Three Cheese Skillet Deliciousness

As the temperatures fall, my motivation for cooking rises.  Perhaps it's simply the coziness of the kitchen and the warmth of the oven that makes me want to spend more time in this room, fattening up the family for winter.  I've been dusting off my old recipe binder to make some of my winter go to recipes:  soups, stews, cookies, granola, and this delicious three-cheese skillet lasagna (via Martha Stewart)! Easy to make, even though it does keep you in the kitchen longer than my usual preferred maximum 10 minute prep time.

Ingredients

• 43 ounces canned whole peeled plum tomatoes (from a 28-ounce can and a 15-ounce can)
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 1/2 cups part-skim ricotta cheese, room temperature
• 1 box (12 ounces) no-boil lasagna noodles
• 1/2 pound fresh mozzarella, shredded
• 1/4 cup grated pecorino or Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a food processor, pulse tomatoes until coarsely pureed. In a large deep skillet, bring tomatoes, garlic, and oil to a boil. Season with salt and pepper. Reduce to a simmer and cook on medium until thickened, about 12 minutes (you should have 5 cups marinara sauce).
2. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, mix together egg yolk, ricotta, and 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper.
3. Carefully pour sauce into a heatproof bowl and return 3/4 cup to skillet; spread sauce evenly. Add a single layer of noodles, breaking them up to fit. Top with half the ricotta mixture, spreading evenly. Follow with a second layer of noodles, then 1 1/2 cups marinara. Add a third layer of noodles, then remaining ricotta mixture. Follow with a final noodle layer, then remaining sauce. Sprinkle mozzarella and pecorino over top.
4. Bake lasagna until golden and bubbling, 30 to 35 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

MY TIME SAVING HINT:  If you don't have time to make the marina with the plum tomatoes, you can simply use a box or two of POMI Marina or start with strained tomatoes and skip the food processor part.  POMI tomatoes are fantastic and I keep my cupboard stocked with them.  I try my best to stay away from canned goods (because of the PBA issue) and these are a great replacement to canned tomatoes, which happen to absorb higher amounts of PBA compared to other canned foods because of their acidity.  I used one box of strained tomatoes when I made this last week.  The recipe calls for more, but one box was fine.

Have a winter go to recipe to share?