Don't you just love 1-dish meals? Use a large oven-proof skillet to simmer, bake and serve. The idea for this recipe came from a Turkey Enchilada Casserole that I just love, from Food Network. Check it out for great post-Thanksgiving meals.
FIESTA CASSEROLE
1 lb ground beef (or other meat you have on hand)
1 small onion chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 t salt
2 t cumin
1-2 t your favorite hot sauce (or 1/2-1 can chopped green chilis)
21 oz (approx) salsa or similar (you can use picante sauce, Ro-Tel tomatos, green enchilada sauce, etc...)
1 can black beans, rinsed & drained
1 sm can sliced olives
water - see notes below
8 6-inch corn tortillas, quartered
2 c grated cheddar
Preheat oven to 375F.
In large oven-proof skillet, brown meat, onions and garlic. Add salt & cumin, hot sauce or chilis, salsa, beans and olives. Add water as needed (see note below). Stir in tortillas. Bring to a boil. Stir in half of cheese. Top with remaining cheese and bake until bubbly, approx 20min.
Note: if you use 3 7oz cans Salsa Verde, for example, you won't need to add water. The same would be true with canned Ro-Tel tomatoes (I wouldn't add hot sauce, either, if using Ro-Tels). But the skillet contents needs to be a slightly soupy before you put it in the oven, as the tortillas are going to soak up some moisture. The first time I made this, I used a jar of salsa and the remains of a bottle of taco sauce that had been hanging around for months. I added 1/4 c water, then after adding the tortillas, I decided to add another 1/8c. It doesn't really matter if the casserole comes out a softer or firmer, it's going to taste great.
Lasagna is Supposed to be EASY
Someone, from Newfoundland of all places - how many Italians do you think live in Newfoundland? - said to me years ago, astonished that I didn't make lasagna weekly, that it's "SO EASY". Well, I was astonished, too, because I thought lasagna was a labor of love. Raised in a small town in south Georgia - how many Italians do you think live in this small town in south Georgia? - I had a recipe for lasagna. Yes, a recipe. It was shared with my mother by the one lady of Italian descent in our town. When I made lasagna, I painstakingly adhered to this recipe, cooking the noodles separately, mixing the ricotta with eggs, always having lots of pots and pans to clean up and just a little more volume than my 13x9x2 pan could hold. Hence, I seldom made lasagna.
After moving to the west coast of Canada for the second time, just a few years ago, we made a friend who set out to perfect his 'lasagna' recipe and we were the fortunate recipients of several of his attempts. But it wasn't what I considered traditional Italian lasagna; for one thing, he added veggies and used cheddar! I was shocked. I was also full. It was delicious. Thanks, Mike.
One week not so long ago, a service that delivers organics to our door added fresh sheets of lasagna noodles to their catalog. The last vestige of my resistance was wiped out. I was making lasagna that week. And I wasn't using The Recipe.
My Newfoundlander friend was right. Lasagna is so easy.
Here's how I now throw together a scrumptious pan of lasagna at the drop of a hat:
(don't feel like you need to follow the recipe - just have fun with it)
SAUCE:
Brown
1 lb ground beef, preferably grass fed (much healthier) - use a large skillet
Add
1 lg can diced organic tomatoes
salt & ground black pepper to taste
a palm-full each dried or fresh oregano and
basil - other herbal additions if you like
1/4-1/2 t garlic powder, or fresh/minced garlic
1/2 - 3/4 small can organic tomato paste to thicken
may need to add 1/2 - 1 t sugar to calm acidity
I usually let this simmer for about half an hour or longer, stirring occasionally. And I often make it a day ahead.
COMPILING:
Spray lasagna pan with olive oil spray.
Smear just a little sauce in the bottom to keep the pasta from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
Start layering:
Pasta - prefer fresh as there's no need to pre-cook, oven-ready is ok but make
the sauce a little soupier
1/3 of sauce - it usually looks like not enough sauce, but it'll be ok, I promise.
