SAN ANTONIO – All the flavor of lasagna without all the work.
Usually, lasagna is a labor of love. You have to toil to assemble the layers, then wait forever for it to bake. Not anymore.
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With this recipe by Beef Loving Texans (below), the pasta cooks in the pot with the sauce while you bake it all together. And prep time to cook time is done in less than 50 minutes. Presto!
Check out more recipes from Beef Loving Texans here.
One-Pot Lasagna Pasta
Ingredients:
- 1 pound ground beef (93 percent lean or leaner)
- 1 medium zucchini, chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
- 1 jar (24-26 ounces) garden-style pasta sauce
- 2 cups water
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 6 ounces uncooked mini bow tie (farfalle) pasta (about 2 1/8 cups)
- 2/3 cup reduced-fat ricotta cheese
- 1 cup reduced-fat shredded mozzarella cheese
- Thinly sliced or chopped fresh basil
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375°F. Heat ovenproof 5 to 6-quart Dutch oven or stockpot over medium heat until hot. Add ground beef and zucchini; cook 8 to 10 minutes, breaking beef into small crumbles and stirring occasionally.
Cooking Tip: Cooking times are for fresh or thoroughly thawed ground beef. Ground beef should be cooked to an internal temperature of 160°F. Color is not a reliable indicator of ground beef doneness.
Stir in pasta sauce, water and pepper. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Stir in pasta. Spoon heaping teaspoons of ricotta cheese over the top of the sauce. Slightly swirl ricotta into the sauce, not mixing in completely.
Cover and bake in 375°F oven for 10 minutes. Uncover. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Bake 7 to 10 minutes or until pasta is tender. Let stand 5 minutes. Sprinkle with basil before serving.
Skillet-Stovetop Method: Prepare recipe as directed above using a 12-inch nonstick skillet and adding uncooked pasta with pasta sauce, water and pepper in step 2. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat; cover and cook on stovetop 8 to 11 minutes (13 to 15 minutes for regular bow tie pasta) or until pasta is tender, stirring once. Remove from heat. Swirl ricotta into the sauce as directed in step 2. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Cover and let stand 5 minutes or until the mozzarella cheese is melted.
Cooking Tip: Six ounces of uncooked regular bow tie (farfalle) pasta (about 2 1/3 cups) may be substituted. Increase uncovered baking time to 10 to 13 minutes.
