Quick Skillet Lasagna
One day I am going to be a great meal planner. At this current time however I am not so great at it. Every now and then I plan a week of meals and I only have to take one trip to the grocery store. But then there are weeks like last one where I find myself on the couch at 5pm on Friday evening not sure of what we are going to eat for dinner. I loaded the kids up in the car after browsing through my Test Kitchen cookbook and got what I needed for this quick one skillet dinner. It was ready by 7pm, it was a huge hit and a recipe that I will definitely be making again.
In this skillet lasagna you have all the goodness of lasagna without all the work of layering and dirtying several dishes. The recipe calls for broken lasagna noodles, but you could use penne or ziti if that’s what you have around. I used Italian turkey sausage, but a mixture of ground beef and pork is what is called for in the original recipe. I added a few ounces of goat cheese to the ricotta because I don’t think that there is a thing on this earth that couldn’t use some goat cheese goodness. I layered some mozzarella slices on top of the finished dish and broiled it for a few minutes. I think when you serve lasagna there should be strings of cheese stretching from pan to plate, so this ensures that will happen. Top it all off with some fresh chopped basil and you have a super delicious and satisfying dinner that is ready in less than an hour. I realize it’s no 30-minute meal, but it sure does take less time than a proper lasagna!
Serve this with lots of good bread and a green salad for a complete meal, and one that will make everyone very happy.
Quick Skillet Lasagna
Adapated slightly from America’s Test Kitchen Family Cookbook
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- salt and pepper
- 1 package Italian turkey sausage (16-20 ounces)
- 1 28-ounce can of diced tomatoes
- 1 can tomato sauce (8-10 ounces)
- 8 ounces of lasagna noodles, broken into 2 inch pieces
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan + more for serving
- 8 ounces part-skim ricotta
- 3 ounces goat choose
- 8-10 slices of fresh mozzarella cheese
- 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
Directions
- Pour the tomatoes into a quart measuring cup and fill with water to make 4 cups. Set aside.
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until onion begins to soften, about 5 minutes. Season with a pinch of salt.
- Stir in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add in the turkey and cook, breaking the meat up into pieces, until meat is cooked through and no longer pink.
- Pour in the tomatoes and tomato sauce and stir to combine. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
- Add in the noodles and stir to combine. Press the noodles down into the sauce so that they are covered and then cover the skillet. Bring the sauce to a simmer and then reduce heat to medium low and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- In a small bowl stir the ricotta with the goat cheese, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper. Set aside.
- Preheat your broiler.
- Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the Parmesan. Use a large spoon to dot the top of the skillet with the ricotta mixture, then lay the mozzarella slices on top.
- Place the skillet under the broiler until the cheese begins to brown. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with the basil.
- Serve with extra Parmesan.