The Kitchn: A weeknight lasagna you can whip up in no time
Lasagna is a true labor of love that requires slow cooking a sauce, boiling noodles, and layering the ingredients all before it even goes in the oven. While I appreciate a well-constructed lasagna, it's not feasible for weeknight dinners.
Here's how you can skip the oven entirely and still have a lasagna that's loaded with a savory sausage and mushroom red sauce, tender noodles that are cooked right in the sauce, and, of course, three kinds of cheese to meld and hold everything together. Cooked in just one skillet on the stovetop, this is truly a weeknight lasagna that you can add to your dinner rotation.
Cottage cheese to the rescue!
Since this recipe doesn't make the usual large pan of lasagna, buying a whole tub of ricotta cheese (which seems to be the only size it comes in) seems like a waste if you don't really need to keep extra ricotta on hand. Cottage cheese to the rescue! It has tender curds, a creamy texture, and, best of all, can be found in single-serving containers.
Make sure the cottage cheese sits out and warms up slightly while you prepare the lasagna so it will meld and melt into the rest of the lasagna. Trust me -- you won't even miss the ricotta and will probably fool most of your guests with this substitute.
As much as I love the calming feeling of putting together the layers on a traditional lasagna, it requires extra time that I don't have on a busy weeknight. Skip the layering by starting a meat sauce that has chicken broth in it. The broth helps to cook the dry lasagna noodles; as the noodles cook, they in turn release starch to thicken the sauce. It's a win-win situation. This lasagna is so tasty you won't miss the distinct layers.
Weeknight Skillet Lasagna
Serves 4 to 6
1 tablespoon olive oil
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