This Healthier One Pan Stove Top Lasagna is quick and easy to make and perfect for a weeknight dinner!
I seem to always be a little late to catch onto food trends, but I’m slowly building my repertoire of one pan meals and I have a feeling this Healthier Lasagna is going to be a regular in this house! You also cook it entirely on the stove top, so there is no need to turn the oven on. These days, turning the oven on might not seem so bad, but just wait until you get that lasagna craving in the heat of the summer. This will be your go-to dish!
I’m all about taking heavy comfort foods and lightening them up so I can eat them more regularly and not feel guilty. Lasagna has always been one of my go-to comfort foods that I tend to just stand in front of the refrigerator and eat the leftovers out of the pan with a fork kind of meal. But, I don’t make it very often because honestly, all the spreading and the layering stresses me out sometimes. I’m always wondering if I’m going to have enough fillings and what if my layering order gets messed up and then it’s all over! It also can take quite some time to bake and sometimes I just want my dinner now! This Healthier One Pan Stove Top Lasagna is perfect if you ever have those feelings. You basically just mix all the ingredients together instead of all the layering and it only takes about 40 minutes to cook.
Most lasagna recipes are loaded with ricotta cheese and tons of mozzarella cheese, but in this one I use low-fat cottage cheese (only 1 cup) instead of ricotta and only 1 cup of mozzarella cheese. While I don’t eat a ton of dairy, I did start consuming it much more when I was pregnant because I was in need of more protein. One serving of cottage cheese has 13 grams of protein, while also being low in fat and calories. It’s also a great source of calcium, which is really important for bone health and development. And, if you still need more convincing, studies have shown that 3 servings of low fat dairy per day can help with weight loss and maintaining a healthy weight, which always seems to be the goal!
Today I’m using Shamrock Farms Cottage Cheese, in this healthier lasagna, for a few reasons. One, their headquarters is located in Phoenix, AZ which is just about 2 hours north of where I live! They’re a working diary farm that has a commitment to high quality animal care and you can even go for a tour and see things for yourself. They also don’t add any grown hormones to their products, which I especially love as a nursing mother. And, all products go through rigorous purity testing before they are cold packaged and delivered. Cottage cheese is just one of many of their products, so make sure to check them out!
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Healthier One Pan Stove Top Lasagna
Prep Time: 10 mins- Cook Time: 40 mins
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 4-6 1x
- Category: Entree, Gluten Free
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1/2 small yellow onion, diced
- 1 green pepper, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 (15 oz) jar tomato sauce
- 1 (14.5 oz) can petite diced tomatoes, juice included
- 3 cups uncooked pasta, I’ve used broken up lasagna noodles and penne
- 2 cups water
- 1 large handful baby spinach
- 1 cup part skim mozzarella cheese, divided
- 1 cup low fat Shamrock Farms Cottage Cheese
Instructions
- Add the cottage cheese to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Set aside until needed.
- Heat a large skillet (I used 10 inch) over medium heat and add the olive oil and onion. Cook onion for 2 minutes and then add in the green pepper and garlic. Cook another 4-5 minutes and then add in the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, pasta and water.
- Stir until everything is mixed evenly and then cover and let simmer for about 30 minutes, until noodles are cooked through. You will need to stir lasagna a few times to make sure that the pasta cooks evenly. This is especially important if using actual lasagna noodles because they have a tendency to stick together more.
- Once pasta is cooked through, remove the lid and stir in the spinach and 3/4 cup of the mozzarella cheese. Next, top with the remaining 1/4 cup cheese and then spoon the blended cottage cheese over the top. Cover again and let cook for another 5 minutes, or until cheese is melted.
Notes
It may look like the lasagna is too watery even after the noodles are cooked, but if you let it sit for just a few minutes before serving, the water will be absorbed by the noodles.
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Shamrock Farms. The opinions and text are all mine.
Katie @ Whole Nourishment says
February 6, 2017 at 6:05 amI fell in love with stove top granola a few years ago and now stove top lasagna! I’m all about one-pan dishes but haven’t made lasagna this way yet. Well, I never make lasagna because it’s generally not my style and for reasons similar to yours, but this is totally going on my list to make! My husband will love me for it. 😉
Gayle @ Pumpkin 'N Spice says
February 6, 2017 at 7:35 amAren’t one pan meals the best? Besides the deliciousness, I love that it means easy cleanup! This lasagna is calling my name, Izzy! I’m drooling over that melty cheesy and yumminess. Yay for one pan meals!
Karen @ Seasonal Cravings says
February 6, 2017 at 8:39 amI love easy skillet dishes like this that my kids will eat. Looking forward to trying this one!
[email protected] says
February 6, 2017 at 10:41 amI made skillet lasagna a few times like years ago but haven’t thought about it since! You are reminding me of its greatness! haha This sounds delicious – love that you used cottage cheese!
Gary Rith says
February 7, 2017 at 8:39 amLooks BRILLIANT and delish!
Gary Rith says
February 13, 2017 at 4:53 pmJust made this, OH BOY! Great recipe, thanks!
★★★★★
She Likes Food says
February 16, 2017 at 3:27 pmYah!! I’m SO Glad you enjoyed them!
She Likes Food says
February 16, 2017 at 3:27 pmThanks so much, Gary!
Cora says
February 20, 2017 at 3:53 pmOh my gosh blending the cottage cheese is genius!! And being a busy person living on my own I love how this is soooo much less labour intensive than making a real lasagna – but all the same taste.
She Likes Food says
February 22, 2017 at 10:57 pmThanks, Cora! Yes, it’s so much less work than regular lasagna but it still has all the flavors! It’s a win win!
John says
November 29, 2017 at 5:14 pmReally silly question, but…when do you add the noodles?
She Likes Food says
December 1, 2017 at 10:40 pmIn instruction #2 🙂
Elizabeth says
March 18, 2018 at 1:52 pmI’m in the UK. Can you clarify what is meant by a jar of tomato sauce? Are we talking Passats or a ready made tomato pasta type sauce? Many thanks. Elizabeth
She Likes Food says
March 19, 2018 at 4:25 pmReady made tomato pasta sauce 🙂
Angie says
March 22, 2018 at 9:15 pmThis shows up on our dinner menu *at least* once a month. Such a fantastic recipe! I don’t even miss the meat I usually add in my traditional lasagna. Thanks for sharing!
★★★★★
She Likes Food says
March 25, 2018 at 11:53 pmThat’s so great to hear, Angie!! It’s one of my favorites too!
eve says
May 16, 2018 at 6:33 pmi have a question. this recipe is categorized as “gluten-free”, but one of the ingredients is pasta, and i don’t see a suggestion for a “gluten-free substitution”. do you have a gluten-free version of this recipe, or did you just mean that those of us who can’t eat gluten should use gluten-free pasta? (which doesn’t behave, or taste, like regular pasta).
She Likes Food says
May 16, 2018 at 7:18 pmHi Eve, sorry for the confusion. Yes, I did mean to just sub gluten free pasta instead of using the regular kind. You could use lasagna noodles or just regular pasta and it should work. I’ve made it with GF pasta and it was great! Hope that helps 🙂
Sam says
January 17, 2019 at 3:03 pmCan I use gnocchi as well in this ?
She Likes Food says
January 27, 2019 at 6:50 pmSure!