1. Headline
  1. Headline

Video: Time for dinner! Meaty lasagna and apple crisp

TODAY recipes
updated 1/19/2011 4:06:58 PM ET 2011-01-19T21:06:58

Looking for a hot, hearty meal that’s perfect for winter? Here, Chris Kimball shares his sizzling skillet recipes for Greek-style shrimp with tomatoes and feta, meaty lasagna and apple crisp.

Recipe: Greek-style shrimp with tomatoes and feta (on this page) Recipe: Skillet meaty lasagna (on this page) Recipe: Skillet apple crisp (on this page)

Recipe: Greek-style shrimp with tomatoes and feta

Ingredients
  • 1 1/2 pounds shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails left on, if desired (see note)
  • 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 3 tablespoons ouzo (see note)
  • 5 medium garlic cloves , minced or pressed through garlic press (about 5 teaspoons)
  • 1 teaspoon grated zest from 1 lemon
  • Table salt and ground black pepper
  • 1 small onion, diced medium (about 3/4 cup)
  • 1/2 medium red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and diced medium
  • 1/2 medium green bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and diced medium
  • 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomato, drained, 1/3 cup juices reserved (see note)
  • 1/4 cup dry white wine
  • 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh parsley leaves
  • 6 ounces feta cheese , crumbled
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill leaves
Preparation

This recipe works equally well with jumbo (16 to 20 per pound) or extra-large (21 to 25 per pound) shrimp, but the cooking times in step 3 will vary slightly depending on which you use. Serve the shrimp with crusty bread or steamed white rice.

1. Toss shrimp, 1 tablespoon oil, 1 tablespoon ouzo, 1 teaspoon garlic, lemon zest, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon black pepper in small bowl until well combined. Set aside while preparing sauce.

2. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in 12-inch skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion, red and green bell pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon salt and stir to combine. Cover skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables release their moisture, 3 to 5 minutes. Uncover and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until moisture cooks off and vegetables have softened, about 5 minutes longer. Add remaining 4 teaspoons garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add tomatoes and reserved juice, wine, and remaining 2 tablespoons ouzo; increase heat to medium-high and bring to simmer. Reduce heat to medium and simmer, stirring occasionally, until flavors have melded and sauce is slightly thickened (sauce should not be completely dry), 5 to 8 minutes. Stir in parsley and season to taste with salt and pepper.

3. Reduce heat to medium-low and add shrimp along with any accumulated liquid to pan; stir to coat and distribute evenly. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until shrimp are opaque throughout, 6 to 9 minutes for extra-large or 7 to 11 minutes for jumbo, adjusting heat as needed to maintain bare simmer. Remove pan from heat and sprinkle evenly with feta. Drizzle remaining tablespoon oil evenly over top and sprinkle with dill. Serve immediately.

Serving Size

Serves 4 to 6

Recipe: Skillet meaty lasagna

Ingredients
  • 3 (14.5-ounce) cans whole peeled tomatoes
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, minced
  • Salt
  • 3 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 1 tablespoon)
  • 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1 pound meatloaf mix
  • 10 curly-edged lasagna noodles (about 8 1/2 ounces), broken into 2-inch lengths
  • 2 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded (1/2 cup)
  • 1/2 ounce Parmesan cheese, grated (1/4 cup)
  • Ground black pepper
  • 3/4 cup ricotta cheese (see note)
  • 3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves
Preparation

1. Pulse the tomatoes with their juice in a food processor until coarsely ground and no large pieces remain, about 12 pulses.

2. Heat the oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring often, until softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the ground meat and cook, breaking apart the meat, until lightly browned and no longer pink, 3 to 5 minutes.

3. Scatter the pasta over the meat, then pour the processed tomatoes over the pasta. Cover, increase the heat to medium-high, and cook, stirring often and adjusting the heat to maintain a vigorous simmer, until the pasta is tender, about 20 minutes.

4. Off the heat, stir in half of the mozzarella and half of the Parmesan. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Dot heaping tablespoons of the ricotta over the noodles, then sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan. Cover and let stand off the heat until the cheese melts, 2 to 4 minutes. Sprinkle with the basil and serve.

Tips

Do not substitute no-boil lasagna noodles for the traditional, curly-edged lasagna noodles here. Meatloaf mix is a combination of ground beef, pork, and veal, sold pre-packaged in many supermarkets. If it's unavailable, use 1/2 pound each ground pork and 85 percent ground beef. We recommend using either whole milk or part-skim ricotta here, but do not use fat-free ricotta, which has a very dry texture and bland flavor.

