Stovetop lasagna

Cooking lasagna noodles upright in sauce and melting cheese on top is an easy route to layered pasta that is cozy, simple, and ready in a pinch.

Listen, chatty Kathy, take me to the recipe

It’s so cold. And so dreary. And so dark. All I want to do is hibernate under a giant blanket and eat cheesy pasta. You?

But, I also feel really low energy. Like, I don’t have the wherewithal for a complicated, multi-step, multi-method recipe. So, I reconcile these incompatible ideas with stovetop lasagna. Cook the noodles in a jarred sauce, top with cheese, and serve. Seriously, so so easy and so so good.

A few notes:

• I added turkey to this dish to increase the protein, but feel free to leave it out to make it vegetarian.

• There’s pesto in the ingredients photo because adding some dollops of pesto in this dish is fab. But I bought a mass-market brand pesto that was, in a word, inedible. So, I wanted to add it to the photo, but we actually eat the food I photograph and I could NOT stomach this sauce. Use one you’ve had before and liked, one you’ve made, or skip it.

• WheWhen first adding the noodles, make sure they aren’t touching each other or they could stick together and become gummy and inseparable later on. They’ll start touching through the cooking process as they soften and flop over and you’ll stir to separate them. I’ve found that as long as you start off with the noodles not touching, they’re easy to separate later on.

• It might seem like a lot of liquid, but the noodles soak up a lot of it and you still want the sauce to be saucy.

• I add dollops of ricotta and then fresh mozzarella to top this dish. I never use part skim or pre-shredded mozzarella because I think they take too long to melt and then the noodles get overcooked.

• You could absolutely put the pan under a broiler for 1-2 minutes to brown the top of the cheese instead of letting it melt on the stovetop. I do mine on the stove for simplicity, but choose your own adventure.

Stovetop lasagna

Time: about 45 minutes, mostly active
Yield: 6 large bowls

1 Tbsp olive oil or butter
1 small onion, minced
2-3 large garlic cloves, minced
1 lb ground turkey
3 cups tomato sauce (about a 32 oz jar of sauce)
2 cup stock (turkey, chicken, or vegetable), divided  
13 regular or no-boil lasagna noodles (half of a box, uncooked, broken in half)
Ricotta cheese, optional
Fresh mozzarella

In a large cast iron pan (with a lid) or Dutch oven, saute the onions on medium heat until translucent and starting to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for one more minute, until fragrant.

Add the turkey and cook, breaking up any large chunks, until no pink remains, about 10 minutes.

Add the tomato sauce and broth and stir to combine. Turn the heat to high.

Break the uncooked noodles roughly into halves (don’t mind the noodle shrapnel; just toss it all in the pot) and tuck them into the sauce vertically, making sure they don’t touch each other.* (You want them to be perpendicular to how you would normally layer the noodles in a lasagna; kind of a sideways layering.)

Turn the heat down just slightly, cover the pot, and cook for five minutes.

Uncover the pot and stir the noodles around (it’s okay if they touch now). Turn the heat down to medium or medium low, cover, and cook for another 5 minutes.

Uncover and stir again. Make sure to separate any noodles that are very stuck together. Leave the pot uncovered and cook for 3-5 more minutes. Stir the noodles and sauce frequently to ensure that nothing is sticking or cooking too fast. Add more stock if needed, 1/4 cup at a time.

When the noodles are just al dente, add the mozzarella, cover, and cook until the cheese melts, about 5 minutes.

Zucchini and summer squash frittata

Use up your summer produce with this easy, delicious egg concoction.

Take me to the frittata!

Whelp, I'm laid up in bed due to my lower back's semiannual revolt against the rest of my body. Luckily, I've made a bunch of these easy and quick frittatas and the leftovers are great for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or snacks. Or eaten with your hands while watching The Great British Baking Show from the floor.

