Skillet Lasagna

"What's the best way to make lasagna with rich meaty flavor, chunks of tomato, and gooey cheese, without ever turning on the oven or boiling a pot of water? In a skillet."

Ever since I purchased The Best Skillet Recipes the Skillet Lasagna on the cover has been calling out to me. I finally made it tonight and was not disappointed. In fact, it might just be one of my new favorite meals. It starts with a simple, homemade tomato sauce, add some meat, noodles, and of course the cheese. Three kinds in fact-- ricotta, mozerella, and parmesean. Also, it is different from regular lasagna because it's made entirely on the stove in a skillet. No heating up the oven in 100 + weather in the St. George heat! It had the perfect ratio of sauce, noodles, and cheese and I loved every bite! This will be a new staple for dinner at our house.

Skillet Lasagna

from The Best New Recipe

3 14.5 oz. cans whole peeled tomatoes

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 medium onion, minced

Salt

3 medium cloves, minced (about 1 tbsp.)

1/8 tsp red pepper flakes

1 pound meatloaf mix (this is a mix of ground beef, pork and veal. You can substitue 1/2 lb. ground pork and 1/2 lb. ground beef)

10 curly-edged lasagna noodles, broken into 2 inch pieces

2 oz. mozerella cheese, shredded (1/2 cup)

1/2 oz. parmesean cheese, grated (1/4 cup)

Ground black pepper

3/4 cup ricotta cheese (if you don't like ricotta you can always use cottage cheese)

3 tbsp. chopped fresh basil leaves

Pulse the tomatoes with their juice in a food processor until coarsely ground and no large pieces remain, about 12 pulses.

Heat oil in a 12 inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion and 1/2 tsp salt and cook, stirring often, until softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the ground meat and cook, breaking apart the meat, until lightly browned and no longer pink, 3 to 5 minutes.

Scatter the pasta over the meat, then pour the processed tomatoes over the pasta. cover, increase the heat to medium high, and cook, stirring often and adjusting the heat to maintain a vigorous simmer, until the pasta is tender, about 20 minutes.

Off the heat, stir in half of the mozarella and half of the Parmesan. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Dot heaping tablespoons of the ricotta over the noodles, then sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan. cover and let stand off the heat until the cheese melts, 2 to 4 minutes. Sprinkle with basil and serve.

*I used a cookie scooper for the ricotta and it worked really well.*