Cool Lasagna

I like most anything with cheese and tomato sauce so Lasagna is a favorite of mine. I also do not like heating up the house on a hot July evening so Lasagna doesn't happen much in the summer. I just had a brain storm and figured out that you can actually make a presentable batch of Lasagna on the stove top in a frying pan with a good lid. Win/win situation!

Cool Lasagna
1 pound of ground beef, approximate
1 26-ounce jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce (my favorite is what's on sale that week!)
14 1/2 can diced tomatoes, drained
1 cup ricotta or cottage cheese (Your budget, your choice!)
1 egg
1 package no-boil lasagna noodles
1/2 cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
1 cup grated mozzarella cheese
1 cup frozen, chopped spinach, defrosted and the water squeezed out of it
1 teaspoon chili flakes

Fry the ground beef in a large frying pan or skillet until well-browned and crumbly. Drain off the excess fat. Add in half the jar of spaghetti sauce to the meat and stir in well. Spread the mixture evenly in the pan. Now, pour over the diced tomatoes and the spinach over the ground beef mixture. Sprinkle the grated Parmesan or Romano cheese over the diced tomatoes.

In a separate bowl, combine the ricotta or cottage cheese with the egg and spread this over the mixture in your frying pan. Top with a layer of the lasagna noodles.

Pour on the remainder of the spaghetti sauce and layer with the rest of the lasagna noodles. Bring to a boil and reduce to low and let simmer gently until lasagna is tender. This usually takes about 10-15 minutes depending on your stove top heat. Sprinkle on the chili flakes and the mozzaarella cheese. Cover and cook about 3 minutes or until the cheese is melted and serve.