Easy Skillet Lasagna with Cottage Cheese
This easy skillet lasagna with cottage cheese is a game changer if you're a fan of lasagna but dread the tedious process of putting it together. You'll skip all the difficult steps of a traditional lasagna and still end up with a delicious one pan meal. The clean up and prep for this recipe is easy, making it the perfect weeknight dinner. You're going to love our version of lasagna!
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon olive or avocado oil
- 1 lb lean ground turkey (or lean ground beef)
- ½ yellow onion, diced
- 1 zucchini, diced
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1 24 oz jar marinara sauce
- 8 oz uncooked lasagna noodles (GF if necessary)
- 1 ½ cups water
- 1 cup cottage cheese (omit for DF)
- 1 cup low fat shredded mozzarella, divided (omit for DF)
Instructions
- Place a pan on the stove over medium heat. Once it’s hot, add the oil, ground turkey, onion, zucchini, minced garlic, salt, and Italian seasoning to a large saucepan. Break up the turkey and stir continually as you cook it. Cook for 5-7 minutes on medium heat until the turkey is cooked through.
- Next, break the uncooked noodles into large pieces. Add the marinara sauce, water, and broken lasagna noodles and stir until the ingredients are evenly distributed. Turn the temperature to low, cover the pan with a lid, and let the lasagna simmer for 25-35 minutes, or until the noodles are cooked. Stir the mixture every 5 minutes. Ensure that the noodles spend the majority of the time submerged in the mixture so they can cook evenly.
- Once the lasagna noodles are soft, remove the pan from the heat and remove the lid. Add the cottage cheese and ½ cup of the mozzarella cheese. Stir the lasagna until the mozzarella cheese is melted.
- Add the remaining ½ cup of mozzarella cheese on top and either broil it in the oven for 3-4 minutes or cover the pan with the lid for 5 minutes until the cheese is melted. Let the lasagna cool for 5-10 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Be sure to stir the mixture consistently after adding the noodles. You want to ensure that each noodle spends the majority of time submerged in liquid in order to cook.
- The key to making sure the noodles are fully cooked is to stir the mixture frequently as it simmers. This allows the pasta noodles to cook evenly.
- Feel free to add in other veggies you might have on hand. Bell peppers, fresh spinach, and mushrooms would all be a great addition.
- You can top the lasagna with red pepper flakes, fresh basil, or parmesan if you desire.
- The lasagna serves well with a fresh green salad or garlic bread.
- For a gluten-free version, simply use gluten-free lasagna noodles. For a dairy-free version, use dairy-free cheese or omit the cheese all together. For a vegetarian version, leave the turkey out and add additional veggies. For a vegan version, leave the cheese and turkey out and ensure that the lasagna noodles are vegan. As always, ensure that each individual ingredient meets your dietary needs.
NUTRITION
Serving: 12.6ounces | Calories: 413kcal | Carbohydrates: 36.8g | Protein: 30.5g | Fat: 17.8g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.6g | Cholesterol: 73.3mg | Sodium: 857mg | Potassium: 131.4mg | Fiber: 4.1g | Sugar: 5.8g