I started making these because it's summer squash season, which means that markets and backyard gardens are flooded with zucchini and yellow squash. There are recipes for galettes and gratins galore and I'm sure they're all delicious. But I wanted something easier and lighter. 

And what's easier than a frittata? They require one pan and come together so fast. I love adding a salty, garlicky, crunchy kick on top with the combination of panko, minced garlic, Parmesan, and sea salt.

I also like to leave the squash in fairly large chunks because otherwise the vegetables disappear into mush. If your kiddos will more likely eat something with less visible squash, feel free to use thinner slices or even to spiralize the veggies.

I find that the crunch on top often distracts from the fact that this frittata is vegetable laden. To that end, you really have to use panko or gluten-free panko to achieve that crunch. Regular breadcrumbs won't do the trick.

Serve this with ANY pesto from the archives!

Zucchini and summer squash frittata

Time: 30-35 minutes, mostly active
Yield: 6-8 servings, depending on what meal you're eating this for and what you're having with it.

1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium white onion, thinly sliced
1 ½ -2 lbs zucchini and summer squash, cut into ¼ inch thick slices
8 large eggs
2 cups shredded Gruyere, Gouda
½ cup panko breadcrumbs
¼ cup grated Parmesan
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp kosher salt, divided
A few cracks of black pepper

Preheat the oven to 350.

Heat the oil in an oven-proof skillet over a medium flame and add the onion. Cook for 5 minutes or until the onions are translucent and fragrant.

Meanwhile, crack the eggs in the bowl and whisk until the whites and yolks are well combined. Add the squash, the shredded Gruyere or Gouda, and 1/4 tsp of salt and stir to combine. Pour into the pan with the hot onions and stir again to combine.

Cook the eggs and squash, undisturbed (no more stirring!), on the stove top for 8-10 minutes, until the edges of the eggs begin to set.

Meanwhile, combine the panko, garlic, Parmesan, remaining salt, and pepper in a small bowl and set aside. When you're ready to put the frittata in the oven, sprinkle the panko mixture evenly over the top of the frittata. 

Put in the oven and bake, uncovered, until the eggs are set in the middle, about 12-15 minutes. If the panko topping starts to brown, cover it loosely with tin foil until the eggs are cooked.

Sheet pan dinner: Chicken, potatoes, poblanos, and scallions

Guys, this is one of the fastest, easiest dinners you can make. As long as the chicken is defrosted (always dicey in our house as I am notorious for leaving things in the freezer), this can be on your table about 30 minutes. Ready...go! 

I love a sheet pan dinner for so many reasons. It's fast. The cleanup is easy. Roasting is a simple way to add flavor and texture by using heat to crisp and caramelize everything. And obviously, wrapping things in a tortilla and serving it in a taco truck like this one is a surefire way to get my toddler to eat anything.

AND, this sheet pan is customizable for any dietary need. Want gluten-free? Choose corn or gluten free tortillas. Doing a Whole 30 or following a Paleo diet? Forget the cheese and tortillas altogether or eat this as a hearty salad over greens with avocado and an olive oil and lime dressing. Vegetarian or vegan? Swap in tofu for the chicken or increase the veggies and put the spices directly onto the potatoes. See? Something for everyone.

A couple of notes:

• I've listed two tablespoons of oil in the ingredients, but use the second tablespoon sparingly. The fat that renders from the chicken when cooking is usually enough for the potatoes and other veggies. I spray the parchment with olive oil before adding the potatoes to prevent sticking and then let the chicken fat do the rest of the work.

• The poblano peppers and chili powder that I've used in this recipe are really mild and fine for my almost-3-year-old. If you're concerned about spiciness, feel free to sub a can or two of roasted poblano peppers that are marked "mild" and don't cook them; just stir them into the hot veggies and chicken at the end. Also, taste your chili powder before using it to gauge its heat. If it feels too hot for your kiddos, swap in an equal amount of paprika or skip it altogether.

