Skillet Spinach Lasagna

A fresh and modern take on the traditional Italian comfort food, Skillet Spinach Lasagna is just as delicious and heavenly.

Made with layers of pasta, sauce, ricotta cheese and spinach, each bite of the lasagna oozes with flavors from the Mediterranean basin. With a mix of savory and tangy flavors from the tomatoes and spinach, this skillet lasagna is favored by adults and kids alike.

Who thought that lasagna which takes hours to make, can now be enjoyed any day of the week without taking up hours of your time? With this easy recipe you can make the spinach lasagna in an hour, and enjoy it with your family over dinner.

Ingredients

mild Italian sausage (ground): 1 lbs

crushed tomatoes: 1 (28 ounce) can

dried Italian seasoning: 1 ½ tsp

kosher salt (divided ½ and ½): 1 tsp

ricotta cheese: 1 (16 ounce) container

large free range egg: 1

mozzarella cheese (shredded and divided): 2 cups (8 ounces)

lasagna noodles (no boil kind): 6 ounces

loosely packed baby spinach (divided): 7 cups

chopped fresh basil leaves: 2 tbsp

How To Make Skillet Spinach Lasagna

1. Heat a 12 inch ovenproof skillet over medium high heat. Add Italian sausage to the skillet and sauté for 8 minutes or until cooked through and browned.
2. Reduce the heat to a medium and add Italian seasoning, tomatoes and ½ tsp. salt; stir and cook for 4 minutes or until the sauce starts simmering.
3. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl mix the ricotta cheese, egg, remaining salt and 1 cup mozzarella.
4. Remove skillet from flame and remove 3 cups of sauce in a separate bowl.
5. Preheat the oven broiler with the rack 6 inches from the heat.
6. Layer lasagna noodles on top of the sauce in the skillet, covering the entire surface.
7. Top the noodles with 1 cup of reserved sauce, ¾ cup ricotta cheese and 3 cups of spinach.
8. Repeat step 7 twice except omit the third layer of spinach.
9. Cover and return the skillet to a medium flame and cook until the sauce begins to boil and noodles soften i.e. about 20 minutes.
10. Remove lid, top with the remaining 1 cup of spinach, cover and cook for 1 more minute.
11. Remove from flame, uncover and add the remaining mozzarella.
12. Put the skillet in the oven and broil for 4-5 minutes or until the cheese melts and bubbles.
13. Garnish with basil and serve hot.

Trivia

• Lasagna, an Italian dish is named after the pot it was used to be cooked in. The word in English means chamber pot.

Did you know that there is a whole holiday dedicated to lasagne? July 29^th is celebrated as National Lasagna Day in the US.