Five minute lifesaver lasagne

A delicious meal that’s faster to make than to eat!

Perhaps you are familiar, like me, with the frustration of spending an hour (or more) making a meal, only to have your family inhale it what feels like seconds? I love this recipe because it can be made almost as quickly – truly in just five minutes – as it gets eaten. You can use homemade or store-bought sauce; with or without meat. And here’s a tip: next time you make homemade sauce, especially a vegetarian one, add a handful of dry red lentils to the cook in with the mixture for protein boost – picky kids (or husbands) won’t even notice them.

Ingredients

• 3 cups (375 mL) pasta sauce
• 1/2 cup (125 mL) water
• 1 lb (454 g) package of fresh or frozen ravioli or tortellini – any flavour you like
• 1 lb (454 g) container ricotta cheese
• 1 cup (250 mL) grated mozzarella

Directions

• Spread a thin layer of the pasta sauce in the bottom of an 8 x 8 baking dish.
• Drizzle 2 tablespoons (30 mL) of water over the top (you’ll need the extra liquid to cook the ravioli)
• Arrange some of the ravioli on top in a single layer.
• Top with half the ricotta, followed by a layer of sauce and 2 more tablespoons of water.
• Repeat the ravioli, ricotta, sauce and water layers.
• Top with one more layer of ravioli, one more layer of sauce and water, then sprinkle mozzarella over top. Cover dish with a lid or foil.
• Bake 30 mins at 375F, remove cover and bake 5 minutes more. If using frozen ravioli, increase initial cooking time by 5 minutes.

Serves 4.