Easy Veggie Skillet Lasagna

You love lasagna, but you lack the time it take to make it. No problem, this lasagna comes together in minutes only messing up one skillet! Even better it's loaded with vegetables!

Lasagna, how I love these, but how I hate to build one! Yeah I am lazy sometimes and I have a FT job, so you think I will be making lasagna very often? Bitch please...

Yeah I am a realist when it comes to food and preperation.

So I have seen lots of these skillet lasagnas. But they like cut up the lasagna noodles and it all gets mixes together and it looks like a mess. So I set out to make my own that actually resembles lasagna but in a skillet.

I LOADED this up with veggies so you don't have to feel quite as guilty for ingesting so much cheese. Onions, Peppers, mushrooms and zucchini!

I kinda upped the cheese factor too with just a baby bit of burrata- the QUEEN of all fresh mozzarella! It makes my heart sing with joy and I kinda hum a happy song when I bite into a piece.

If you are not familiar, it's basically a little fresh mozzarella purse filled with cream and more fresh mozzarella scraps. It sounds weird, but it's amazeballs. I assure you!

This is EASY and sooo damn delish I know you will do yourself a happy little cheese dance!

Easy Skillet Veggie Lasagna

by Sophia @ NY Foodgasm

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes

Keywords: entree healthy vegetarian Italian

Ingredients (6 servings)

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 medium onions, sliced
• 1 orange bell pepper, sliced
• 1 zucchini, sliced lengthwise
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms
• 6 no bake lasagna noodles
• 1 jar tomato sauce (I used Trader Joe's 3-cheese)
• 8 oz. ricotta cheese
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella
• 4 oz. burrata

Instructions

1- preheat oven to 350º

2- In a skillet over medium heat, add olive oil.

3- Add the slices of zucchini and cook on both sides, about 2 mins a side.

4- Remove cooked zucchini slices, add in the rest of the veggies and cook until onions are slightly browned.

5- Remove vegetables and turn off heat.

6- Place down 3 no bake lasagna noodles, add sauce and vegetables.

7- Lay down the sliced zucchini and 3 more lasagna noodles and more sauce.

8- Add the cheese to the top ricotta, mozzarella and burrata.

9- Bake for 15 mins and then 5 minutes at 415º

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Stone Fruit and Burrata Salad with Lemon Basil Dressing

Step up your salad game with some burrata! This salad is loaded with fresh summer fruits and has a lemon and fresh basil dressing. Serve to your guests and look super fancy for very little work!

I am always inspired by other blogs. Since I have a blog, I am sure you can imagine how many I read and comment on. I forget where I saw it... but I saw a stone fruit and burrata salad, so I thought I would do my own. I mean helllllo peaches and succulent and juicy with the magical creamy cheese called burrata?! NOOOOOO brainer!

Do you guys know what burrata is? Don't feel bad, I googled it when I saw it too. Seriously, google has made it possible to not sound stupid on social media. Soooo anyways burrata is like fresh mozzarella kicked up 10 notches... why you ask? Well it is just a pouch of fresh mozzarella- inside is the best part, cream and scraps of more fresh mozzarella. Good for you? No... but come one there is only 3 oz. in the whole recipe. Savor the hell outta it!

Can you imagine all these flavors mingling in your palette?? I could when I heard stone fruit and burrata. So much so I totally made this and I am totally allergic to peach skin. I had an itchy throat, but it was sooooo worth it. Kinda dumb? Sure! But I just had to and with the lemon basil dressing- it was TO DIE FOOOOOR! Or at least to itchy throat for, right?!

It is also simple and quick to put together! Can you beat that?! Pretty damn fabulous!

What you need

1 large ripe peach (I used a white peach)

2 mango nectarines (if you cannot find those you can use regular)

3 oz. burrata

Dressing

5 large basil leaves (more for garnish if desired)

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

How to make it

1- Throw all fruit and pieces of burrata on a board.

2- In a food processor, combine all dressing ingredients.

3- Drizzle dressing on salad- DONE!

Nutritional Information

Yields 5 servings, under 200 calories each!

5 points plus on Weight Watchers

Roasted Vegetable Polenta Lasagna

A creative vegetarian twist on lasagna with freshly roasted eggplant and a simple homemade marinara.

If you follow me on Facebook you will know I asked what you guys wanted for a recipe this week and this dish won! Roasted Vegetable Polenta Lasagna, yeah it is as awesome as it sounds. You got your basic food groups: grains, veggies and cheeeeeeese! What would lasagna be without cheese? Why can't I quit you cheese?

