. You may not cover the entire pan with the sheets and that’s OK – The sheets will spread a bit as they cook.
3. Spread the cooked ground meat evenly over the sheets. Place another layer of about 6 lasagna sheets over the ground meat covering as much of the skillet as you can.
4. Spread half the grated mozzarella cheese over the lasagna sheets and sprinkle with a few tablespoons of tomato sauce.
5. Layer about 6 more lasagna sheets over the grated mozzarella cheese. Spread ricotta cheese over the sheets and sprinkle with half the grated cheddar cheese.
6. Place a final layer of lasagna sheets over the ricotta and cheddar cheeses (I know I’m getting repetitive, but bear with me!), and sprinkle the remaining mozzarella and cheddar cheeses evenly, along with the remaining tomato sauce.
7. Cover the skillet and cook over very, very low heat until the lasagna sheets have cooked through and the cheeses have melted; about 20-25 minutes. Serve… Bask in the joy of making lasagna in one skillet.

This lasagna is very versatile. Go crazy! Make this a veggie lasagna by replacing the cooked ground meat with broccoli, or play around with the cheeses. Have fun!

Preparation time: 10 minute(s)

Cooking time: 25 minute(s)

Number of servings (yield): 8