Serving Size

Serves 4 to 6

Recipe: Skillet apple crisp

Ingredients
  • For the topping
  • 3/4 cup (3 3/4 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup pecans, chopped fine
  • 3/4 cup old-fashioned rolled oats (see note)
  • 1/2 cup (3 1/2 ounces) packed light brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup (1 3/4 ounces) granulated sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon table salt
  • 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
  • For filling
  • 3 pounds Golden Delicious apples (about 7 medium), peeled, cored, halved and cut into 1/2-inch-thick wedges (see note)
  • 1/4 cup (1 3/4 ounces) granulated sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
  • 1 cup apple cider
  • 2 teaspoons juice from 1 lemon
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Preparation

For the topping: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Combine flour, pecans, oats, brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and salt in medium bowl. Stir in butter until mixture is thoroughly moistened and crumbly. Set aside while preparing fruit filling.

For the filling: Toss apples, granulated sugar, and cinnamon (if using) together in large bowl; set aside. Bring cider to simmer in 12-inch oven-safe skillet over medium heat; cook until reduced to 1/2 cup, about 5 minutes. Transfer reduced cider to bowl or liquid measuring cup; stir in lemon juice and set aside.

Heat butter in now-empty skillet over medium heat. When foaming subsides, add apple mixture and cook, stirring frequently, until apples begin to soften and become translucent, 12 to 14 minutes. (Do not fully cook apples.) Remove pan from heat and gently stir in cider mixture until apples are coated.

Sprinkle topping evenly over fruit, breaking up any large chunks. Place skillet on baking sheet and bake until fruit is tender and topping is deep golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool on wire rack until warm, at least 15 minutes, and serve.

Tips

If your skillet is not oven-safe, prepare the recipe through step 3 and then transfer the filling to a 13 by 9-inch baking dish. Top the filling as directed and bake for an additional 5 minutes.

We like Golden Delicious apples for this recipe, but any sweet, crisp apple such as Honeycrisp or Braeburn can be substituted. Do not use Granny Smith apples in this recipe.

While rolled oats are preferable in the topping, quick-cooking oats can be substituted.

Serve the apple crisp warm or at room temperature with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

Serving Size

Serves 6 to 8

Discuss: What did you think of this recipe?

How many stars would you give the dish? If you made changes, tell us how you customized it.

Discussion comments

,

Most active discussions

  1. votes comments
  2. votes comments
  3. votes comments
  4. votes comments

More on TODAY.com

New
  1. Still in gear: Injuries don’t stop veterans on 100-day bike trek

    They knew their cross-country ride to raise awareness about veteran suicides would be hard. What they didn’t realize was how much their journey would rejuvenate them — even though it involved so much injury.

    5/25/2012 6:21:37 PM +00:00 2012-05-25T18:21:37
  2. Military women and suicide: Home safe but not sound

    Increased rates of suicide among females in the military — once out of harm's way — point to how deep and inescapable their emotional wounds can be.

    5/25/2012 6:23:41 PM +00:00 2012-05-25T18:23:41
  3. walltowallbicycleride.com
None
  1. Why is my dog afraid of going up and down the stairs?

    Dog trainer and behavior specialist Laura Garber, who helped TODAY’s Natalie Morales train her adopted dog, Zara, answers questions on how to stop your dog from running out the door, jumping on everyone, and more.

    5/25/2012 5:09:16 PM +00:00 2012-05-25T17:09:16
  2. Ryan Mcvay / Getty Images stock
None
  1. The man who covertly lived at AOL

    For two months late last year, entrepreneur Eric Simons toiled -- and squatted -- at the Palo Alto campus of America Online: eating, exercising, showering, laundering his clothes, and sleeping in dark nooks, all while trying to keep his life habits a secret.

    5/25/2012 1:42:25 PM +00:00 2012-05-25T13:42:25
None
  1. Frank Gunn / AP

    Did quitting 'Oprah' kill Oprah's reign?

    5/25/2012 4:22:27 PM +00:00 2012-05-25T16:22:27
None
  1. 50 shades of snot: The real reason stay-at-home moms are depressed

    A recent Gallup poll found that stay-home moms are more depressed than working moms. What, taking care of kids all day is hard? 

    5/25/2012 2:35:36 PM +00:00 2012-05-25T14:35:36
  2. 100940.000000 / Getty Images stock