Recipe: Skillet Lasagna

SKILLET LASAGNA

"Any brand of curly edged lasagna noodles will work here, but do not use no-boil lasagna noodles. If the pasta is especially dry and brittle, you may need to add extra water to the skillet while the pasta cooks. To make things go even quicker, you can replace the mozzarella and Parmesan with 3/4 cup shredded Italian cheese blend."

1/2 pound lean ground beef
1/2 pound ground pork
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Salt and ground black pepper
6 ounces curly edged lasagna noodles (8 noodles), broken into 2-inch pieces
1 (26-ounce) jar tomato sauce, such as marinara (about 3 cups)
2 cups water
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3/4 cup whole-milk ricotta cheese
1/4 cup minced fresh basil

Cook meat in 12-inch nonstick skillet over high heat, breaking it into pieces with wooden spoon, until fat renders, 3-5 minutes. Mince garlic and measure out pasta while meat cooks. Drain meat and return it to skillet.

Stir in garlic, pepper flakes and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook over medium-high heat until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Sprinkle broken noodles into skillet, then pour in tomato sauce and water. Cover and cook, stirring often and adjusting heat as needed to maintain vigorous simmer, until noodles are tender, about 20 minutes.

Off heat, stir in half of mozzarella and half of Parmesan. Season with salt and pepper. Dot heaping tablespoons of ricotta over noodles, then sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan. Cover and let stand off heat until cheeses melt, 3-5 minutes. Sprinkle with basil before serving.

Serves 4
Source: The Best 30-Minute Recipe by the editors of Cook's Illustrated