Stovetop Lasagna

If you’re like me, you love homemade lasagna but rarely have the time to make it.  This recipe offers a pretty good solution to the problem.  You get the same taste, without the time consuming hassle.

The recipe calls for ground meat.  I would typically use ground turkey in a recipe like this but I recently decided to get a little bit adventurous.  I did use the turkey, but I added some Italian sausage to give the dish a little more flavor.  Sounds tasty, right?  Right.  Unless you choose the hot Italian sausage.  I mean the kind where hot  means set yourself on fire.  I thought the whole thing was a four alarm nightmare.  I literally could not eat it.  Michael ate piles of it, though, and went back for more.  Then again, I’m pretty sure he could eat lit matches.

Here’s what you’ll need to make your own:

Lasagna noodles

Pasta sauce

Ground meat

Ricotta

Finely shredded mozzarella

Grated Asiago (Romano or Parm will do if you don’t have Asiago)

Fresh garlic

Italian seasonings

While browning your meat in one skillet, heat your sauce in another.  If you are using store-bought sauce, add seasonings to taste and plenty of fresh garlic.  If you’ve made your own sauce, it should already be adequately seasoned.  Next, break your lasagna noodles into pieces and lay them on top of the sauce.  With a wooden spoon, gently push them down to the bottom of the skillet.  Let the sauce continue cooking until the noodles are soft.  (They will feel squishy when you press them with your spoon.)

When the meat is ready, drain it on paper towels. When your noodles are soft, add the meat to the sauce by spreading it evenly across the top and pushing it gently down into the sauce until it is completely covered, but do not stir.  Next, add a thin layer of mozzarella and let it melt.  Then drop spoonfuls of ricotta into the sauce making sure you spread the cheese evenly across the pan.  Press the ricotta down into the sauce until it is covered.  Let your lasagna cook until it is bubbly and then spread plenty of Asiago across the top. 

Serve with garlic bread and Caesar salad.  And a fire extinguisher if you go for the super spicy version!

Almost Veggie Pizza

This makes for a super yummy (and relatively quick) dinner when you are in a hurry.  I tend to do my shopping after work on Fridays, which puts me at home a little later than normal.  The pizza is a fast, easy and healthy way to keep Michael from starving to death on shopping day.

Ingredients:

• 1 Pizza Crust (This one was store bought, but I often bake my own)
• Pizza Sauce (Ragu makes a really good one.  There is also a really good one at Earth Fare, but the name escapes me at the moment.)
• Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
• Fresh Veggies (I used mushrooms, green bell pepper, onion and tomatoes. Be creative and use whatever you find in the fridge.)
• Salami (You can skip the meat or use a different type if you want.)

Instructions:

Spread two large spoonfuls of sauce onto the crust.  Sprinkle a handful of shredded mozzarella evenly across the sauce.  Chop your vegetables (and the meat if you are using it) into bite-sized pieces and spread them evenly on top of the cheese.  Sprinkle another handful of cheese evenly across the top of the pizza.  Bake at 450 until the entire pizza is warm and the cheese is fully melted.

This is one of my most versatile recipes.  You can improvise as much or as little as you want.  Give it a try and let me know what you think!