One Pot Lasagna

My One Pot Lasagna recipe shows you how to make a lasagna WITH LAYERS in one pot. Well, in one fry pan!

“OMG, it actually has layers in it!”, my friend exclaimed when I served up this lasagna for lunch today. YES, this does!

Have you seen one-pot lasagnas floating around on the internet? I think Martha Stewart started the craze. Here’s the thing though. I am yet to see a “one pot” lasagna that actually looks like a lasagna. None of the ones I have seen actually have layers. They are more like a pasta bake with a delicious mess of broken up lasagna sheets mixed up with the filling and sauce.

So I guess you are wondering how I managed to get these layers in without scooping out the filling then creating layers like a traditional lasagna? It’s super easy! It’s much easier to show you as explaining it gets wordy, so here are step by step pictures (Baby Hands Alert!!).

Basically, you make the beef filling first. Then you slide a dry lasagna sheet in from the side so you can get it under the filling as best you can. Then you do the same with broken up bits to fill the edges in – I just needed four (one for each side around the main piece of lasagna). I use a spoon to push the pieces down and to spoon filling over the pieces. It’s not an exact science but as you can see from the photo, it works pretty well! Be generous with the broken bits, the overlapping is how you get more than 2 layers in some parts of the lasagna.

Once the bottom layer has been done, you just cover the surface with more lasagna sheets. Then pour over reserved tomato passata (pureed tomato) that I flavour with some seasonings, cover with cheese and bake.

You won’t get 3 or 4 layers like you do with traditional lasagna because this isn’t made the traditional way. BUT as you can see from the photo, you do get 2 layers, and 3 where the lasagna sheets overlap. And it looks far more like a real lasagna than just mixing broken up pieces of lasagna sheets into the pan.

See?

I’ve gone a bit lasagna crazy this week, trying out various versions. I’ve made it with this traditional tomato beef filling, a white chicken lasagna as well as a vegetarian version. I don’t know which I like best but I had to start off by sharing the classic beef one. 🙂

It really is that easy. Really! I am not convinced I’ll ever make lasagna the traditional way again…..

OK, I lie. I will. Because I do think the béchamel sauce is worth making the effort for, when you have the time. In a separate pot. 🙂

– Nagi

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One Pot Lasagna

Author: Nagi | RecipeTin Eats

Prep: 10 mins

Cook: 40 mins

Total: 50 mins

One Pan, One Pot, Pasta

Italian-esque

5 from 17 votes

Servings5

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This is how to make a lasagna from scratch in one pot with layers!! It's so easy and so delicious and you'll amaze your family and friends when you tell them you made it in one pot! (Well, one pan...). This is a quick version so the ingredients for the filling is a basic mix that is cooked fairly quickly. You can use your favourite bolognaise recipe instead if you want, and cook it long and slow.

Ingredients

Filling

• ▢ 1 tbsp olive oil
• ▢ 2 garlic cloves , minced
• ▢ 1 small onion , diced
• ▢ 1 lb / 500g ground beef (mince)
• ▢ 24 oz / 700g (1 bottle) tomato passata (pureed tomato - Note 1), SEPARATED
• ▢ 1/2 cup water
• ▢ 1 beef bouillon stock cube (or substitute with chicken)
• ▢ 2 tbsp tomato paste
• ▢ 1 tsp dried Italian herb mix (Note 2)
• ▢ 1/2 tsp salt
• ▢ Black pepper

Sauce Flavourings

• ▢ 1 tsp dried Italian herb mix (Note 2)
• ▢ 1/2 tsp garlic powder (or 1 crushed garlic clove)
• ▢ 1/2 tsp salt
• ▢ Black pepper

Lasagna

• ▢ 4 sheets dried lasagna
• ▢ 1 to 2 cups grated mozzarella cheese
• ▢ 1 tbsp parsley , finely chopped (optional)

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 180C/350F.
• Heat olive oil in a medium size, deep fry pan over medium high heat. (Note 3)
• Add garlic and onion, sauté until onion is translucent - about 3 minutes.
• Turn up heat to high. Add beef and cook, breaking it up with the spatula, until nicely browned.
• Add HALF the bottle of tomato passata (reserve remainder for Sauce). Then add remaining Filling ingredients. Bring to rapid simmer, then turn down to medium high. Let it simmer for around 5 minutes to let the flavours come together and the liquid to reduce. Stir occasionally.
• Add Sauce Flavourings into the tomato passata bottle and shake to combine.

Assemble lasagna (see photo below)

• Remove fry pan from the stove. Slide one lasagna sheet, starting from the side, under the Filling - this will be the base of the lasagna. Use a spoon to push it down and cover it in Filling. Break up pieces of lasagne and slide them in under the filling around the sides of the pan (to form the remainder of the bottom layer), using a spoon to push them down and cover with Filling.
• Cover the Filling with the remaining lasagna sheets.
• Pour over the Sauce and spread over the top. Sprinkle with cheese.
• Cover with a lid or foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove cover and bake for a further 10 minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbly and golden. Remove from oven and set aside for 10 minutes to set.
• Sprinkle with parsley (if using), then serve.

Recipe Notes:

1. Tomato passata is just plain pureed tomato and comes in tall bottles. It is widely used in Italian cooking and becoming more and more well known here in Australia and the UK. In Australia you will find it in the pasta section of supermarkets along with tomato paste and bottled pasta sauces and costs around the same as canned tomato. You can buy passata in Walmart in America.

You can make your own by pureeing canned crushed tomato. Or you can substitute with plain, unseasoned pureed tomato (comes in cans) BUT the flavour is more intense than passata because it has been cooked. So reduce the amount you use by 1/2 cup and add 1/2 cup of water to the pureed tomato (this will make it more like passata in flavour and consistency).

Do not substitute with ketchup or tomato sauce - both of these are seasoned and the flavour is not right for this dish!

2. If you don't have an Italian herb mix on hand, just substitute with a combination of dried parsley, oregano, thyme or basil (whatever you have).

3. The fry pan I used was 26cm / 10" in diameter and 6cm/2.4" deep.

4. Nutrition per serving assumes 1 cup of mozzarella cheese is used for the topping. The calories in this are less than traditional lasagna because a) there is no béchamel sauce; and b) there are only 2 layers of lasagna sheets.

Nutrition Information:

Serving: 305gCalories: 403cal (20%)Carbohydrates: 27.7g (9%)Protein: 39.2g (78%)Fat: 13.4g (21%)Saturated Fat: 5.2g (33%)Cholesterol: 101mg (34%)Sodium: 668mg (29%)Potassium: 435mg (12%)Fiber: 0.8g (3%)Sugar: 6.8g (8%)Vitamin A: 200IU (4%)Vitamin C: 3.3mg (4%)Calcium: 170mg (17%)Iron: 18.9mg (105%)

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