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!