Skillet Lasagna

Wow, it has been 8 days since my last post, and I’m so, so sorry about that!  You wouldn’t believe how busy I’ve been this last week!  
Well, I think this Skillet Lasagna recipe will definitely make up for my absence of posting!  My husband absolutely loved this, and it happens to be healthy!  You could actually call this “Vegetable Lasagna” because of the abundance of shredded carrots, zucchini, and spinach.  Believe it or not, you can’t even really taste the vegetables because of the wonderful flavors of tomatoes, herbs, and cheese!  I even bought fat free ricotta cheese to save about 10 grams of fat in this dish.  I got this recipe off of the Food Network.  I altered it just a little by adding a 1/2 pound of ground sirloin to please my husband with the red meat.  
If you are searching for a healthy and delicious way to make lasagna, you’ve got to add this recipe to one of your weeknight meals.  Plus, despite all of the sinful, yet delicious desserts on my blog, this lasagna won’t set you back on your New Year’s Resolution of losing weight!  Enjoy!!

Brown ground sirloin in a skillet over medium heat until no longer pink.  I added a jar of Newman’s Own Marinara Sauce and heated it until warm.  Leave 1 cup in the skillet, and reserve the rest of the marinara mixture.

Meanwhile, make the ricotta cheese mixture.  Combine 1 large egg, 1 cup ricotta, 2 tbsp parmesan cheese, 3 tbsp herbs, 1/2 tsp salt, and pepper to taste in a bowl.

Place 2 lasagna noodles over the marinara sauce in the skillet.  Layer half of the carrot and zucchini on top.  Drizzle with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper.

Cover with half of spinach, half of ricotta mixture, a few pieces of mozzarella and 3 tbsp of marinara sauce.  Repeat the layers, ending with noodles.  Top with remaining sauce and mozzarella.

Cover and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the lasagna is cooked and the cheese is melted.

Let rest for a few minutes, and then slice.  Garnish with more parmesan and fresh herbs.

Skillet Lasagna
Ingredients
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
4 cloves garlic, sliced
1 1/2 pounds ripe tomatoes, diced
4 tablespoons chopped fresh basil and/or parsley, plus more for garnish
1/2 pound ground sirloin
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 large egg
2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish
6 sheets no-bake lasagna noodles
1 carrot, peeled into ribbons
1 zucchini, peeled into ribbons
3 1/2 cups baby spinach
1/3 pound mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced

* Optional – to save time, you can buy a jar of marinara sauce instead of making the one in this recipe.  I used Newman’s Own Marinara Sauce)

Directions
1.  Heat the 1/4 cup olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the garlic; cook until golden, 1 minute.  Add the tomatoes, 1 tablespoon herbs, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste; cook until saucy, about 5 minutes.  Transfer to a blender and puree.  Return 1 cup of the sauce to the skillet and reduce the heat to low; reserve the remaining sauce.
(For this step, I browned the ground sirloin in a skillet over medium heat, until no longer pink.  I then added a jar of Newman’s Own Marinara Sauce to warm it).
2.  Meanwhile, mix the ricotta, egg, parmesan, the remaining 3 tablespoons herbs, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste in a bowl.
3.  Place 2 lasagna noodles over the sauce in the skillet.  Layer half of the carrot and zucchini on top; drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Cover with half of the spinach, half of the ricotta mixture, a few pieces of mozzarella, and 2 to 3 tablespoons of the reserved tomato sauce.  Repeat the layers, ending with noodles.  Top with remaining sauce and mozzarella.
4.  Cover and simmer until lasagna is cooked and the cheese melts, 20 to 25 minutes.  Let rest a few minutes before slicing. Garnish with more parmesan and fresh herbs.

Yield:  4 servings
Food Network Magazine

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