Skillet Lasagna

I joined a Cooking Club last month. It sounds very formal but it is really just a group of gals who gather at my friend Erin's house every month to cook together. We make one or two recipes together and then get to eat what we have made!!! It is a nice way to meet new people , have a fun evening out and acquire some new recipes! Yesterday Erin sent the group a bonus recipe and encouraged us to make it on our own. I was a bit hesitant... after all .. skillet lasagna doesn't sound that appealing to a gal who make a quite wonderful pan of lasagna.....from scratch. However, being a good sport, I decided I would give it a try today . I was pleasantly surprised by not only how easy it was..... maybe it took 30 minutes from start to finish.... but how delicious it was!!! Both Mike and I agreed that it was a keeper recipe. Lucky for me, Erin had it in text form so I just had to copy and paste, but do check below the recipe to the changes I made to it... Thanks Erin for another great recipe!

1 jar (24-26 ozL) marinara sauce
3 cups water
8 oz lasagna noodles
1 lb bulk hot Italian turkey sausage or sausage links, casings removed
2 garlic cloves, pressed
2 oz Parmesan cheese
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley, divided
1 cup fresh whole milk ricotta cheese (about 8 oz, see Chef's Corner
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
Additional grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

Directions:
1. Combine sauce and water in (12-in./30-cm) Skillet. Cover; bring to a boil.

2. Meanwhile, wrap noodles in clean kitchen towel and break crosswise into quarters. Stir noodles into sauce. Cover; reduce heat and simmer 16-18 minutes or until noodles are tender, stirring occasionally.

3. As noodles cook, place sausage into (10-in./25-cm) Skillet; cook and stir over medium-high heat 6-8 minutes or until sausage is no longer pink, breaking into crumbles using Mix 'N Chop. Add pressed garlic; cook 1 minute. Remove from heat. Stir sausage into noodles and sauce.

4. Meanwhile, grate Parmesan cheese using Deluxe Cheese Grater. Chop parsley using Santoku Knife; set aside 1 tbsp (15 mL) parsley for garnish. Combine cheeses, remaining parsley and black pepper in Classic Batter Bowl. Scoop cheese mixture over noodles using Medium Scoop. Cover Skillet and simmer gently 3-5 minutes or until cheese is melted and ricotta mixture is heated through.
5. To serve, sprinkle lasagna with reserved parsley and additional Parmesan cheese, if desired.

Yield: 6 servings

Nutrients per serving: Calories 470, Total Fat 21 g, Saturated Fat 9 g, Cholesterol 80 mg, Carbohydrate 41 g, Protein 30 g, Sodium 1200 mg, Fiber 3 g
U.S. Diabetic exchanges per serving: 3 starch, 3 medium-fat meat (3 carb)

Cook's Tips: Wrapping lasagna noodles in a clean kitchen towel before breaking into quarters prevents them from scattering around your countertop.
The attractive ruffled edge of regular lasagna noodles add to this dish's visual appeal. No-boil noodles can be used instead of the regular lasagna noodles, if desired. Reduce cooking time of noodles to 10-12 minutes; proceed as recipe directs.

Fresh whole milk ricotta cheese is preferred in this recipe for its smooth texture. Look for fresh ricotta cheese at the deli. Drain off excess liquid before using.

(C)The Pampered Chef, Ltd. 2012
Added 4/21

I ended up doubling the cheese mix and as you can see , the scoops did not cover the top  of  my 12 inch skillet. The next time I make it I think I will spread the cheese over the top of the lasagna, instead of doing the scoops. Also, I added an small onion, diced, to the sausage when I sauted it and I used Italian sweet pork sausage.. turkey sausage is not allowed in this house!!!!!
My friend Amy from the Club just told me that she made this today and browned the sausage then added the sauce and water and cooked the lasagna, all in one skillet! I will do that the next time I make this!!