Skillet Lasagna

We love lasagna around here. It's one of Mr. Lego's favorite meals. This skillet version has all the wonderful Italian flavors but gets on the table faster than traditionally prepared lasagna.

Here's what you need:

1/2 lb pasta, cooked and drained according to the package directions
  (I used bowtie pasta because the ruffly edges resemble lasagna noodles. Penne
     would work just fine, too.)
1 lb ground beef, cooked and drained
29 ounce can tomato puree or sauce
2 TBSP dried oregano
1 TBSP each Italian seasoning and dried basil
1 TBSP minced onion
1 teas garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1-2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (I used mozzarella and Parmesan)

In a large skillet, combine the cooked ground beef with the tomato puree. Stir in the herbs and spices. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Allow to simmer for about 10 minutes. If the sauce mixture appears to be too saucy, don't worry. The pasta will soak up some of the moisture.

Stir the cooked pasta into the sauce, making sure all the pasta gets coated. Drop the ricotta cheese by spoonfuls over the entire skillet.

Sprinkle the shredded cheese over all. Remove from the heat and cover to allow the cheese to melt. Alternately, if you have an oven-proof skillet, you can pop the whole thing into the oven for a few minutes to let the cheese melt.

From start to finish, this dish took about 30 minutes. Considering that a traditional lasagna bakes at least 45 minutes in the oven after all the prep work, this is a huge time savings for me!

The entire family declared this quick, yummy dinner to be delicious. It will show up on our menus regularly.


I'm linking up this recipe to Tempt My Tummy Tuesday over at Blessed with Grace.