Lasagna is known to be a crowd-pleaser, and for good reason. Soft silky noodles layered with a hearty meat sauce, rich gooey cheese, and baked until a crisp crust forms at the top. But it also takes a lot of time and effort to create those beautiful layers.
Want all the flavour and comfort of lasagna without the effort? Insert this broken lasagna recipe, which is super easily made in a skillet. Just make a simple sauce with canned tomatoes, sausage (or a mix with ground beef), onion, garlic and spices. Cook your noodles in that sauce, then add cheese and broil. Ta-da! Dinner is served.
What is broken lasagna?
Broken lasagna usually refers to two different ways to interpret this classic dish. In this recipe, “broken” simply refers to its state as an almost deconstructed dish. This makes the entire process way easier and faster. Other recipes will call for you to actually snap the pasta noodles before cooking it, hence the word “broken” in the name.
Can you break up lasagne sheets to use as pasta?
Yes! Although untraditional, it’s definitely something you can do. For this recipe, break dried lasagna noodles into 3 to 5 inch pieces. You’ll also save time by cooking the dried noodles right in the simmering tomato sauce.
How do you make a classic lasagna?
Lasagna is an Italian dish that originated during the Middle Ages. The first recorded iteration looks very different from the modern version we all know and love, though. Nowadays, a lasagna is typically made by layering sheets of lasagne noodles with a meat sauce, bechamel sauce, cheese and/or vegetables.
There are also many creative spins on this popular dish. Besides this amazing Skillet Broken Lasagna recipe, check out this Meatball Lasagna recipe. It’s adapted from a recipe by Furioso Vineyards proprietor, Giorgio Furioso’s mom. For extra richness, she adds hard-boiled eggs to her cheese mixture in the lasagna.
Skillet Broken Lasagna
Ingredients
- 1 can 796mL plum tomatoes
- ⅔ cup water
- 1½ tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ onion chopped
- 450 g mild Italian sausage or mix of sausage and ground beef casings removed
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 3 tbsp tomato paste
- ¾ tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp crushed hot pepper flakes
- ½ cup basil leaves
- ½ cup finely grated Parmesan divided
- ½ box dried lasagna noodles about 225 g, broken into 2-3 inch (5- to 7.5-cm) pieces
- 1¼ cups shredded mozzarella or 1 large ball mozzarella in water sliced and pat dried
- Basil leaves for garnish optional
Instructions
- In bowl, using hands, squish tomatoes. Add ⅔ cup water to can, swirling to catch the tomato juices, and add to bowl.
- In large, deep oven-safe skillet, heat oil over medium-high; cook onion, stirring, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add sausage and garlic; cook, stirring and breaking up sausage with wooden spoon, until no longer pink, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in tomato paste, salt and crushed hot pepper flakes; cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and basil. Reduce heat to medium; cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly reduced, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in ¼ cup of the Parmesan.
- Add noodles, stirring to submerge in the sauce. Cover and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking, until noodles are tender, 18 to 20 minutes.
- Sprinkle with clumps of mozzarella and remaining Parmesan, and broil in oven until cheese is melted and golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving. Serve with basil (if using).