1/3 box fresh baby spinach - yes, I use an entire clear plastic box - 125g I think (1/4 lb)
1 container ricotta (about 1 lb)
pasta
1/3 sauce
1/3 box spinach
shredded parmesan - a generous sprinkle, but as it's pungent, not as much as
the other cheeses
pasta
1/3 sauce
1/3 box spinach
mozzarella (about 1/2 lb, but keeping in mind there's no such thing as too much)
Notes and cooking times:
I use organic cheeses when possible, and it's worth looking for a mozza that actually has flavor. I was delightfully surprised when I ordered organic mozza from the same place I get the pasta, to find it was creamy, nutty and flavorful. Who knew?
Also, last night I used oven-ready dried pasta from the grocery store. Disappointing, but it's what was available. I found I had to cook the lasagna over an hour to get the pasta done, and so it needed to be covered with foil. With fresh pasta, I only cook it about half an hour. Also, you might leave out the tomato paste or use only 1/4-1/2 can if using oven-ready dried pasta, so there's more liquid available for it to absorb. The fresh pasta is also more flavorful, so if you find a source for it, you can even freeze it so you have some on hand whenever the lasagna craving strikes. It thaws quickly; just drop the pkg into water the same as for frozen meat.
After moving to the west coast of Canada for the second time, just a few years ago, we made a friend who set out to perfect his 'lasagna' recipe and we were the fortunate recipients of several of his attempts. But it wasn't what I considered traditional Italian lasagna; for one thing, he added veggies and used cheddar! I was shocked. I was also full. It was delicious. Thanks, Mike.
One week not so long ago, a service that delivers organics to our door added fresh sheets of lasagna noodles to their catalog. The last vestige of my resistance was wiped out. I was making lasagna that week. And I wasn't using The Recipe.
My Newfoundlander friend was right. Lasagna is so easy.
Here's how I now throw together a scrumptious pan of lasagna at the drop of a hat:
(don't feel like you need to follow the recipe - just have fun with it)
SAUCE:
Brown
1 lb ground beef, preferably grass fed (much healthier) - use a large skillet
Add
1 lg can diced organic tomatoes
salt & ground black pepper to taste
a palm-full each dried or fresh oregano and
basil - other herbal additions if you like
1/4-1/2 t garlic powder, or fresh/minced garlic
1/2 - 3/4 small can organic tomato paste to thicken
may need to add 1/2 - 1 t sugar to calm acidity
I usually let this simmer for about half an hour or longer, stirring occasionally. And I often make it a day ahead.
COMPILING:
Spray lasagna pan with olive oil spray.
Smear just a little sauce in the bottom to keep the pasta from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
Start layering:
Pasta - prefer fresh as there's no need to pre-cook, oven-ready is ok but make
the sauce a little soupier
1/3 of sauce - it usually looks like not enough sauce, but it'll be ok, I promise.
1/3 box fresh baby spinach - yes, I use an entire clear plastic box - 125g I think (1/4 lb)
1 container ricotta (about 1 lb)
pasta
1/3 sauce
1/3 box spinach
shredded parmesan - a generous sprinkle, but as it's pungent, not as much as
the other cheeses
pasta
1/3 sauce
1/3 box spinach
mozzarella (about 1/2 lb, but keeping in mind there's no such thing as too much)
Notes and cooking times:
I use organic cheeses when possible, and it's worth looking for a mozza that actually has flavor. I was delightfully surprised when I ordered organic mozza from the same place I get the pasta, to find it was creamy, nutty and flavorful. Who knew?
Also, last night I used oven-ready dried pasta from the grocery store. Disappointing, but it's what was available. I found I had to cook the lasagna over an hour to get the pasta done, and so it needed to be covered with foil. With fresh pasta, I only cook it about half an hour. Also, you might leave out the tomato paste or use only 1/4-1/2 can if using oven-ready dried pasta, so there's more liquid available for it to absorb. The fresh pasta is also more flavorful, so if you find a source for it, you can even freeze it so you have some on hand whenever the lasagna craving strikes. It thaws quickly; just drop the pkg into water the same as for frozen meat.
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