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Skillet Vodka Sauce Lasagna

Closeup of vodka sauce lasagna topped with sliced basil in oven-safe dishes.
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This Skillet Vodka Sauce Lasagna has all the flavors you love in spicy vodka pasta and is easy to make in a skillet! It’s high in protein with over 54 grams of protein in each serving and is made with lean ground chicken and cottage cheese instead of ricotta.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 4 small / 55-57 grams Asian Red Shallots (or use a regular shallot/eschalots) – finely chopped
  • 6 cloves / 30 grams Garlic – minced
  • 1–9 pieces / 3-25 grams fresh Red Chilies grams fresh Red Chilies (optional – I used Thai Bird’s Eye red chilies but any variety will work, omit for milder dish – note 1*) – finely chopped
  • 1 ounce (about ⅓ cup / 28 grams freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese (or Parmesan cheese)
  • 9 ounces / 250 grams (12 pieces) Lasagna Noodles (use gluten-free lasagna noodles if needed) – broken into 3-4 pieces each
  • 1 teaspoon Olive Oil
  • 1.1 pounds / 500 grams Lean Ground Chicken (I used homemade minced chicken breast)
  • ½ TSP Kosher Salt (to season the chicken)
  • 1 tablespoon / 14 grams Unsalted Butter
  • 1–2 tablespoons / 15-30 grams Hot Calabrian Chili Pepper Paste/Sauce, to taste
  • 24-ounce jar / 680 grams Spicy Vodka Pasta Sauce (I used Carbone’s)
  • 2.25 cups (2 and ¼ cups) / 532ml Water
  • ½ teaspoon Kosher Salt, to taste
  • ½ teaspoon freshly cracked Black Pepper
  • ½ – 1.5 TSP ground Cayenne, to taste
  • ½ – 1.5 TSP Crushed Red Pepper Flakes, to taste
  • 1 teaspoon Smoked Paprika (hot or sweet – I used hot)
  • 2 cups / 66 grams Baby Spinach
  • ¾ cup / 200 grams Low-Fat Cottage Cheese (2%, or use 4% whole milk cottage cheese)
  • ¼ cup / 10 grams fresh Basil Leaves – finely sliced
  • ¾ cup / 84 grams shredded Low Moisture Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese (I used Tillamook Farmstyle Shreds)
  • To Serve: Sliced fresh basil or chopped parsley

Instructions

Prep:

  1. Prepare the fresh ingredients: Chop the shallots, garlic and red chilies (if using) as indicated in the ingredients section. Use a block grater to grate the Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. Break each lasagna noodle sheet into three or four pieces each.

Skillet Vodka Sauce Lasagna:

  1. Cook the chicken: Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a large deep edged skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground chicken and season with ½ teaspoon kosher salt. Cook for 3-4 minutes, breaking up the clumps with your spatula, until just cooked. Transfer to a clean bowl and set aside.
  2. Sauté the aromatics: Melt 1 tablespoon unsalted butter in the same pan over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and sauté until translucent about 40-50 seconds. Then add the garlic and chilies and sauté for another 30-40 seconds until fragrant.
  3. Add the Calabrian chili paste: Add the Calabrian chili pepper paste sauté for a minute to combine.
  4. Build the sauce: Add the spicy vodka pasta sauce, water, and all of the seasonings – remaining ½ teaspoon kosher salt, black pepper, ground cayenne, crushed red pepper flakes and smoked paprika. Stir to combine.
  5. Add the lasagna noodles: Add the broken lasagna noodles and evenly spread them out in the pan, making sure to submerge them in the sauce.
  6. Simmer: Bring the sauce up to a boil, then cover the pan and reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer for 10-13 minutes, uncovering to stir every 5 minutes (this is important) to prevent the lasagna noodles from sticking to the pan, until the lasagna is al-dente and tender.
  7. Mix in the cooked chicken: Add the cooked ground chicken and mix briefly to combine.
  8. Add the baby spinach: Add the baby spinach and mix until just starting to wilt – 1 minute.
  9. Add the cottage cheese: Stir in the cottage cheese until evenly combined – about 1 minute.
  10. Stir in the basil: Add the sliced basil and mix to combine.
  11. Top with cheeses: (OPTION 1) If you prefer not to switch on the oven, scatter the mozzarella and Parmigiano Reggiano cheese evenly over everything in the pan. Switch off the heat and cover the pan for 5 minutes to let the cheese melt. (OPTION 2) Alternatively, if you’d like the cheese to brown a little and become bubbly, place the pan (make sure it’s oven-safe) in the oven and broil for 3-4 minutes or bake at 375°F/190°C for 9-11 minutes. If making for meal prep, you can divide into individual meal prep dishes, then top evenly with the cheeses and broil.
  12. Serve: Let the lasagna cool for 5-10 minutes. Garnish with more sliced basil and serve.

Equipment

Notes

  1. Fresh Red Chilies. To make this milder and if dining with kids, leave out the fresh red chilies and use less Calabrian chili paste. You’ll still get a decent kick of heat from Carbone’s Spicy Vodka Sauce as it has Calabrian chili peppers incorporated. Also use less or omit the crushed red pepper chili flakes and ground cayenne. Opt for a sweet smoked paprika instead of a hot one.
  2. Nutritional information is approximate and will vary with ingredients substitutes and the brands you use. The nutrition information in the recipe card is based on dividing into 4 servings. If dividing into 5 servings, see the note on serving size in the post below.
  3. Check out the full article for ingredient notes and substitutions, storage and reheating, tips on customizing this recipe, and more!

Nutrition

Find it online: https://thatspicychick.com/skillet-vodka-sauce-lasagna/