Filling, flavorsome and a family favorite, Lasagna is well known for its irresistible layered assembly of pasta, sauce, meat and melted cheesy goodness. It’s an ultimate one skillet meal that even Jim Davis’ comic strip cat ‘Garfield’ couldn’t resist.
Recognized for its wide flat sheets, lasagna might possibly be one of the oldest types of pasta invented and one of Italy’s oldest recipes. Traditionally reserved for the holidays, the Italian dish ‘Lasagne’ (the plural of the word) was brought to America before the turn of the century and quickly became a crowd pleaser with Italian-American-style variations.
Now my families favorite layered lasagna recipe uses a variety of ingredients including ground elk, onions, garlic and a blend of dried herbs and seasonings – built with a three-cheese combo of ricotta, mozzarella and grated parmesan for an ultimate molten cheesy stacked dish. To streamline kitchen prep and decrease cooking time, I use no-boil lasagna noodles, a jar of store-bought marinara sauce and bake everything in my 12” cast iron skillet for a fun and creative way to serve dinner up.
Assemble the dish and bake at home or pre-assemble in an aluminum pan and freeze – reheating for your next weeknight family meal. Better yet, serve this up at Elk Camp this fall by simply prepping everything in the cast iron skillet, cover loosely with foil and cook over in-direct heat until hot and bubbly.
Heat a 12” cast iron skillet over medium heat. When the skillet is warm, add the olive oil and ground elk cooking until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add the chopped onion, garlic, oregano, basil, parsley and salt stirring everything together. Continue to cook until the onions soften, about 7-8 minutes. Remove the meat from skillet and set aside.
In a bowl, combine the ricotta cheese and 2 eggs. Stir until well blended.
In a separate bowl, combine marinara sauce and 1 cup of water. Stir until well blended.
Set your cast iron skillet on a work surface and add a small amount of sauce on the bottom. Place 4 pieces of the dry lasagna on the bottom of the skillet. You may have to break a few in half to make fit. Spread half of the ricotta cheese over the lasagna noodles. Spread half of the elk over the ricotta cheese. Pour half of the marinara sauce over the elk and top with half of the mozzarella cheese and half of the Parmesan cheese. Repeat in the same order until all ingredients are gone.
Place the skillet in the oven and bake for 50 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to stand for 10 minutes.
Garnish with fresh basil and serve.
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground elk
- 1 sweet yellow onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 28 oz ricotta cheese
- 2 cups grated Mozzarella cheese
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 24 oz marinara sauce
- 1 cup water
- 8-9 pieces no-boil lasagna pasta
- fresh basil, for garnishment
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Heat a 12” cast iron skillet over medium heat. When the skillet is warm, add the olive oil and ground elk cooking until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add the chopped onion, garlic, oregano, basil, parsley and salt stirring everything together. Continue to cook until the onions soften, about 7-8 minutes. Remove the meat from skillet and set aside.
- In a bowl, combine the ricotta cheese and 2 eggs. Stir until well blended.
- In a separate bowl, combine marinara sauce and 1 cup of water. Stir until well blended.
- Set your cast iron skillet on a work surface and add a small amount of sauce on the bottom. Place 4 pieces of the dry lasagna on the bottom of the skillet. You may have to break a few in half to make fit. Spread half of the ricotta cheese over the lasagna noodles. Spread half of the elk over the ricotta cheese. Pour half of the marinara sauce over the elk and top with half of the mozzarella cheese and half of the Parmesan cheese. Repeat in the same order until all ingredients are gone.
- Place the skillet in the oven and bake for 50 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to stand for 10 minutes. Garnish with fresh basil and serve.