If You Give a Kid a Casserole Dish: Loaf Pan Lasagna

Over the next several weeks, we'll be bringing you several recipes for beginning cooks designed to teach basic cooking skills. So be on the lookout for all the recipes in the series. Today's recipe is part of the Cooking Challenge series.

This recipe is a classic meat lasagna recipe but with directions adjusted to bake in a loaf pan so that you are making just the right amount for two people. If you double the recipe, you can easily skip that suggestion and assemble it in a casserole dish instead. 

With a 25 minute prep time, this recipe comes together in no time flat and is the perfect small batch pasta dish. Pair this lasagna with garlic bread and a side salad, and you've got a quick weeknight meal.

Loaf Pan Lasagna for Two

1 Tbsp olive oil

1/2 small yellow onion, finely chopped (about 1/3 cup)

1 clove garlic, minced

8 oz lean ground beef

1 Tbsp Italian seasoning

12 oz. marinara sauce

1 large egg

1 cup (8 oz) ricotta cheese

1 cup shredded mozzarella

1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp grated Parmesan

1 box no-boil, oven ready lasagna noodles

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray an 8 ½ x 4 ½ inch loaf pan with cooking spray. Set aside.
2. Sauté onion and minced garlic until translucent, about 4 minutes. 
3. Add ground beef and use a spoon to break it into pieces. Cook, stirring occasionally, until no longer pink, about 4 to 6 minutes. 
4. Add the Italian seasoning and cook 1 minute. Stir in the pasta sauce and let simmer while you make the ricotta mixture. 
5. In a medium bowl, combine 1 cup ricotta cheese, 1 egg, 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, and mix well. Set aside.
6. Layer the sauce, ricotta mixture and noodles in the following order:
   - Spread 1/4 cup meat sauce mixture in the bottom of the prepared pan.
   - Add 2 noodles to cover sauce, breaking the ends off, if necessary, to fit the size of the pan.
   - Spread ricotta filling onto the noodles in the pan followed by meat sauce mixture. Make sure to cover all parts of the noodles with sauce so that all parts of the noodles cook completely through.
    - Repeat layering noodles, ricotta filling, and meat sauce.
   - Top the final layer of meat sauce with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. 
7. Cover with aluminum foil and bake on 375 for 40 min. Uncover and bake for 10 more minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

You Can Get with This or You Can Get with That (Recipe Substitutions):

• Substitute the ground beef for Italian sausage or ground turkey. 
• If using beef with a higher fat content, make sure to drain the fat before moving on to Step 4.
• Substitute 1/2 teaspoon of onion powder or 1/2 tablespoon of dried onion flakes for the fresh chopped onion.
• Substitute garlic powder or jarred minced garlic for fresh minced garlic.
• Lazy Lasagna Option: Use steps 1-4 to make meat pasta sauce. Substitute 25 oz. bag of frozen ravioli for ricotta mixture and lasagna noodles. Mix pasta sauce and frozen ravioli in a 9 X 13 casserole dish. Sprinkle mozzarella and parmesan cheese on top. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 15 minutes.
• Easy Spaghetti Night Option: Use steps 1-4 to make meat pasta sauce. Serve over spaghetti noodles with a side of garlic bread and salad.

This Is How We Do It (Kitchen Skills You'll Learn in This Recipe):

• Browning ground meat
• Chopping vegetables
• Cracking eggs
• Measuring ingredients
• Preheating an oven
• Reading and following a recipe
• Sauteing vegetables
• Setting a timer

Mama Said Knock You Out (Prep Ahead for Easy Dinners):

Double the recipe and freeze one to enjoy later. You can freeze your extra lasagna either before or after cooking. 

Make your extra lasagna in a disposable aluminum pan; wrap twice in plastic wrap and once in aluminum foil. If you are baking the lasagna before freezing it, allow the lasagna to cool completely before wrapping it. 

When ready to cook the frozen lasagna, remove it from the freezer the day before you want to bake it. This will help it bake more quickly in the oven. Bake according to instructions in Step 7 above.

