Healthy Skillet Lasagna

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Warm up with this healthy skillet lasagna that is so good and simple to assemble. It’s the perfect fake out for a “fancy” dinner where you let the stove top and oven do all the work for you. If you are a busy mom like myself, you will appreciate having a little extra time back in your day. Even better is that we are able to lighten it up without sacrificing the flavors of traditional lasagna. Filled with tomato sauce, creamy cheese and extra veggies this meal is sure to satisfy even the most picky eaters. If you like Italian inspired dishes, you may also like these baked chicken parmesan meatballs, or this healthier low carb lasagna recipe.

Lasagna is a classic comfort food that is traditionally filled with a meat sauce with layers of noodles and cheese. It’s so rich in flavor that comes from the ground meat, variety of cheeses and the seasonings used. However lasagna can be labor intensive from cooking the meat sauce, boiling the noodles and assembling the dish and then baking in the oven. This easy lasagna recipe cuts down most of the labor by doing it all in one skillet and then baking if off in the oven to finish.

HISTORY OF LASAGNA

Most people believe that lasagna originated in Italy. I think you will be shocked to know that the now popular dish actually originated in Greece. The dish was named after a fermented noodle called laganon, where it was sprinkled with toppings and eaten with pointed sticks. The dish was then popularized by the Romans as it became commonplace in their cuisine. Eventually lasagna made it’s way to America in the 1800’s and people fell in the love with the slow cooked tomato sauce separated by the noodles and cheese. The rest, as they say is history.

WHY SKILLET LASAGNA

As a busy mom juggling family life, dinner is one thing I always want to remove from my mental load. Having to clean a pile of dishes is another thing I wanted to remove as well. That’s how this healthier skillet lasagna came into play. It was also perfect for busy weeknights when I want a good hearty meal without all the extra fuss. What I love about this easy recipe is that it is versatile if you don’t have a certain ingredient or want to use a different type of pasta.

INGREDIENTS FOR HEALTHY SKILLET LASAGNA

The ingredients need for this healthy skillet lasagna is very similar to the traditional ingredients of lasagna. I make a few small tweaks in order to make this a healthy dinner that the entire family can enjoy. Here are the main recipe ingredients you will need:

• Ground chicken
• Onions
• Mushrooms
• Spinach
• Tomato sauce
• Ricotta cheese
• Mozzarella cheese
• Whole wheat lasagna noodles

I’ll detail the cooking process to make this skillet lasagna recipe below.

HOW TO MAKE EASY SKILLET LASAGNA

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large skillet, heat the pan to medium heat and spray with Pam or use a light extra virgin olive oil.

Drop your ground chicken in the pan and brown on both sides before breaking it up into smaller pieces. While the ground meat is cooking, chop your vegetables including the mushrooms, spinach and onions. Once your ground chicken is cooked through, drain off the excess fat.

Return the skillet to the heat and add your chopped vegetables and sauté until softened and add the garlic. Next add your ground chicken back to the pan and add your seasonings including: black pepper, salt, Italian seasoning and red pepper flakes. Stir to combine.

Add your jar plus one can of tomato sauce and allow to come to a slow bubble. Next break your pasta noodles and add to the tomato and meat sauce. While the pasta cooks, in a small bowl, mix the ricotta cheese, egg white, basil and parsley together until smooth.

In the meat mixture, create spaces to drop the ricotta cheese filling into. Once you have placed all of the cheese transfer the skillet to the oven and bake for 15 minutes.

Remove the skillet from the oven and top with part-skim mozzarella cheese and return the skillet to the oven. Let bake for an additional 20 – 25 minutes or until the noodles are cooked to al dente and the cheese has browned on top.

VARIATIONS TO ADD

There are some variations you can choose to try when making this original recipe.

Some alternatives are:

• Use Ground beef or Ground Turkey
• Adding parmesan cheese to the ricotta mixture and as a topper
• Substitute cottage cheese for ricotta cheese
• Using oven-ready noodles

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