Weeknight Meaty Skillet Lasagna

This Meaty Skillet Lasagna is simple and requires only a 10″ non-stick skillet for cooking.

Because I have a bounty of tomatoes from my garden, I substituted the 28-ounce can of whole peeled tomatoes with ones from my garden.

Since the recipe calls for the canned tomatoes to be placed in a food processor, I cored out my tomatoes, quartered them, pulsed twice in my Vitamix to make a chunky puree, perfect for this recipe.

Do not use “no-boil” lasagna noodles in this recipe, as they will fall apart during cooking.  Make sure to use either whole-milk or part-skim ricotta, as the NON-FAT ricotta will result in a very dry texture and bland flavor.

INGREDIENTS

• 1  28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes  (I used about 6 small tomatoes from my garden)
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 small onion, chopped fine
• salt and pepper
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• pinch of red pepper flakes
• 8 ounces of 85% lean ground beef
• 5 curly-edged lasagna noodles (4-5 ounces) broken into 2-inch lengths
• 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese – (I actually used sliced, fresh mozzarella you can buy in the ball, then cut into small pieces)
• 2 Tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/3 cup ricotta cheese
• 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh basil

DIRECTIONS

Pulse tomatoes in a food processor until coarsely ground and no large pieces remain 6-8 pulses.

Heat oil in 10″ nonstick skillet over medium heat until shimmering.  Add onion and 1/4 teaspoon of salt, cook until softened, about 5 minutes.

Stir in garlic and pepper flakes, cook till fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Add ground meat and cook, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon, until lightly browned and no longer pink, 3-5 minutes.

Scatter pasta pieces over the meat, then pour processed tomatoes over pasta.  Do not stir it at this time.

Cover, increase heat to medium-high and cook  (this is important as you want the mixture to maintain a vigorous simmer in order to thicken).

Stir occasionally.  Cook till pasta is tender, about 20 minutes.

Remove from stovetop and stir in 1/2 of the mozzarella and 1/2 the Parmesan.

Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Dollop heaping Tablespoons of ricotta over noodles, then sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan.

Cover and let stand off heat until cheese melts (4-5 minutes).

I actually covered the skillet but returned the pan to the eye on the stove that was off, but still warm to speed up the melting process.

Sprinkle with basil and serve.

Another recipe from Cooking for Two 2012 (America’s Test Kitchen)

Print Pin

Skillet Lasagna for Two

One of my favorite meals for a winter weeknight. More than enough for two people to have lunch the next day, too.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Keyword cheese, lasagna

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 35 minutes minutes

Servings 2 servings

Author JoAnn

Ingredients

• 1 28 oz can whole peeled tomatoes
• 2 teaspoons good olive oil
• 1 small onion chopped fine
• salt & pepper
• 1 - 2 garlic cloves minced
• Pinch of red pepper flakes
• 8 ounces of 85% lean ground beef
• 5 curly-edged lasagna noodles or 4.25 ounces broken into 2-inch lengths
• 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese shredded
• 2 Tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
• 2 Tables of chopped fresh basil

Instructions

• In a food processor, pulse the whole tomatoes until coarsely ground and no large pieces remain. 

  You could use flavored crushed tomatoes and skip this step.
• Heat oil in a 10-inch, non-stick skillet (All-Clad makes the best 10-inch, non-stick skillet in the world).  
• When skillet is hot, add onion and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook until softened - about 5 minutes.
• Stir in garlic and pepper flakes and cook until you can smell them - about 30 seconds.
• Brown meat, breaking up the meat, until lightly browned and no longer pink - about 5 minutes.
• Take the 2" portions of the UNCOOKED broken pasta and scatter over the meat, then pour processed tomatoes over pasta.
• Cover, increase heat to medium-high, allow to cook, stirring often, or until pasta is tender - about 20 minutes
• Off heat - scatter mozzarella onto the mixture and half the Parmesan.
• Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Dollop heaping tablespoons of ricotta over noodles, then sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan.
• Cover and let stand off heat until cheese melts.

Video

Notes

I allowed mine to stand a full 5 minutes.

Sprinkle with basil and serve with soft, warm bread.

Make sure you DO NOT STIR in the ricotta cheese, as it will make the sauce grainy and a pink mess. Plus the ricotta gives it a nice presentation, once it melts.

Save

Save

Save