Skillet Lasagna

By Paul Briand

In keeping with last week's theme, I was looking again at leftover ingredients that I should try to use up. Last week it was horseradish; this week's it was lasagna noodles.

The noodles were leftover from the Unbelievable Lasagna recipe posted March 18.

And I just happened upon a recipe for this Skillet Lasagna in my Shaw's supermarket. It is much more simple than the oven-baked lasagna -- it takes less than an hour from start to finish -- and it's equally as tasty.

Ingredients
28-ounce can of diced tomatoes
Tablespoon of olive oil
Medium onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 pound of ground beef
10 lasagna noodles, broken into two-inch strips
8-ounce can tomato sauce
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
Black pepper, salt
1 cup Ricotta cheese
3 tablespoons chopped basil

Directions
1. Pour tomatoes with their juices into 1-quart measuring cup, add water so that mixture equals 1 quart (I used equal parts water and red wine for this);
2. Heat oil in large skillet over medium high heat and cook onion until it begins to brown;
3. Add salt, pepper flakes and garlic;
4. Add ground beef, break apart and cook through until no longer pink, distribute evenly over bottom of skillet;
5. Add the lasagna noodle strips over the meat, but do not stir;
6. Pour diced tomatoes, juices and water, plus the tomato sauce over pasta. Do not stir. Cover and bring to simmer;
7. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stir occasionally until pasta is tender, about 20 minutes;
8. Remove skillet from heat and stir in 1/2 cup of Parmesan;
9. Season with salt and pepper;
10. Dot with dollops of Ricotta, cover and let stand for five minutes;
11. Sprinkle with basil and remaining two tablespoons of Parmesan.

Serves four to six.