Lasagna in 30 minutes- seriously!

This recipe is adapted from Cook's Illustrated The Best 30 Minute Recipes book. It's your basic lasagna ingredients, but made in a skillet on the stove top. It cooks in 30 minutes AND you only have 1 pot to clean. This recipe is a suggestion but you could do your own flavorings as you like. Pretty amazing if you ask me!

1 lb ground meat (I used Light Jimmy Dean sausage b/c that's what I had around, but you could
use turkey, beef, or any combo)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 t red pepper flakes
6 oz (8 noodles) curly edged lasagna noodles, broken in to 2-inch pieces. Do not use no boil noodles.
1 26 oz jar tomato sauce/marinara sauce
2 cups water
1/2 bag frozen, chopped spinach
1/2 c grated mozzarella cheese
1/2 c grated parmesan cheese
3/4 c ricotta cheese
1/2 c minced fresh basil (optional)

1. Cook meat in a large 12 inch nonstick skillet over high heat. Drain fat out of meat and return to skillet.
2. Stir in garlic, pepper flakes, and 1/2 t salt and cook over medium high heat for about 30 seconds.
3. sprinkle broken noodles into skillet, then pour in tomato sauce and water over top and add in frozen spinach. Cover and cook, stirring often and keeping at a vigorous simmer until noodles are tender (about 20 minutes)
4. Turn off heat, stir in half of mozarella and parmesan cheeses. Dot heaping spoonfuls of ricotta over noodles, then sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and parmesan cheeses. Cover and let stand off heat until cheeses melt (3-5 minutes)
5. Sprinkle with basil and eat up!

Calzone

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Makes: 4 calzones

1 pizza dough
flour (for dusting)
olive oil
1 pound mushrooms (cleaned and sliced)
4 cloves garlic (peeled and finely sliced)
4 sprigs fresh thyme
1/4 cup butter
sea salt and ground black pepper
1 cup tomato sauce
11 ounces spinach leaves
8 ounces mozzarella cheese

*You can use a store-bought pizza dough or make your own. I added chicken when I made these.

1. Preheat oven to 450 to 500 degrees F.
2. Make 4 balls of dough from the uncooked pizza dough. Roll each ball out on a floured surface, making them roughly circular, about the thickness of a silver dollar, and about 12 inches across.
3. Pour a large glug of olive oil into a hot frying pan.
4. Add the mushrooms, garlic, and thyme. Fry until mushrooms are cooked.
5. Drop in the butter. Season with salt and pepper.
6. Add the tomato sauce to the pan and stir. Cook for a few minutes, then add the spinach in batches and stir again.
7. Simmer away the liquid until you're left with a thick mixture that's not too moist (otherwise it will burst through the dough when you're cooking the calzone).
8. Divide the mushroom and spinach mixture evenly between the 4 pizza bases and spread it out nicely.
9. Top with mozzarella, salt and pepper.
10. To make your calzone, carefully lift the far edge of the pizza dough and pull it over the top towards you--you basically fold it in half. Pinch the edges so none of the filling can spill out.
11. Place the calzones side by side on a floured baking sheet or pizza stone.
12. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes on the bottom of the preheated oven until the dough is puffed up and golden on top and the filling is hot.

Enjoy!