I'm all for cutting corners in the kitchen. Don't get me wrong, I do love to cook but the way I see it, life's too short to do those mundane cooking steps you really DON'T have to do. Like...Making chicken broth from scratch (not necessary). Like bringing dried beans back to life (hello canned beans!) Like boiling and draining lasagna noodles.

I've tried those really thin no boil noodles that came out in the supermarket over a year ago, but they just aren't the same. Here's what you can do using the regular squiggly edge type lasagna noodles in your lasagna and SKIPPING the icky boiling step:

I first add a cup of bottled marinara sauce in the bottom of a 9 x 13-inch baking pan. Then I drizzle 1/4 cup of water over the sauce. Lay 3 uncooked noodles in the pan. Then add half of whatever filling layer you want to add topped with 1 more cup of marinara with 1/4 cup more water drizzled over the top. Lay 3 uncooked noodles down then add the remainder of the filling and top with 1 more cup of marinara drizzled with 1/4 cup of water. Lay 3 uncooked noodles down and top with your last cup of marinara and drizzle with 1/4 cup of water. You can sprinkle cheese over the top if you would like. Coat one side of a sheet of oil with canola cooking spray and lay it on top of the baking pan to cover it well. Bake in 400-degrees oven for 1 hours. Remove the foil and bake 10 minutes more.

This magical equation is my gift to you--You don't have to spend time boiling that water or steaming up your kitchen draining those noodles or burning your fingers trying to pull them out of the strainer. It's rather liberating and it sure adds one more reason to make lasagna this time of year (as if we need another reason!). And the best part? Today's lasagna leftovers become tomorrow's luscious lunch!

--Elaine Magee

Related Topics: Find a Recipe, Quick Healthy Recipes