I absolutely love Italian food. I am fluent in sauce, cheese, meat, and herbs. How could you not love it? One of my favorite dishes is lasagna. As much as I love it though, it's not exactly the dish I think about making when I come home from a long day of school or work. That's the beauty of this recipe. I get all the aspects that are so delicious about lasagna with half the work and time. On top of that, this dish is very filling because it's more of a stew. I use a lot of cheese and sauce which adds a bit of a tasty broth to the dish. It's so good and just as easy. One pot on top of the stove. No baking in the oven, no layering, no making cheese mixtures. There's just no need. There is an easier way...this way. After a long day, this is what gets me back to being at peace. I'm sure it'll do the same for you.
Turn up the heat to about medium or medium-high heat. Drizzle in some olive oil in the pot. Add in the diced onions all at once. Stir in. Cook until translucent, for a few minutes.
Add in the garlic and mix in. Cook for about a minute. If you're a garlic and onion lover like me, the smell in your kitchen at this point will be heavenly.
Add in the chuck beef all at once. Begin cooking for a few minutes, breaking up into small chunks until browned. Stir frequently.
Add in the mushrooms all at once and stir. Cook for a minute or two.
Pour in the sauce all at once. I like to add some water at this point as well. It will make it more like a "stew". It will be thinner and less acidic from the tomato sauce. The water is totally optional though. Stir frequently and cook for a couple of minutes. 
Season with salt, black pepper, and Italian seasoning. Stir in.
Add about half the cheese and mix it in. Cook for a couple of minutes.
Add in half the herbs and stir in. My brother doesn't like Spinach, so I'm leaving it for my individual plate. However, if no one has an issue with Spinach in your family, you'll add it in at this point.
Take four par-cooked lasagna sheets and tear up a bit and place in the pot. Stir the sheets in.
Lay the rest of the par-cooked lasagna sheets on top in a layer. Cover with the rest of the cheese. Season the top of the cheese with more salt and pepper. Cover and cook for about four or five minutes.
Uncover the pot and add the rest of the herbs on top, saving a bit to add to your individual plates.
Serve up with some ricotta cheese, garlic bread, and more herbs. Drizzle some olive oil over the top.
See how I do it:
Ingredients
- 1 medium yellow onion
- 3 garlic cloves
- 3-4 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- 4-5 small white-button mushrooms
- 1-1.5 lbs chuck beef
- 20 oz San Marzano tomato sauce*
- ½ cup water (optional)**
- 8-9 lasagna sheets, par-cooked***
- 8 slices Muenster cheese
- 8 oz mozzarella cheese
- 8 slices provolone cheese
- ½ cup ricotta + more to crumble on top of your plate
- ¼ cup or a handful of spinach leaves, chopped
- ¼ cup or a handful of fresh basil
- ¼ or a handful of parsley, chopped
- salt, to taste
- black pepper, to taste
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste
Instructions
Prep your pot by placing it over medium or medium-high heat. Let it get hot for a couple of minutes. Drizzle in some olive oil. Add in the diced onions all at once. Stir in. Cook for a few minutes or until translucent and softer.
Add in the garlic all at once and mix in. Cook for about a minute. Garlic cooks quickly and can burn just as quickly, so only cook the garlic off for a minute.
Add in the chuck beef all at once. Begin cooking for a few minutes, breaking up into small chunks with your wooden spoon. Cook until browned. Stir frequently.
Add in the mushrooms all at once and stir. Cook for a minute or two.
Pour in the sauce all at once. Add in the water (if using). Season with salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes and Italian seasoning. Stir everything together at this point.
Add about half the cheese including all of the ricotta cheese (save some to crumble on top of your plate) and mix it in. Cook for a couple of minutes.
Add in half the herbs and all the Spinach and stir in.
Take four par-cooked lasagna sheets and tear up a bit and place in the pot. Stir the sheets in.
Lay the rest of the par-cooked lasagna sheets on top in a layer. Cover the noodle layer with the rest of the cheese. Season the top of the cheese with more salt and pepper. Cover and cook for about four or five minutes. The noodles should be al dente at this point because we par-cooked them. However, if you're cooking the noodles directly in the sauce from the start, add a few more minutes to the cooking time. Three or four more minutes should do.
Uncover the pot and add the rest of the herbs on top, saving a bit to add to your individual plates.
Serve up with some crumbled ricotta cheese, garlic bread, and more herbs. Drizzle a bit of olive oil over the top and enjoy.
Notes
* I love using San Marzano tomato sauce, but you can use your favorite pasta sauce also. ** Adding that bit of water takes away a bit of the acidity of the tomatoes but also makes this more a "stew" consistency. You can leave the water out if you'd like. *** The texture is just a bit better when the noodles were cooked in boiling water for a couple of minutes. I've also cooked them straight into the pot of meat mixture. Either method works. I just find the texture is a bit better when they're par-cooked.
