Lazy Girl Green Lasagna
because its time for those lasagna noodle shards to start earning their place in the pantry!
Ever look in your pantry and think… who did this? And then realize…oh, it was you. You’ve got a bag of rice with two tablespoons left, seven cans of black beans, and enough half-empty pasta boxes to form a small nation. I’m clearly guilty of this, which is exactly what led me to make skillet lasagna in the first place.
There’s a name for this in Italian cooking, pasta mista. It’s the practice of using up leftover bits of pasta and combining them in one dish to reduce waste. This originated in Naples when pasta factories started selling mixed bags of leftover pasta shapes.
This isn’t exactly pasta mista because we’re not using different shapes, but we are using up all the leftover shards of lasagna noodles clogging up my pantry. I also like it because I don’t have to think about getting my layers just right; everything is just piled together in the skillet and blanketed in cheese, no fuss, just saucy goodness.
I personally love the combination of pork sausage, mozzarella, and a dark leafy green with lots of red pepper flakes. Plus, using an entire bunch of kale is what lets this dish qualify as Almost Healthy, hehe. However, you could save a few steps by opting to use a jarred sauce here. It really is a great weeknight option because it’s a little lazy, but flavorful, filling, and fun to serve. I opted for no ricotta here, but I’m certain it wouldn’t hurt to have some dotted throughout the layers. And like any good lasagna, it reheats like a champ.
ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more as needed
1 pound ground pork or 1 pound pork sausage*
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
1 teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed
1/2 to 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon salted butter
1/2 yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1 large bunch lacinato kale, washed and stems removed, 6 ounces
1 1/4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
6 ounces lasagna noodles, all shapes and sizes
1 8-ounce ball fresh mozzarella, torn into 1/2-inch pieces
1/4 cup heavy cream, optional
4 ounces shredded low-moisture mozzarella
Freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano, measured with your heart
green skillet lasagna
preparation
Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Preheat the oven to 425˚F.
Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat.
Add the ground pork to the pan in small portions to encourage browning. Season with 1 teaspoon salt and let cook undisturbed for about 90 seconds before breaking it up into crumbles. Sprinkle in the fennel seeds and red pepper flakes. *If using seasoned pork sausage, you can skip these additional seasonings.
Cook for 5 to 6 minutes, until the pork is fully cooked and no pink remains. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
Return the skillet to medium heat and add the butter, swirling to coat the bottom. If the pan looks dry, add an extra drizzle of olive oil. Add the onion, season with a pinch of salt, and sauté until softened and beginning to brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute, until fragrant.
Add the kale and another pinch of salt. Cook until wilted and reduced by about half, roughly 2 minutes. Pour in the stock and simmer until the kale is completely softened, 5 to 6 minutes. Let cool slightly, then transfer to a high-speed blender and blend until smooth.
Add the lasagna noodles to the boiling water and cook until al dente, about 4 minutes.
Pour about ½ cup of the kale sauce into the bottom of the skillet and spread to coat. Layer in a third of the lasagna noodles, followed by a third of the cooked pork, and dot with fresh mozzarella. Repeat the layers until all ingredients are used, making sure to reserve enough kale sauce to cover the final layer of noodles.
Drizzle the heavy cream over the top and finish with the shredded low-moisture mozzarella and a generous grating of Parmigiano Reggiano.
Bake for 20 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling and the cheese is melted and golden in spots.
Serve immediately, topped with more Parmigiano and red pepper flakes, if desired.