Skillet Lasagna

Skillet Lasagna: Several years ago I made lasagna for the first time (it was a slightly modified version of the woman's recipe for Pioneer), and thus, I created a monster. Lasagna is a monster, and his name is Shane :) He did not remember ever having lasagna before, and he immediately fell in love with the dish. For a long time I could not ask his opinion for lunch next week without the word lasagna to appear somewhere in the back.

Make no mistake, this was not the only one who enjoyed that lasagna, but the recipe made so much food that we eat the remains of whole days (and days!) And finally, I need a break. It is also one of those recipes that will leave you with a big pile of dirty dishes in the sink, and I think we can all agree that the dish pit. Seriously, no one really likes this problem? But in any case, the result was that over time, I almost completely stopped making lasagna, and, frankly, I feel a little guilty. Nothing like this to find a man hanging on a plate, and then decide that you were totally on it ...

A compromise was in order, and in this pan of lasagna I've found. This is done only in a pan of lasagna in less than an hour - just a win-win in my book! And as if that was not reason enough to love this food, but it also brings to control the amount of food. We've had it for dinner one night, and I think I ate the remains of a lunch for a few days later. This is the third or fourth recipe, I tried what is called for cooking pasta directly into the same pan with remaining ingredients, and although I was skeptical at first, I grew very fond of art. Shane and I took a free-form lasagna has all the taste of the traditional lasagna - you do not miss anything!

And just for fun, because I know that will make him smile, some pictures of Shane Half Marathon yesterday. This marked a new PR 1:37:29 finish - even a perfect springboard for his goal of qualification for the Boston Marathon the next year or two! He is also preparing to participate in his first Ironman at the end of this summer (he is 70 0.3, but not all) - this will be a busy year here. All this training may also help explain the incredible metabolism, I was talking the other day :)

Skillet Lasagna
barely adapted from Cook's Country's Skillet Suppers

A few notes on this one:
- The recipe calls for meatloaf mix, but feel free to use any ground meat you like - they'll all work.
- You can use regular or no-boil lasagna noodles. If you go with the regular, they'll have a very slight bite to them.
- A nonstick pan was suggested, but I don't have a cover for mine, so I used my regular stainless steel pan and didn't have any issues. Just be sure to stir occasionally as the pasta cooks so it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan.

1 28-oz can diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 pound meatloaf mix (ground beef, pork and veal)
10 lasagna noodles, broken into 2-inch pieces
1 8-oz can tomato sauce
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup ricotta cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

Add the diced tomatoes along with their juice to a 1 quart (4 cup) measuring cup. Add enough water to bring the volume to 1 quart total.

Set a large nonstick skillet over medium heat and add the oil. When it starts to shimmer, add the onion and the salt. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until the onion begins to brown, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and red pepper and cook just until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the meat, using a wooden spoon to break it apart. Cook until the meat is browned.

Add the broken noodles to the pan, but do not stir - just let them sit on top of the onion/meat mixture. Pour the tomato/water mixture and the tomato sauce over the noodles (again, don't stir). Cover the pan and bring the liquid to a simmer. Reduce the heat to maintain a simmer and cook, now stirring occasionally, until the pasta is tender (about 20 minutes).

Turn off the heat under the pan. Stir in 1/2 cup of the Parmesan and season to taste with salt and pepper. Drop the ricotta by heaping spoonfuls onto the top of the lasagna (don't stir to incorporate), then cover and let stand for about 5 minutes to allow the cheese to soften. Remove the cover and sprinkle with the basil and remaining Parmesan, then serve.