One Pot Recipes: Lasagna in one Pan

I love one pot recipies, so little washing up! I find a lot of recipes just need far too many dishes, bowls and other things.

So here's a great recipe I've been making for more years than I can remember!

• Olive oil (for frying)
• 1 large (or 2 medium) onion, sliced
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed/grated or cut up really tiny
• 250grams dried lasagne sheets (if you do use fresh lasagne, then this will need less cooking time)
• 250grams mince (you can use any mince, or even any meat cut up very small/shredded)
• ½ cup basil leaves, fresh are best
• ¼ teaspoon dried chilli flakes
• 1½ cups mozzarella cheese, grated or cut up really small
• 500gram jar of tomato pasta sauce
• 150grams fresh ricotta cheese, crumbled

1. Heat oil in a large/deep ovenproof frying pan.
2. Fry the onion and garlic together for 5 minutes, or until softened.
3. Break the lasagne sheets into medium-sized pieces.
4. Combine the lasagne sheets, mince/meat, basil, chilli and half the mozzarella in a mixing bowl.
5. Pour the lasagne mix into the frying pan. Stir it all together.
6. Spread the mix evenly across the base of your frying pan.
7. Mix the jar of pasta sauce with a generous cup of cold water and pour this into the frying pan, giving everything a good mix around.
8. Bring your mixture to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes, until the lasagne is tender.
9. Preheat your grill on medium-high heat.
10. Top your lasagne with the ricotta cheese and remaining mozzarella cheese.
11. Grill for 5 minutes, until the cheese is lightly browned.
12. Remove from the grill and cover the frying pan. Stand for 5 minutes.
13. Serve!

 I love this one pan lasagne just on its own, but it's a very flexible meal and you might like to consider any of the following:

• Serve with a side portion of baked beans.
• Serve with a green salad of your choice.
• A portion of chips/french fries makes for a great fast food/takeaway alternative.
• Serve with tinned tomatoes and frozen peas as a main meal.
• Serve as an alternative dish at a barbecue

I love this dish hot or cold - I've even taken a couple of slices down to the beach for a picnic.

Try it, experiment. Add in your favourite extras ... and enjoy!

Once you've made your one pan lasagne, you can keep the leftovers (covered) in the fridge for up to 3 days.  You can microwave it (2-3 minutes/covered) to heat it up again, or you can even freeze it in portions so you've got a great easy/instant meal ready.