Rx Recipes: Lazy Day Lasagna

A cheap, quick, and easy recipe for those days when you just don’t feel like cooking

Recipe by Ryan McDaniel | Published February 13, 2024

Our Rx Recipes series explores recipes provided by faculty, staff, students, and alumni of the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy. Ryan McDaniel, Assistant Director of Alumni Engagement, brings you this cheap, quick, and easy recipe for those days when you just don’t feel like cooking.

Ingredients:
1 can Chef Boyardee ravioli (beef or cheese)
1 16-oz tub of cottage cheese
1 16-oz bag of shredded mozzarella cheese
Sliced mozzarella cheese (optional)

Directions:

1. If using an oven or toaster oven, pre-heat to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
2. Grease an oven/microwave safe bowl or ramekin
3. Place a layer of ravioli to cover the bottom of the dish
4. Add a layer of shredded mozzarella cheese, completely covering the ravioli
5. Add a layer of cottage cheese, completely covering the mozzarella cheese
6. Repeat the layers in the same order until the dish is full
7. Finish with a layer of shredded mozzarella. Optional: finish with a layer of sliced mozzarella
8. Oven or toaster oven: Cook until the top layer of cheese is melted and the food is hot all the way through (about 8 minutes); broil until top layer of cheese is golden-brown (about 2 minutes)
9. Microwave: Microwave until the top layer of cheese is melted and the food is hot all the way through (about 90 seconds – 2.5 minutes)

This recipe comes to us from Ryan McDaniel, Assistant Director of Alumni Engagement at the School. Ryan got this recipe from his mom, who worked as a fourth-grade teacher; as far as he can tell, she invented it. Having grown up in Wisconsin, Ryan appreciates the high dose of cheese this recipe offers. “It is by no means a healthy recipe,” Ryan admits. “But it’s easy, quick, cheap, and hearty. It’s comfort food that you can throw together in a matter of minutes.”

At the School, Ryan runs Carolina Pharmacy, including Unscripted, the weekly newsletter and social media, as well as coordinates alumni events and volunteer opportunities, including the Pharmacy Alumni Association Advisory Council, a group of alumni tasked with advising the Dean of the School on important topics. He enjoys connecting with alumni and students alike. “I’m constantly impressed with the level of enthusiasm our alumni show for the work the School is doing, and for the insightful input and feedback they provide,” Ryan says. “And the students show an outstanding level of drive, passion, and grit, which is inspiring.”

Outside of work, Ryan might be seen performing with local theatre companies, lifting weights at the gym, or hiking the trails around the Triangle. His favorite activity is traveling to new countries and destinations. He and his wife, Kelly, run a YouTube channel, Watch Us Wander, which chronicles their travels. “I was bitten by the travel bug at age 8, when my family traveled to Italy, and I’ve had wanderlust ever since,” Ryan recalls. “There’s nothing quite like meeting people from other countries, other cultures, to really instill the understanding that (for lack of a better term) ‘people are people’ no matter where you are in the world.”

Thank you, Ryan, for sharing the recipe!