Sheet pan chicken with potatoes, poblanos, and scallions

2 lb skinless boneless chicken thighs
2 Tbsp olive oil, divided
1 tsp cumin
½ tsp Mexican oregano (or regular oregano)
½ tsp mild chili powder
½ tsp coriander
½ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp kosher salt
1 lb Yukon potatoes
2 large poblano peppers
1 bunch scallions

Preheat the oven to 425. Cover a large sheet pan with parchment paper or tin foil and set aside.

In a large plastic bag, combine the chicken, 1 Tbsp of olive oil, and the dry spices. Close the bag tightly and shake and squish around to combine and distribute. I like to mix the spices together in a small jar to avoid any pockets of one flavor, but that’s not strictly necessary. Set aside.

Chop your potatoes into medium-small cubes. Mine are about 1 inch long and ½ an inch wide, but every potato is shaped differently. You want your cubes to be small enough that they’ll roast quickly, but large enough that they won’t turn to mush.

Lightly oil the parchment and then spread the potatoes in a single layer on the parchment-covered pan (see note above). Sprinkle the potatoes VERY lightly with salt. (There's a fair amount of salt and spice on the chicken that will transfer to the veggies during cooking, so don't go overboard.) Remove the chicken from the bag and place the pieces on top of the potatoes.

Roast for 12 minutes.

While the chicken and potatoes are cooking, slice the poblanos into thin sticks. Trim the hairy bottoms and any yucky bits from the scallions. Set aside.

After 12 minutes, remove the pan from the oven and scatter the scallions and peppers evenly over the pan. Using tongs, carefully fish out the chicken pieces and place them on top of the scallions and peppers. Put the whole shebang back into the oven and cook for 5 more minutes until a thermometer in the thickest part of the chicken reads at least 165.

Remove the chicken with tongs and set aside. Continue to cook the vegetables for 5 more minutes or as needed to reach your desired doneness. We're usually set after 5 minutes.

See serving suggestions above, but however you eat this roasted goodness, first SPRINKLE ALL OF IT WITH LIME JUICE!

Yield: 4 servings

Escarole and white beans

Beans and greens get an upgrade with loads of garlic, caramelized onions, lemon, zest, and a glob of butter melted in at the end. They’re luxurious and comforting and can be eaten for any meal.

Take me to the recipe!

So, my get-the-kid-into-the-kitchen mission backfired this week. We had some yogurt to use up and a friend who is a million weeks pregnant, so I decided to make her Smitten's lemon yogurt cake.  M helped with the measuring and mixing and stirring and we had a lovely time until lunch rolled around and he only wanted to eat cake. Cue the NUCLEAR MELTDOWN. So many tears. Teaching him patience is trying my patience.

But! In my never ending quest to get M to eat green things, I decided to take a stroll down Escarole Lane. And it was successful! (Before the cake crying episode, though. If I had offered this instead of cake, his head might have exploded.)

I think the LOAD of garlic, onions, and lemon (and a dash of crushed red pepper if your kiddo can tolerate a little spice), made a big difference. I usually see greens and beans with either pasta or in a soup (either of which you could easily do with this recipe) but I went for a more straight forward presentation and was surprised at the results. Fry an egg on top and call it lunch or eat it as a side dish with your protein of choice for dinner.

White beans and escarole

Time: About 40 minutes
Yield: 2 1/2 cups or 2-4 side servings

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion
2 large pinches of salt, divided
3-4 LARGE cloves garlic (if your cloves are small or medium, use 6-8)
2 heads escarole, washed and chopped
1/4 cup chicken or vegetable stock
1 can white beans, rinsed and drained
2 Tbsp lemon juice
Pinch of crushed red pepper, optional
1/2 Tbsp butter
Several cracks of fresh black pepper, to taste
Zest of 1/4 of a lemon
Parmesan cheese, optional

Heat the oil over a medium flame. Add the onions and cook until deeply browned, about 30 minutes, stirring frequently. Reduce the heat if the onions seem to be burning rather than browning. Stir in one large pinch of salt.

Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes.

Add the escarole and stock and cook until wilted, about 5 minutes.

Add the white beans, lemon juice, crushed red pepper (if using), and butter and continue cooking until all the liquid has evaporated and the beans are heated through.

Stir in the second large pinch of salt and several cracks of black pepper and taste for seasoning. Adjust according to your preference.

Top with lemon zest and parmesan cheese.

Smoked salmon, goat cheese, and chive eggs

Eggs, salmon, chives, milk, and goat cheese are all you need for an easy and healthy dinner, lunch, breakfast or brunch. #meandthemoose ##eggrecipes #eggs #salmon #easybrunch #quickdinnerrecipes

Five ingredients and fifteen minutes are all you need for this easy and flavorful dinner, a fancy breakfast, or a fun brunch.

Take me to the recipe!

Eggs, salmon, chives, milk, and goat cheese are all you need for an easy and healthy dinner, lunch, breakfast or brunch. #meandthemoose ##eggrecipes #eggs #salmon #easybrunch #quickdinnerrecipes

So, this dish started its life as an omelette, but if you’re anything like me, no matter how hot you get your pan and how much oil you use, certain days omelette’s just hang on tight. And since we’ve pretty much sworn off nonstick pans, scrambled eggs are our destiny.

Anyway, I first made these eggs for Father's Day 2015 and they’ve been in the rotation ever since. They’re delicious and SO FAST. If you want dinner on the table in under 20 minutes, make these. If you want a “special” breakfast that doesn’t take ages, make this. You get it!

Eggs, salmon, chives, milk, and goat cheese are all you need for an easy and healthy dinner, lunch, breakfast or brunch. #meandthemoose ##eggrecipes #eggs #salmon #easybrunch #quickdinnerrecipes

Eggs, salmon, chives, milk, and goat cheese are all you need for an easy and healthy dinner, lunch, breakfast or brunch. #meandthemoose ##eggrecipes #eggs #salmon #easybrunch #quickdinnerrecipes

These eggs are so basic, but the salmon and chives and cheese make them creamy and salty and herby.

 A couple of notes:

• I don’t salt the eggs because the salmon is so salty that I don’t often need more.

• Don’t overcook these babies. These eggs are best when they’ve just barely stopped jiggling.

• I DO cook the salmon a little bit because, strangely, I don’t love the texture of smoked salmon. I love raw salmon and cooked salmon, but that in-between phase isn’t my favorite. Just a little bit of heat makes the texture of the thinly sliced fish a little closer to cooked salmon, so it’s more to my taste. If you like smoked salmon, leave it out during the cooking and then add it on top of the cooked eggs to maintain the original texture.

Eggs, salmon, chives, milk, and goat cheese are all you need for an easy and healthy dinner, lunch, breakfast or brunch. #meandthemoose ##eggrecipes #eggs #salmon #easybrunch #quickdinnerrecipes

Smoked salmon, goat cheese, and chive eggs

Time: 15 minutes, all active
Yield: Enough for two adults as a main course, 4 people as a side dish

1 Tbsp olive oil, butter, or fat of choice
6 eggs
3-4 Tbsp milk (whole or 2% both work)
2-3 oz goat cheese
2 Tbsp chopped chives
5 oz wild smoked salmon (or, one small package), torn into smaller pieces or roughly chopped.

Heat the butter or oil over a medium flame.

Crack the eggs into a medium bowl and vigorously whisk with a fork until the whites and yolks are well combined.

Add the milk, goat cheese, and chives and whisk again until the ingredients are reasonably incorporated (the goat cheese will still be in clumps).

When the pan is hot, pour in the egg mixture and add the salmon. Lower the flame to medium low or low.

Move the eggs around with a rubber spatula scraping the cooked layer from the bottom and letting the raw eggs run into the open spots. Repeat until the eggs are soft, but cooked, about 3-4 minutes.