[RECIPE!] Skillet Lasagna

This weekend Ben decided he wanted to make dinner for me, and I told him he had to work "out of the pantry". We like to stock up about once a month so I don't have to shop as much or as often. This recipe came to mind immediately as one that would definitely meet that criteria.

My sweet hubby making this delicious meal for us on Saturday!

This is one of my all-time favorite crowd-pleasers. It was the first recipe I cooked out of Supermarket Vegan, which is my favorite cookbook ever. It's on page 78-79! My parents came over the second time I made it and everyone got seconds. I plan to feed it to my in-laws very soon, and this weekend, my husband Ben made it for dinner. It is almost foolproof.



A recipe almost exclusively from the pantry! We used a mixture of organic and conventional ingredients.


Ingredients:
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
3 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 (15-ounce) can cannellini or other white beans, rinsed and drained.
1/3 cup wheat germ
1 1/4 cups water
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon dried oregano and/or rosemary
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
10 curly-edged lasagna noodles (whole wheat works the same), broken into bite-sized pieces
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes, juices included
1 cup prepared pizza or marinara sauce
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil

Method:
In a large nonstick skillet with a lid, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute. Add the beans, wheat germ, 1/4 cup of the water, tomato paste, oregano, salt, red pepper flakes, and black pepper; cook, stirring, 1 minute. Scatter pasta over bean mixture without stirring. Cover and bring to a brisk simmer over medium high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until pasta is tender, about 20 minutes. adding the basil the last few minutes of cooking. Remove skillet from heat and let stand, covered, 5 minutes. Serve at once (with homemade bread!)

Per serving:
Calories: 378
Protein: 16g (or more, you can use whole wheat lasagna)
Total Fat: 7g
Saturated Fat: 1g
Cholesterol: 0mg (of course)
Carbohydrates: 67g
Dietary Fiber: 8g (or more)
Sodium: 583mg (or more depending on what kind of tomatoes you use--you could use no-salt-added)

You can also add 4 ounces of chopped spinach when you add the basil!


The leftovers made a great lunch for us the next day! And you know, I was thinking how easy it would be to swap out the pasta used... as long as it is 8 ounces (half a box, usually) of the pasta, you can use whatever! Just make sure the sauce covers the noodles completely so they cook thoroughly. I might try it with penne or bowties sometime. Enjoy!