'Virgin River' Star Alexandra Breckinridge Has One Easy Recipe for Mini Lasagnas

You may know Alexandra Breckenridge for her role as Melinda “Mel” Monroe on Virgin River, but a recent Instagram post of hers will have you turning to her for dinner ideas too. The 42-year-old actress shared her recipe for mini lasagna Bolognese, and it looks equal parts simple and delicious.

“Homemade Bolognese mini lasagnas,” she captioned the video. It shows her preparing a batch of mini lasagnas, starring a shortcut meat sauce that she cooks in a single pot. The key to her recipe is an eight-cavity loaf pan (which appears to be the Wilton Perfect Results Non-Stick Mini Loaf Pan, as noted by one commenter). While a special pan is necessary to make these mini casseroles, you could always make this in a standard 9-inch by 13-inch pan, if you don't want to add to your kitchen collection.

The dish itself is really simple. She starts by sautéing a few basic veggies and beef in olive oil, then adds milk, white wine and store-bought tomato sauce. She then cooks a few lasagna noodles (in a shallow plate with water from a kettle instead of boiling a whole pot—genius!), trims them to fit the mini pans and layers them with the meat sauce, ricotta cheese and mozzarella cheese. Finally, she bakes them to gooey perfection. The tops and edges of the lasagna look extra crispy, which I chalk up to the special pan.

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Breckenridge’s fans may enjoy her occasional cooking videos (including this gingery fish dish and this chicken curry croissant sandwich), but they likely loved her first for her roles as Sophie on This Is Us, Jessie Anderson in The Walking Dead and Young Moira O’Hara in American Horror Story.

While you patiently wait for season six of Virgin River to drop, why not try Breckenridge’s mini lasagna? Get the full recipe below.

Ingredients

• Extra-virgin olive oil

• 1 small white onion, chopped

• 2 cloves garlic, chopped

• ⅔ cup carrots, diced

• ⅔ cup celery, diced

• 1 pound ground beef

• ½ teaspoon nutmeg

• 1 cup milk

• 1 cup white wine

• 2 cups tomato sauce

• 4 lasagna noodles

• Cooking spray

• Ricotta cheese

• Shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions

1. Coat the bottom of a large pot over medium heat with olive oil. Once hot, add the onion and sauté until translucent.

2. Add the garlic, carrot and celery. Sauté until slightly softened.

3. Add the ground beef and nutmeg to the pot. Break the meat up into small pieces with a spatula. (Breckenridge also uses a potato masher to break up the beef and mash it into the veggies.) Cook until brown throughout. (She doesn’t add salt or pepper, but if you feel inclined, I’d add them with the nutmeg.)

4. Add the milk and simmer. Add the wine and bring to a boil. Add the tomato sauce and simmer until the sauce thickens and partially reduces.

5. Add the lasagna noodles to a shallow plate or bowl. Top them with boiling water to cook them. Cut the noodles into rectangles according to the size of the mini pan’s cavities.

6. Grease the mini pan with cooking spray or oil. Add the cut noodles to the bottom of each cavity. Top them with the sauce, then a smear of ricotta, then a layer of mozzarella. Repeat, filling each cavity to the top.

7. Bake the lasagna in a 375°F degree oven until the cheese on top is melted and golden brown.

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