Skillet "Lasagna"

This post goes along with my momma's birthday, as well. Mom usually cooks each of our favorite meals on our birthdays, and so for her birthday, I decided to let her request a dish for me to make for her. A few weeks ago, I made a homemade lasagna in a skillet, a recipe that I found on foodnetwork.com, and it was veeeery yummy. We had the idea of changing up the same recipe by using a different type of pasta that we had bought at TJ Maxx in the imported foods section. Straight from Italy, the best kind! Ahh... I want to go back just so I can buy some more pasta, olive oil, and truffles. But, until then, TJ Maxx will have to do!

Ingredients:

1/4 cup EVOO

4 cloves garlic, sliced

1 1/2 pounds ripe tomatoes, or one can of diced tomatoes

4 Tbsp chopped fresh basil

salt and freshly ground pepper

1 cup ricotta cheese

1 large egg

2 Tbsp parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish

1 lb pasta, cooked and drained, OR about 8 sheets of no-bake lasagna noodles

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1 lb cooked ground turkey meat

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic slices and cook for about one minute. Add the tomatoes, 1 Tbsp of basil, and salt and pepper to taste. Cook until saucy, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer to a food processor and puree until smooth.

Mix together the ricotta, parmesan, the egg, salt and pepper to taste, and the remaining basil.

Place one cup of the marinara in the bottom of the large skillet and put the skillet on low heat. Form a layer of noodles over the sauce, then a layer of the cooked ground turkey meat. Add a layer of ricotta cheese and a handful of mozzarella cheese. Repeat the layers until all ingredients have been used. On the top layer, put only marinara, mozzarella, and parmesan cheese. Place the lid on the skillet, and cook for 15-20 minutes, until all cheese is melted, ensuring that the bottom does not burn. Remove from heat and serve with yummy bread! :D

NOTE: I would advice that you double the sauce for this recipe. This was the second time I have made this recipe, and both times I have ran out of marinara before all of the other ingredients and had to revert to using Ragu to finish the rest. This marinara really is delicious, and makes this dish 1,000,000,000 times better, and Ragu just cannot compare!