What’s the best weeknight lasagna hack from the “Garfield” cookbook?

Garfield He is known for his love of lasagna. Garfield…Cattitude Recipe!In 2013, the Gooseberry Patch cookbook devotes an entire chapter to recipes for lasagna, pasta, and pizza. This would never make sense, aside from the fact that cats don’t eat much lasagna. Lasagna is also notoriously labor-intensive; I know this because I recently exhaustively tested an internet-famous lasagna recipe. And Garfield’s owner, Jon, who has been single for many years, isn’t known for being a great cook. There’s no way Jon would make all these lasagnas himself; he’d want something easier (or frozen).

for that, Garfield This cookbook offers several simple ways to make lasagna, for those who crave Garfield-style lasagna but don’t have John’s skill. Easy, budget-friendly techniques that anyone can follow. Even if you don’t realize that your Thanksgiving turkey needs at least three hours to thaw before you devour it. I tried three of these recipes, scaling down each to two servings, to find the best way to make John-style lasagna and eat it all like Garfield. The results were much better than expected.

Emergency Lasagna

“Emergency lasagna” requires no cutting or boiling. Here’s the idea: layer spaghetti sauce in a baking pan, then layer fresh refrigerated cheese ravioli, sprinkle with thawed frozen spinach, layer with shredded mozzarella, and drizzle with a few spoons of sauce. Then repeat, layering with cheese to finish. Cover this “lasagna” with foil and bake for about 20 minutes, then bake without foil for another 10 minutes, just like regular lasagna, until browned on top. To make it even easier, I baked it in my air fryer.

In theory, the idea is genius: ravioli are essentially layers of lasagna. Incredibly easy and quick to make, this method is also perfect for emergency lasagna cravings. You can whip it up for a late-night munchie without making any noise or putting dishes in the sink that will upset your roommate (or agitate your hungry cat). That said, there is still room for improvement in this recipe: layering the ravioli made it a bit thick and soggy, and even with the melted cheese between the layers, I wanted more creaminess from the ricotta filling.

Did this make you crave lasagna? Not at all; I was pretty self-conscious about eating ravioli. Still, it’s hard to argue with the ease (and fun of stacking the ravioli like Jenga), so if you’re already prone to buying ravioli and sauce, this easy way might be the answer to making the switch. Note: As with real lasagna, I found the leftovers to taste a bit better. (You’ll find a similar recipe at Two Peas & Their Pod; just add spinach.)

Bachelor-Style Skillet Lasagna

In terms of effort, this “bachelor-style” recipe is as easy as emergency lasagna. (Which is more work: thawing and draining spinach or browning ground beef?) Brown half a pound of ground beef in one skillet, then add one can of soup and half a can of diced tomatoes. Toss the liquid with a handful or cup of fresh rotini. Cover and simmer for 12 minutes or so, then stir in shredded mozzarella. Top with grated Parmesan and your “lasagna” is ready.

I’ve made “skillet lasagna” before, but when I used lasagna sheets, it ended up with disappointing results: the noodles were undercooked and the sauce was wet and not emulsified, so I’m always skeptical of truly one-pot pasta recipes. But this recipe worked, and I was happy that the noodles were even a little softer. All in all, it was a very satisfying pasta dish.

However, using the same success criteria as the Emergency Lasagna recipe, I’m not sure this satisfies a lasagna craving. The cheese blends into the sauce and doesn’t give me the cheese pull I want in a lasagna, and, to be nit-picky, the sauce is thinner than I want in a lasagna. This method is pretty good, but I felt it was better suited to a Hamburger Helping craving than a lasagna craving. (A similar recipe can be found at The Country Cook.) Garfield Omit the chopped onion and garlic in this recipe.

Bowtie Lasagna

The pressure was on: this was the most labor-intensive and cook-intensive dish. Garfield A lasagna hack from a cookbook. First, boil a handful or cup of bowtie noodles. Then saute the remaining pound of ground beef and chopped onion and mix with a jar of pizza sauce. Next, add the boiled noodles and a small container of cottage cheese. Place this in a baking dish, top with shredded mozzarella, and cook, uncovered, until charred (again, made in the air fryer). Are these extra steps and extra dishes worth it?

of Garfield After reading the cookbook, my expectations were pretty high. To my delight, these lasagna hacks, in fact, worked. But this recipe was the best. The noodles cook perfectly, making it easier to create the perfect texture than other recipes. The pizza sauce is delicious and rich. The cottage cheese gives it the creamy dairy you expect from the ricotta or béchamel in authentic lasagna, while the mozzarella layer on top creates a crunchy, lasagna-like crust.

Yes, I’m happy to say that this recipe is as satisfying as lasagna. This realization led me to a bit of existential contemplation: Why spend the time and money on a massive lasagna? A bachelor’s approximation will do. If I’m making it for a crowd or someone I want to impress, I’d definitely choose the former. But if I’m just cooking for myself and suddenly have a craving for lasagna, bow-tie lasagna is the way to go. (A similar recipe can be found at Gooseberry Patch.) Garfield Just like in the cookbook, all you need is diced tomatoes, water, and pizza sauce instead of tomato paste.

Winner: Bowtie Lasagna

I ditched my usual bachelor-style approach to recipe testing and gave a generous serving to my partner, who agreed with me and, to my surprise, even thought my bow-tie lasagna hack was just as tasty as the real thing I’d tested in the past — and way better than frozen lasagna.