If You Give a Kid a Cooking Challenge

This recipe is part of the three-part If You Give a Kid a Cooking Challenge recipe series. These recipes are designed to: 

• be easier to make
• have a minimal number of ingredients (minus pantry staples like oil and spices)
• be quick to prep 
• make enough for one person to have leftovers for a few days

If You Give a Kid a Crockpot: Pizza Fondue

Over the next several weeks, we'll be bringing you several recipes for beginning cooks designed to teach basic cooking skills. So be on the lookout for all the recipes in the series. Today's recipe is part of the Cooking Challenge series.

This crockpot Pizza Fondue recipe will provide an easy weeknight meal when paired fresh chopped veggies, pepperoni, and cubed Italian bread dippers. And, really, what's not to like? It's a pizza in a crockpot (or fondue pot if you have one)!

Pizza Fondue

1 Tbsp olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

24 oz. jar of marinara sauce

1 tsp dried basil

3 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded

1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 Tbsp cornstarch

For serving:

Cubed Italian or French bread 

Fresh veggies (broccoli, carrots, sliced mushrooms)

Pepperoni

1. Add olive oil, garlic, marinara sauce, and basil to a crockpot.
2. Add mozzarella cheese, cheddar cheese, Parmesan cheese, and cornstarch to a gallon-sized Ziploc bag, seal, and shake. Add cheese mixture to the marinara sauce in several batches and stir to incorporate.
3. Set heat on high, and cover for 30 minutes. Turn down to low and cook for another 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. Set heat to warm when ready to serve.
4. While the fondue is cooking, cut fresh bread and vegetables for serving. 

You Can Get with This or You Can Get with That (Recipe Substitutions):

• Substitute garlic powder or jarred minced garlic for fresh minced garlic.
• If you do not have a fondue set, use regular forks instead of fondue forks for dippers. 
• If you have a fondue pot, make steps 1 and 2 in a pot on the stove. Once cheese has completely melted, transfer to a fondue pot to keep warm and serve.

This Is How We Do It (Kitchen Skills You'll Learn in This Recipe):

• Chopping vegetables
• Measuring ingredients
• Reading and following a recipe
• Setting a timer
• Using a crockpot

If You Give a Kid a Cooking Challenge

This recipe is part of the three-part If You Give a Kid a Cooking Challenge recipe series. These recipes are designed to: 

• be easier to make
• have a minimal number of ingredients (minus pantry staples like oil and spices)
• be quick to prep 
• make enough for one person to have leftovers for a few days

Roasted Corn Orzo Pasta Salad

As picnic and BBQ season rolls around, I always like to post a new side dish for you guys to try. This one is an easy one to put together and as a bonus, you might have some of the ingredients already growing in your garden (I did). This recipe makes a big batch so that you can feed a large crowd or you can take half to a cookout and keep half at home.

Roasted Corn Orzo Pasta Salad

1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp olive oil

6 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups fresh cooked corn

2 pints cherry tomatoes, halved

1 lb orzo pasta

1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped

2 bunches green onions, sliced

5 Tbsp red wine vinegar

3 Tbsp lemon juice

3 tsp salt (or to taste)

1 tsp pepper (or to taste)

1. Cook orzo according to package directions. When pasta is finished cooking, drain and set aside to cool.
2. While pasta is cooking, add 2 tablespoon of olive oil to a large 5 quart sauté pan. Add garlic and sauté over medium heat for about 3 minutes.
3. Add corn, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 1 teaspoon of pepper and sauté 8 more minutes. Add pasta to corn and stir to incorporate. Remove from heat and let cool.
4. While corn is cooling, chop cherry tomatoes, basil, and green onions.
5. In a small bowl, combine 1/2 cup olive oil, vinegar, and lemon juice.
6. When corn and pasta mixture has cooled, add tomatoes, basil, and green onions and stir to combine. Pour dressing over salad and toss well.
7. Refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving.

Make sure to check out these other favorite Harris Sisters side dishes for your next summer cookout:

• Southwest Pasta Salad
• Rainbow Couscous Salad
• Southern Potato Salad
• Simple Greek Pasta Salad