Lasagna Sloppy Joes

All the flavor of traditional lasagna with a fraction of the effort to make it! These Lasagna Sloppy Joes are the perfect way to get you lasagna fix any night of the week!

Thanks to O Organics® and the Healthy Aperture Blogger Network for sponsoring this post. As always all opinions are my own.

One of my favorite Italian meals is lasagna. I absolutely love all those layers of pasta, meat sauce and cheese! I always think of lasagna as a special occasion meal because quite frankly it’s a time consuming pain in the rear to make. Unless it’s someone’s birthday, anniversary or a special holiday you won’t see me slaving over this dinner. So, how’s a girl supposed to get her lasagna fix when she’s too lazy to make the real thing? Lasagna Sloppy Joes of course!

I have to say I’m pretty proud of how well these Lasagna Sloppy Joes turned out. I knew the recipe was a keeper because even my husband let out a “mmmm!” when he took his first bite, then proceeded to tell me how good it was as he inhaled the rest of it. It takes a lot for me to get a reaction like that from this man. I usually have to ask what he thinks of the meal if I want any type of critique.

So what’s so great about these Lasagna Sloppy Joes? First, they’re far easier to make than a traditional lasagna and they still have all the flavor that you expect. There’s plenty of meat sauce to pile onto toasted garlic bread and then my favorite part, the ricotta, is piled on top with melted mozzarella cheese to finish it off. I kept these sloppy joes open-faced so I could stick them under the broiler and have all that melted cheese on top like you have with traditional lasagna. This is more of a fork and knife sloppy joe because you’re gonna want to pile everything extra high on that garlic bread!

Generally when I make lasagna or a meat sauce I use ground turkey, but this time I used ground beef. Beef isn’t something I eat a whole lot of, but every once in a while I get a craving for it. When I do use it, I stick to a good quality organic grass-fed beef, such as O Organics® lean ground beef. I think a lot of people are still under the impression that in order to get quality organic products you have to go to a specialty grocery store or that the product they’re looking for isn’t available organic. Luckily the local Safeway and Albertsons stores here in the Denver area not only carry the O Organics® grass-fed ground beef I needed, but the baby spinach, shredded mozzarella cheese and over 300 other organic items. Everything from produce to cereals and snacks, and wholesome dairy and meat. They’re even adding over 100 new items this year! O Organics® makes it easy to add organic items to any meal without the hassle of driving all over town looking for something then having to pay a ridiculous amount of money for it.

The next time you get a craving for lasagna and don’t feel like spending hours making it, try these easy Lasagna Sloppy Joes instead! I can almost guarantee they’ll become a family favorite. Enjoy!

Lasagna Sloppy Joes

Yield: 6 sandwiches

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

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Ingredients

Meat Sauce

• 1 pound O Organics® Grass-Fed Lean Ground Beef
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried Oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• Kosher salt and black pepper to taste
• 1 1/2 cups marinara sauce
• 2 cups O Organics® Baby Spinach

Other Ingredients

• 6 slices whole wheat artisan bread
• Olive oil
• 1/2 of a clove of garlic
• 1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese
• 3/4 cup part skim ricotta cheese
• 3/4 cup O Organics® Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
• Chopped fresh basil for garnish (optional)

Instructions

Meat Sauce

1. Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat.
2. When the skillet is hot add in the ground beef and crumble.
3. Add in all of the spices and season with kosher salt and black pepper.
4. When the beef is cooked all the way through, remove it from the skillet onto a plate lined with paper towels to drain the excess fat.
5. Remove the fat/grease from the skillet and wipe clean with a paper towel.
6. Turn the heat down to medium and add in the marinara sauce and baby spinach.
7. Cook the sauce until the spinach wilts then add the cooked ground beef back in.
8. Stir everything together until it's combined and warmed through.

Assembling the Lasagna Sloppy Joes

1. Preheat oven to broil.
2. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray and lay the slices of bread on it.
3. Brush the tops of the bread with a little olive oil or spray them with cooking spray.
4. Place the baking sheet in the oven and broil until golden brown.
5. Remove the bread from the oven and immediately rub the top with the cut side of the half clove of garlic.
6. Sprinkle the parmesan cheese evenly over the tops of the bread.
7. Spoon some of the meat sauce onto the tops of each piece of bread and top with the ricotta and mozzarella cheese.
8. Place back in the oven and broil until the mozzarella cheese is melted.
9. Sprinkle with fresh chopped basil, kosher salt and black pepper if desired and serve immediately.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 387 Total Fat: 17g Saturated Fat: 7g Trans Fat: 0g Unsaturated Fat: 7g Cholesterol: 88mg Sodium: 773mg Carbohydrates: 24g Fiber: 3g Sugar: 5g Protein: 33g