Reprinted from Start Fresh: Your Child’s Jumpstart to Lifelong Healthy Eating by Tyler Florence. Copyright (c) 2011 by Tyler Florence. By permission of Rodale, Inc.

“As far as I’m concerned, this recipe is worth the price of the book — it’s that good and that easy. You’ve probably spent hours making lasagna, cooking the sauce, noodles, and filling separately, carefully layering in the ingredients, only to find, when you serve it up, that it looks nothing like the perfect squares you envisioned. This version is all about flavor — who cares what it looks like? It requires just one pan and takes about 25 minutes to make, start to finish. I’m not going to give away any more than that. Just try it. You’ll never make a traditional lasagna again.”

Photo by John Lee

Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 pound lean ground grass-fed beef

1 can (28 ounces) whole peeled tomatoes, preferably San Marzano

4 baby carrots, scrubbed

1 small yellow onion, cut into wedges

1 garlic clove, thinly sliced

1 cup organic chicken stock

½ cup part-skim ricotta cheese

3 ounces fresh spinach leaves, stems removed and coarsely chopped

4 lasagna noodles, broken into 1½-inch pieces

4 ounces fresh mozzarella, cubed

Preheat the oven to 400°F. In a large, ovenproof skillet, heat oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add the beef and cook, breaking up with a wooden spatula, until the meat has browned (five to seven minutes).

Meanwhile, combine the tomatoes, carrots, onion and garlic in a food processor and chop until coarsely ground — but not completely smooth. When the meat is browned, pour off any accumulated fat.

Add the tomato mixture, stock, ricotta and spinach and combine thoroughly. Bury the lasagna noodles in the sauce, and sprinkle the mozzarella evenly over all. Bake the lasagna uncovered until the cheese is melted and bubbling, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and let stand uncovered for 10 minutes. Serve warm.

Enough for four to six adults, or eight kid servings