THIS is why I run! Cheese and beer!

Roasted Vegetable Pizza

Vegetables remind you of Spring right?! Spring is looooong overdue here in NY and I needed some Spring inspiration mixed with a heartier cold weather food. So this pizza is just what I needed. I am sure I have told you about the magic of roasted vegetables- they are so so sweet. Some of you may be like a 2 year old and pouting with your arms crossed and your face all scrunched up saying, "Ewwwww." Well don't be a baby and put them arms down. Have I ever really steered you wrong? The magic of roasting vegetables is the flavor it adds! As the water inside the veggies evaporates out, the flavor and sugars get concentrated- similar to how caramelizing onions makes them sweeter.

So the reason this roasted vegetable pizza was born was necessity. My husband and I are trying to eat less meat. Not necessarily become vegetarian, but just cut down on animal proteins. We all have our own reasons and I don't wanna convince you this is what you must do. We all walk our own road. But since I have been blogging about food, I have learned more about all things food. Meat in this country is mass produced, has all sorts of hormones and antibiotics and I am sure you can imagine the animals are not treated too well. I was blissfully ignorant. Ignorance is not bad, I didn't wanna know. So I want to try my best to eat farm raised meat when I can and cut back in general. I just want to share with all of you since you all read this blog. This is something I am trying out and trying on for size.

Eggplant Parmesan "Meat"balls

So my gratuitous v-day post was last week, but I made this recipe around the same time and all I could say is "Damn these are good" every single time I ate one. I never posted my recipe for veggie infused meatballs, but this is a staple to me. The perfect transformation of a food I love so very much to something soooo much healthier. The secret is that I add lots of hidden veggies to my meatballs. Seriously, no one will know since they a chopped up in the food processor. So I though why the hell not add the meat at all.... and use eggplant!! Since you are going to cover it in marinara anyways later on, why not add a little fresh mozzarella cheese over top. So this magical concoction was born!

Why is this a Foodgasm?

This has EVERYTHING you love about Eggplant Parmesan, even the breading, in a crispy little ball dripping in marinara and melted mozzarella cheese. They are NOT fried, they're baked! So you are losing LOTS of calories and fat and keeping ALL the flavor. These are sooooo good, I am making them twice and I almost NEVER make the same thing twice! Even better: they are not nearly as time consuming as Eggplant Parmesan.

So I don't have kids yet. But you know, I think that kids would eat these guys up! If you have vegetarian friends coming over- you can make this and both eat meatless, healthier and be completely satisfied. Actually this is one dish that makes me think, maybe I can be vegetarian someday. It is that good. Another great thing is you can make this as an appetizer or serve these over pasta as an entree.

Autumn Shepherds Pie

Why is this a Foodgasm?

One of the greatest parts of Autumn is all the awesomely comforting food. Shepherd's Pie is a comfort classic of meat and potatoes that just makes you feel all warm and fuzzy. However, the calories and fat packs on the sweater-weather pounds. Yeah, I don't like that part either, but that is why I am here to not only take this up a few notches with flavor, but also greatly reducing the fat! Is it magic? No it's a foodgasm!

So what did I do to achieve this? Let's take it layer by layer...
The meat layer- I took my trick from my magic portobello beef tacos and added lots of finely chopped mushrooms to the mix as well as some garlic, onion and bell pepper. To add bulk to our meat layer, lots of veggies for vitamins and fiber and for FLAVOR! I also used 93% lean ground beef, which can be rather dry, but with all the veggies it makes it much better!!
The potato layer- I used sweet potatoes since they have more nutritional value with lots of vitamins, **but this is the genius** I used some pumpkin puree mixed into it. Not only adding fiber and bulk but also giving it - FLAVOR. I also used light butter and reduced fat milk. You will not miss any of that fat, I assure you!
The cheesey crust- Reduced fat cheese is the answer, fat free is a no-go, not melty enough and lacks flavor!
 

Totally Roasted Eggplant Parmesan

Why is this a Foodgasm?

Once again I am focusing on the simple pleasures in life. You know, those comfort classics that make you feel happy and all snuggley when you had a bad day? We all gravitate to them for several reasons. For me I am half Italian, so this sort of food was always around since my childhood. Eggplant Parmesan makes me think of this simpler time. That time where there was no mortgage or bills and someone else worried about all the day to day needs of my life. It is also incredibly delicious with that perfect balance of acidic from the marinara and the creamy and salty base of the cheese, especially the fresh mozzarella.

