Skillet Vegetable Lasagna
Skillet Vegetable Lasagna
Lasagna in less than 45 minutes, start to finish? That’s worth writing about! I may never make lasagna the old traditional way ever again. (That’s probably not true since all my lasagnas on my blog are pretty darn great! SEE BELOW.) I’ve heard about slow cooker lasagnas and may still need to try that method, but that still takes hours to make. This skillet lasagna is so quick and quite frankly, pretty fun to make with all the layers built right into my wide, deep skillet, covered and simmered until done in about 20 to 25 minutes stove top. I call that a victory!
I’ve pulled out all the stops on flavor with this dish. The sauce is rich and meaty made with ground sirloin and Italian turkey sausage with chunks of stewed tomatoes, fresh and/or dried herbs and bottled marinara sauce for convenience. I love the riccotta cheese layer made with part-skim milk ricotta, Parmesan cheese and fresh herbs. Then because I can and because all lasagnas need another layer of nutritional goodness (to fool the kids and to please the mommas), I layer in ribbons of zucchini, shredded carrot and mounds of fresh spinach leaves.
The whole recipe is made possible with oven-ready lasagna noodles. These are flat pasta noodles which do not require pre-boiling. They’re thinner than regular lasagna noodles, precooked and then dried, so they can soften during baking with just the moisture from the sauce. They’re not perfect, as in you might miss the traditional thickness of regular pasta, but the time savings is worth it in my opinion.
I made this dish for a good friend last week and she said her family loved it and that the leftovers were amazing! I used my big cast-iron skillet which made it easier to transport to her house and also allowed her to more easily reheat it versus using my usual deep skillet with the handle. I haven’t tried using my electric skillet, but I see no reason why that wouldn’t work great too.
- Skillet Vegetable Lasagna
- 3 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 pound extra-lean ground sirloin (90-93% lean)
- 1/2 pound Italian-seasoned turkey sausage (casings removed)
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, divided
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil, divided
- 1/2 tsp sea salt, divided
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper, divided
- 1 (15-ounce) can Italian-seasoned ready-cut stewed tomatoes
- 1 (26-ounce) bottle of your favorite marinara or spaghetti sauce
- 1 cup part-skim milk ricotta cheese
- 1 large egg
- 3/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese, divided
- 9 sheets no-bake lasagna noodles
- 1 cup shredded carrot
- 1 zucchini, peeled into ribbons
- 4 cups fresh baby spinach leaves
- 2 1/2 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
- Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet placed over medium-high heat. Add ground sirloin and turkey sausage and cook until browned. Add onions and garlic; cook until soft and translucent, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons each of fresh parsley and basil, 1/4 teaspoon each sea salt and black pepper, stewed tomatoes and marinara sauce. Cook until saucy about 5 minutes. Transfer about 3/4 of the sauce into a large bowl and set aside, leaving about 1 cup of sauce in skillet. Reduce heat to low.
- Meanwhile, combine ricotta, egg, 1/2 cup Parmesan, remaining 2 tablespoons each fresh parsley and basil and remaining 1/4 teaspoon each sea salt and black pepper in a small bowl; stir to combine.
- Place 3 lasagna noodles over the sauce in the skillet, breaking the third noodle as needed to fill the gaps on the sides. Layer half of the carrot, zucchini and spinach on top; drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Drop spoonfuls of half of the ricotta mixture onto the spinach. Sprinkle 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese over the ricotta mixture. Spread about 1 cup of the remaining meat sauce over the cheeses. Repeat the layers, ending with noodles. Top with the remaining sauce and 1/2 cup mozzarella and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese.
- Cover and simmer until the lasagna is cooked and the cheese melts, 20 to 25 minutes.
- Let rest for a few minutes before slicing. Garnish with more Parmesan and fresh herbs, if desired.
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Mary Burks
This is really delicious. I made it using zucchini slices at Karen’s suggestion. Even better the next day.
Karen
Thanks Mary. It’s such a go to recipe that makes enough for the whole week. Love it!