Inside out = Easy

I love lasagna. What I don't love is cooking the noodles, making the sauce, stirring the cheese filling together, layering it all, and waiting an hour for it to bake. Sure, it's pretty, but who needs the extra work. So - as usual - I take a short cut and make inside out lasagna in a jiffy. It is also a good way to use up some veggies that have been in the fridge for awhile.

Start by putting a pot of water on to boil for the pasta. (I like corkscrew, medium shells, or bowtie, but any shape will do.) While the water comes up to temp, put some olive oil in a large skillet to start the sauce. I tossed in a chopped yellow onion, a chopped bell pepper, some chopped zucchini and quite a few chopped tomatoes from the garden, along with garlic, basil, oregano, parsley, and just a little sugar. This cooks until the water is ready, and after putting the pasta in the water, add a large can of tomato sauce to the veggies to keep them simmering along. When the pasta is done, drain and add it to the sauce, reserving some of the water to stir in to keep the mixture moist. Next stir in a container of ricotta cheese and turn it all into a baking dish. Before putting it in the oven (350 degrees for about 25 minutes) sprinkle some mozarella on top to make a cheesy, bubbly crust.

Of course, you can make this even quicker by using a jar of sauce and canned veggies like mushrooms and black olives. Either way, this tastes like lasagna even if it doesn't have all the layers and the look. It also cooks in about half the time as regular lasagna. The guys and I like to pop some frozen breadsticks in the oven and let the dish set for a few minutes while they bake. I always make a large dish of this because it makes excellent lunch left overs, and I'm always much happier in the afternoon if I have something good for lunch. It's time for Italian!