Comfort your taste buds without the guilt of breaded fried eggplant cutlets. I just sliced, salted and roasted my eggplant and it had so much rich flavor! Why cover it up with breading? Why add all the fat of frying when you can bring out the natural sweetness of eggplant!

The eggplant and everything in this recipe was actually locally grown and roasted in the oven. See the picture from my farmer's market post, those were some big eggplants for a buck! From the garlic to the eggplant everything was roasted to bring out the natural sugars present in everything- aka making magic happen in your mouth!

Double Stout Guinness Sliders

Why is this a Foodgasm?

Who doesn't like to go out for some burgers and beer? Well I took the two and fused them into the perfect combination they were destined to be! I marinated the ground beef in Guinness, then to add a double shot of that stout action I made caramelized onion with a stout reduction! But wait, there's more! To add to the delicious Irish action I topped these sliders with Dubliner cheese, a sweet aged Irish cheese! I even cut the fat using lean ground beef for the sliders, because I love my heart and yours!

Coconut Cuties

  

Why is this a Foodgasm?

You take some cannoli type cream mix it with some coconut, then put them in crunchy little Fillo shells, finish off with toasted coconut and you got yourself a one bite Italian foodgasm!

At first I came up with the idea of canolli bites- to put a twist on the classic and lighten it up a bit. But then I became insanely obsessed with coconut. So then I thought why not make the same kind of recipe, but with coconut?! Tah Dah! A foodgasm was born!

A special thanks to Jessica, the name my post winner, for helping me name these! To stay connected to NY Foodgasm see our Facebook Page.

Morning Wood: Cheesy Grits, Southern Comfort done Light and Right!

Why is this a Foodgasm?

Just look at that picture, every time I look at it I wanna eat more of this! Grits baby! Southern comfort food in the morning...sooo good well if I were a dude I may have to hide my crotchal region! I go to this great breakfast place by my house where I had this for the first time and I thought this is gotta be so easy to make and I can lighten this bad boy up so I can indulge with all the flavor and half the fat! So my friends, my fellow foodies- I did it for me and for YOU!

Green Chicken Parmesan with Pesto

Why is this a Foodgasm? I will say this, a fresh homemade pesto is just amazing! the smell is so fresh almost making you think of spring. The taste of fresh basil, olive oil, garlic, pignoli (pine nuts) and parmesan cheese just make create this sweet salty and savory tango in your mouth! Then you place that atop chicken breast with fresh mozzarella, well that takes it to the next level! Lastly getting that fresh mozzarella golden brown, well you are in trouble, you may have just fallen in love with chicken all over again!

This recipe yielded me 7 servings (depends on how thin you can slice the cutlets)

More Caprese: Caprese Panini with homemade pesto

Why is this a Foodgasm? It pains me to answer this--it is magic in your mouth. The perfect combination of flavors and textures, sweet and salty, acidy and creamy, smooth and crunchy. You got your fresh mozzarella, homemade pesto along with the acid of the tomato all encased in crunchy thin Italian bread! Hooray foodgasm!

This is an 8 point foodgasm (by my estimate since I scooped out the inside of the Italian bread)

Caprese Grilled Cheese

 

Why is this a Foodgasm? Grilled cheese is always amazing...but make is fresh mozzarella, fresh basil and tomatoes (from my garden) and a dash of Romano cheese to give it that salt and you got a gourmet twist on a classic! It is melty, creamy, tomato magic, salty from the Romano and basil sweet....magnifico!

This is an 8 point foodgasm.

Easy Veggie Pizza!

 Why is this a Foodgasm? The sweetness of fresh sauteed vegetables makes love to the creamy ricotta topped with slightly browned mozzarella all atop a crispy crust-- this seems so indulgent, but it's not! All these amazing textures and flavors will make your taste buds explode with enjoyment. Yes veggies can be a part of a foodgasm- you'll see!

This is an 8 point foodgasm!

Bacon and Caramelized Onion "Flame Cake"

Why is this a Foodgasm?  This is the highest of ALL Foodgasms! Bacon, Onions caramelized in the fat covered in cheese on a crispy crust....can it get any better! Bacon- the candy of meats with golden cheese on top of some crispy carby goodness, Woooooahhh excuse me a minute while I wipe the drool from my mouth!

This is a 11 point foodgasm

Lite Comfort Foodgasm: Broccoli, Cheese and Pasta Casserole

Why this is a Foodgasm? Come on, anything with pasta and cheese is comforting.  This has the added bonus of broccoli and this is also a lite recipe so goodbye guilt, hello foodgasm! Also great for kids since I put the broccoli in the food processor!

This is a 6 point foodgasm! (Recipe yields 7 servings)