Skillet Lasagna

Talk about a delicious, easy lasagna! I didn't know "easy" lasagna existed until I saw this dish on a fellow blogger's page. I am so glad that I tried it out! We love pasta, and especially lasagna, but it is SOOOO time consuming...no longer! I really loved this dish as did the guests that I made it for. I am in the process of unpacking my life into my new house so I had to steal a pictures from Melanie...not to mention the fact that she got an amazing picture, which is hard to accomplish with this type of dish!

Skillet Lasagna
Printable Version

2 (14.5 ounce) cans diced tomatoes
1 (14.5 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, minced
1/2 tsp. salt
3 medium garlic cloves, finely minced
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon dried basil
1/2 tablespoon dried oregano
1 pound ground beef
12 whole wheat lasagna noodles, broken into 1 inch lengths
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup ricotta cheese (do not use fat-free)

Pulse the tomatoes with their juice in a blender or food processor until they are coarsely ground and no large pieces remain.

Heat the oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring often, until the onion is softened and translucent, about 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 it is lightly browned and no longer pink, 5 to 6 minutes.

Scatter the broken lasagna noodles over the meat and then pour in the ground tomatoes and tomato sauce over the pasta. Stir in the basil and oregano. 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 the mozzarella and half of the parmesan. 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. Serve.

Serves 5.

Adapted from: My Kitchen Cafe