For Lasagna, Who Needs Electricity? All You Need is the Sun!

I have told you about the great product called the Solar Hot Pot, and for those of you who live in places where there is an abundance of sun, like here is AZ, it will save a lot of money on your electric bills. I recently made a recipe called “Skillet Lasagna” that has been a family favorite for years, but instead of heating up the kitchen using the stove top, I thought I would try it in the Hot Pot on the pool deck and see if it would work.

In the morning I browned the Ground beef and onion (recipe is at the end of the post). Then I added half a jar (2 cups) of spaghetti sauce. Use your favorite brand, any one will work. I use sauce that I make and bottle here at home. After it is mixed in I put the meat mixture into the hot pot. Now this next step is different than the recipe but I then layered the cottage cheese, then the noodles (uncooked), and topped it with the Italian spices, the can of crushed tomatoes and the remainder of the spaghetti sauce.

I covered it and place it into the reflector that was set up on a table on our pool deck. Now I just had to watch it and rotate it to follow the sun about every 30-45 minutes. After 4 hours, I topped it with the shredded mozzarella cheese and let it cook for an additional 15-20 minutes or until the cheese has melted.

It turned out perfectly! The noodles were cooked to perfection and it tasted great.

If you don’t want to invest in a Solar hot pot, I have seen instruction online about how to make your own homemade version so try it out if you want to experiment before buying one. Although I promise, once you try it you will love it!

Here is the recipe for the Skillet Lasagna:

Skillet Lasagna
1 pound ground beef
¼ c. chopped onion
1 16oz can diced or crushed tomatoes
1 quart spaghetti sauce
1 ½ t Italian seasoning
12oz cottage cheese
2 c. uncooked egg noodles
16oz shredded mozzarella cheese

Brown beef and onion, then drain. Pour tomatoes and Italian seasoning over meat. Layer cottage cheese, noodles and spaghetti sauce over meat and tomatoes. Simmer, covered, for 20-25 minutes until noodles are soft. Last minutes, sprinkle cheese on until melted.

This is the site that I bought mine at:  www.solarovens.net/