Copycat Olive Garden Baked Lasagna Fritta with Annie's Homegrown Meals

I recently joined a fun online group called Influenster. They send you products and you review them. Simple, free, fun! My first VoxBox, as they call it, was a complimentary Annie’s Homegrown Freezer Meal from Target. I was staying with my parents so I stopped by their Target and checked out the freezer section.

My Target’s selection of Annie’s Homegrown freezer meals.

They carried 4 different varieties of freezer meals and I decided to go with Lasagna for my pasta lovin’ Dad.

The box is smaller than some of your typical family size freezer meal but don’t let the size fool you! Once we cooked it and saw how thick and rich it was, we knew it would be plenty (and it was!).

Since y’all know I have to create something fun with this lasagna and
not just bake and serve, I decided to make a version of my
favorite appetizer from Olive Garden: Lasagna Fritta. Olive Garden’s menu describes it as: Parmesan-breaded Lasagna pieces, fried and served over alfredo sauce, topped with Parmesan cheese and marinara sauce. Perfect for this thick, delicious lasagna and better yet most of the work was already done! I just had to bake it, then cut it up, bread it, and bake again until crisp. I changed it up a bit from Olive Garden and decided to bake instead of fry and I added fresh sauteed spinach. Trying to stay on the healthy side since this is a rich, decadent meal on it’s own 🙂

Overall, I was happy with the Lasagna from Annie’s Homegrown. I am weary of freezer meals but this one was flavorful,
rich, and tasted fresh not stale or dry. Bonus: you get your bang for a buck
because a little goes a long way and this lasagna is filling!

The recipe inspiration: Olive Garden’s Lasagna Fritta appetizer.

Ingredients:

Makes 3-4 entree servings

1 Frozen Family Size Lasagna (I used Annie’s Homegrown Lasagna with Meat Sauce 1lb 12 oz)
2-3 eggs, beaten (I used 2 but if you use a larger lasagna add another egg)
2 cups panko breadcrumbs
cooking spray
3-4 cups fresh spinach
olive oil, for saute
1 cup marinara sauce, heated
1 cup Alfredo sauce, heated
Parmesan cheese, grated for garnish
1 clove garlic, crushed
salt/ pepper, to taste

Directions:

Bake (or microwave) Lasagna according to package instructions. Let cool slightly.
Meanwhile preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.
Make a breading station with a bowl of beaten eggs and a bowl of panko breadcrumbs seasoned with salt and pepper.
Once lasagna has cooled enough for you to handle, cut into 8-9 squares.
Carefully lift out of container with a fork and gently dip in beaten egg, then panko. Make sure it is coated well in the panko.
Lay on baking sheet and repeat with remaining slices.
Once you have breaded all pieces spray the lasagna with cooking spray and bake for approx 8-10 minutes, or until browned.
While the lasagna bakes, heat a skillet over medium.
Add a swirl of olive oil and add spinach and garlic. Toss until sauteed and wilted, about 2-3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat.
To plate: add a couple spoonfuls of Alfredo to the center of a plate, top with a serving of sauteed spinach then add 2-3 slices of breaded lasagna. Top with a healthy drizzle of marinara sauce and a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese.
Serve with a side salad and garlic bread to make it a meal!

Try my Olive Garden Salad recipe.

Bake (or microwave) your frozen family size lasagna. Let cool slightly.

Make a breading station with a bowl of beaten egg and a bowl of seasoned panko.

Once the lasagna has cooled enough to touch, cut into about 8-9 squares.

Using a fork remove a square from the container and dip in egg then in panko, coating well.

Place breaded lasagna square on a greased baking sheet and repeat with remaining squares.

Spray squares with cooking spray and bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown.

In a skillet add a swirl of olive oil and add garlic and spinach. Saute over medium until wilted, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat.

Heat a bowl of marinara sauce and a bowl of alfredo sauce.

To plate: add a couple spoonfuls of Alfredo to the center of a plate,
top with a serving of sauteed spinach then add 2-3 slices of breaded
lasagna. Top with a healthy drizzle of marinara sauce and a sprinkling
of Parmesan cheese.

I served my Lasagna Fritta with a side salad and a slice of garlic bread. Using Annie’s Homegrown Lasagna in this recipe saved me time, dishes to clean, and I knew my family was getting a fresh, hearty organic meal.

* Get a $2 off Annie’s Homegrown Freezer Meal coupon here. *