Stove-top Lasagna is by no means a substitute for the traditional dish you may be used to. Coming from an Italian girl, I don’t want to offend anyone out there to imply otherwise! This is just an easy method I came up with to satisfy my cravings for lasagna, but without all the work it takes to make the original version. I love this dish because it is a one-pot, no-bake, quick meal. It’s tasty and easy to throw together. I hope you like it as much as I do!
Here’s what you need for my Stove-top Lasagna:
There are not many ingredients in the recipe and they are all easy to find at your local grocery store. The recipe calls for an onion and a few cloves of garlic. You will also need a pound of ground meat. You can use, ground Italian sausage, ground turkey, or ground beef. I’ve tried it with all of these and our favorite is Spicy Italian sausage.
Pick up a jar of your favorite pasta sauce. Any brand or variety will work. For the noodles, I like the classic Lasagna noodle with curly edges. Other kinds of pasta you could try are Farfalle (bowtie), Mafaldine (long ribbon-shaped), or Campanlle (cone-like with a ruffled edge) pasta.
Now for the cheese! You can’t have lasagna without the cheese. Ricotta, fresh mozzarella balls, and parmesan are needed.
I prefer whole milk ricotta, but low-fat will do, just don’t get the skim ricotta. It doesn’t have the creamy texture I like for this dish.
The mozzarella balls can usually be found in the deli section of the store where all the fancy gourmet cheese is. Although it’s not fancy in my book! Fresh mozzarella balls come in a container with water and are often called pearls or Ciliegine. Be sure to get the small balls, not the large ones.
Last, but not least, you’re going to need to grate fresh Parmesan cheese to sprinkle on top and maybe a little extra for each serving.
How to make this dish:
First, use a large high-sided pan to sauté the onion and garlic in olive oil until soft. Second, add the ground meat and cook it until First, use a large high-sided pan to sauté the onion and garlic in olive oil until soft. Second, add the ground meat and cook it until it just starts to turn brown and most of the pink is gone. Third, add the sauce and water and bring to a boil.
Once the sauce mixture is boiling you are going to add the noodles. Make sure to break up the lasagna noodles into big pieces. Give the noodles a good stir and make sure they are fully submerged into the sauce. Cook the noodles for about 20 minutes until the noodles are soft. Stirring every 5 minutes or so will prevent the noodles from sticking to the bottom of the pan and to each other. So it’s really important not to skip this step.
When the noodles are cooked turn off the heat and add the ricotta cheese. Stir until the cheese is fully incorporated into the noodles and looks creamy. Next, add the mini mozzarella balls and stir again. Once everything is combined, top with freshly grated parmesan cheese and some chopped basil for garnish, and it’s ready to be served.
I like to scoop it into shallow bowls and top with more grated parmesan cheese and some crushed red pepper flakes. I think this no-bake, one-pot stove-top lasagna will become a staple in your weeknight meals.
Other pasta dishes you might enjoy are:
Summertime Zucchini Pasta with Lemon & Basil
Brown Butter Pasta with Spicy Sausage and Peas
Stove-top Lasagna
Stove-top Lasagna is a no bake, one pot dish that is quick and much easier than the traditional lasagna you might be used to . All of the delicious flavors you’d expect are all in there to satisfy your comfort food craving.
Ingredients
- 1 onion, diced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 pound of ground meat (Italian sausage, ground beef or ground turkey)
- 2 1/2 cups of marinara sauce (favorite brand and any kind will work)
- 4 cups water
- 15 sheets of Lasagna Noodles broken into pieces *see note below
- 8 oz fresh mozzarella balls, cut in half (aka Pearls or Ciliegine)
- 1 cup whole milk ricotta
- 1/2 cup fresh Parmesan cheese, finely grated
- Basil for garnish
Instructions
1. In a large, high-sided pan warm up 2 teaspoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add diced onion and sauté for about 3 minutes.
2. Add minced garlic and cook for about 1 minute, stirring
3. Add ground meat and break up into smaller pieces with the back of a wooden spoon . Cook for about 5-6 minutes it will still be a little pink, but the edges will start to turn brown.
4. Add sauce and water and bring to a boil.
5. Put whole lasagna noodles into a ziplock bag. Using a wooden spoon or mallet break up the noodles into large pieces.
6. Once the sauce/water is boiling, lower the heat slightly to medium-low and then add the broken lasagna noodles to the sauce. Stir to incorporate into the sauce and make sure the noodles are fully submerged into the sauce. Cover partially and cook for about 20 minutes until noodles are tender.
7. Stirring frequently will help prevent the noodles from sticking to the bottom of the pan and each other. I like to stir every 5 minutes or so.
8. Once the noodles are cooked, turn off the heat.
9. Add Ricotta and stir to combine.
10. Add halved mozzarella balls and stir again.
11. Top with grated parmesan cheese and sprinkle with chopped basil for garnish.
12. Serve into shallow bowls and enjoy!
Notes
- Other kinds of pasta you could try are Farfalle (bowtie), Mafaldine (long ribbon-shaped), or Campanlle (cone-like with a ruffled edge) pasta. About 12 ounces.
- Fresh mozzarella is not a hard block of cheese. It is soft and stored in water. This recipe calls for small balls of mozzarella cheese which are often called pearls or Ciliegine. Cut them in half before adding to the pasta.
- The recipe calls for 2 1/2 cups of marinara sauce, but if you have a jar that is 24 oz. it's ok to add the whole jar so you are not left with an unusable amount of leftover sauce.
- Ricotta cheese comes in whole milk, low-fat, and skim. I prefer the whole milk, but low-fat works too. I would not recommend using the skim variety as I don't think it achieves the same creaminess as the others.
