Driftless Foodie: One pan, weeknight dinner

By By Jessica Woodward

I love me a good lasagna, just like the rest of you… but I can’t stand all of the prep that goes into it. Precooking the noodles… the layering… the added time… the bits of noodles and cooked beef my kid steals off the counter before it makes it into the 9×13 pan. This recipe will cure the lasagna blues and give you all the feels without sacrificing any flavor.

I’m not lasagna partial either… to a white lasagna or red lasagna. As long as it has carbs and cheese, count me in!

However, there is one debate between the Midwest folk, like most of you, and the east coast folk, like myself. And that is, which cheese do you use in your lasagna? Ricotta cheese or cottage cheese?

While the answer should be ricotta, I have found that most people in the Midwest use cottage cheese. This was something that was hard for me to wrap my brain around. Kind of like the cinnamon rolls in chili!?

So, if you’re team cottage cheese, I am going to encourage you to put it down, step away from the container, and use the ricotta for this skillet lasagna. Again, a non-negotiable for this recipe.

This skillet, one pan meal is the perfect weeknight alternative to this winter favorite dish.

Skillet Lasagna

Skillet Lasagna 

Ingredients 

1 pound of ground beef

1 box of bow tie noodles

2 cups of water

1 jar of pasta sauce

2 cups of fresh spinach

1.5 cups of ricotta cheese

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

1 cup mozzarella, shredded

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded

1/3 cup fresh basil, chopped

Salt and pepper

In an oven-safe skillet brown the meat with half of the onion and garlic powder and 1/2 a teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Drain off fat.

Add the dry noodles, water, and pasta sauce, stir and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cover for 15 minutes. Stir halfway through.

Meanwhile, mix the ricotta, Parmesan cheese, remaining garlic and onion powder, and basil. Taste and season with salt and pepper.

Remove the lid, and stir in the spinach and mozzarella cheese.

Add dollops of the ricotta on top and put the lid back on to cook for an additional 5 minutes.

Top with extra basil.

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