Beef and Cottage Cheese Lasagna Skillet

• 50 g raw Red onion (1.8 oz raw)
• 5 g raw (1½ cloves) Garlic
• 65 g dry Lasagna noodles (2.3 oz dry)
• 5 g Olive oil (1 tsp)
• 140 g raw Lean ground beef (90%) (4.9 oz raw)
• 1 g Dried oregano (1 tsp)
• 0.3 g Black pepper (⅛ tsp)
• 0.5 g Salt (a pinch)
• 160 g Tomato sauce (5.6 oz)
• 220 g Water (1 cup)
• 120 g Low-fat cottage cheese (4.2 oz)
• 30 g Part-skim mozzarella, grated (1.1 oz)
• 10 g Parmesan, grated (2 tbsp)

You'll need: Large frying pan with a lid, Wooden spoon, Cutting board and knife.

Method

1. Chop and break the noodles

   Dice the onion and mince the garlic. Break the lasagna noodles into rough pieces about 5 cm (2 inches) wide.

   Irregular pieces are perfect here. They look like layers once they're cooked and saucy.

2. Brown the beef with the onion

   Heat the oil in the pan over medium-high heat. Cook the onion for 2 minutes, then add the beef, pepper and salt, break it up and cook for 5–6 minutes, until browned with no pink left and 71°C (160°F). Stir in the garlic and oregano for 30 seconds.

   Spoon off any extra fat before the sauce goes in, or the dish turns greasy.

3. Simmer the noodles in the sauce

   Pour in the tomato sauce and the water and stir in the noodles. Bring to a gentle boil, then turn the heat to low, cover and simmer for 12–14 minutes, stirring every few minutes, until the noodles are tender and the sauce has thickened.

   Scrape the bottom as you stir. The noodles stick to the pan before the sauce reduces.

4. Fold in the cheeses and melt

   Turn the heat off and fold the cottage cheese gently through the lasagna skillet. Scatter the mozzarella and Parmesan over the top, cover and leave for 2 minutes, until the cheese has melted.

   Fold in the cottage cheese off the heat. On a hot pan it splits and goes grainy.

Swaps

• Lean ground beef → Lean ground turkey (93%)A little lighter. Cook it to 74°C (165°F).
• Lasagna noodles → Regular small pasta, such as penneCooks in about the same time; no breaking needed.