Turkey Lasagna/Lasagne

Turkey Lasagna

For reasons unbeknownst to me, I've always been compelled to spell everyone's favorite layered pasta dish as Lasagne, but I am often confused when everywhere else (e.g. frozen food boxes and recipes) I see it spelled Lasagna.  At first I thought it was just a weird, inexplicable compulsion, like how I'm always tempted to spell vinaigrette as vinIAgrette.

But thanks to this digital age, I did not have to wonder much longer.  According to a 2-second Google search, Lasagna refers to the single noodle while Lasagne is the plural form and correct Italian way to refer to the dish as a whole.  For whatever reason, Americans have adopted it as Lasagna.  

At least we didn't start calling it Lasagnas.  And at least we kept that "G" silent!  (Unlike Gyros which I won't even get into).

However you choose to spell it (or pronounce it), I think we can all agree that it's a darn good dish.   Usually I turn to Stouffer's to satisfy my "Lasagna" cravings, but since it's the New Year and I'm trying to put a healthy spin on what I eat, somehow I don't think Stouffer's fits into that agenda.

So rather than give up on my craving (never ideal), I decided to make my own healthy Lasagna.  From scratch.  

It was a lot easier than I expected.  Here's how it all went down.

Turkey Lasagna

(I'm spelling it "Lasagna" since it's probably more American than Italian at this point.)

Ingredients:

1 Box Whole Grain Lasagna Noodles

1 lb Ground Turkey

1 28-oz can Diced Tomatoes

1 can Tomato Paste

1 Onion (diced)

2 Cloves of Garlic (minced)

16 oz Ricotta Cheese or Cottage Cheese

1 c Grated Parmesan Cheese

Mozzarella Cheese to your heart's content

Optional:

1 tbsp Parsley (chopped)

1 tsp Red Pepper Flakes

2 tsp Fennel Seeds

Thyme, Basil, Bay Leaf

Make the sauce.  Sauté the ground turkey in some olive oil until slightly browned.  Add the onions and garlic and continue to sauté until soft.  Add the diced tomatoes and tomato paste.  If you want, add some herbs like thyme, bay leaf, or basil (I think I just added a bay leaf).  Simmer for as little as 15 minutes if you want a fresher tasting sauce or over an hour if you prefer deeper, more developed flavors.  Add water if it starts getting too thick.  Also add salt and pepper to taste.

Note:  I wanted to use Italian turkey sausage but I couldn't find any.  So instead, I made a paste in my mortar and pestle (a Christmas gift!) with some garlic, fennel, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper and mixed it into the ground turkey and let it sit overnight before cooking it.  This of course is optional and not necessary if you are short on time or patience.

Make the cheese filling.  Stir together 1/2 c Parmesan cheese and the ricotta cheese (or cottage cheese).  I used ricotta but I think I prefer cottage cheese (like Stouffer's).  Also, add the parsley if you like your food to look pretty like I do.  If your ricotta cheese is as bland as mine, you may also need to add generous amounts of salt and pepper. 

Boil the noodles, then drain.  Self-explanatory...

Now you pretty much know the drill.  Start with a little bit of sauce on the bottom of your baking dish and then layer in this order:  noodles, cheese filling, mozzarella cheese, sauce, repeat.    I divided everything into thirds, which gave me three layers.

Make sure to top with copious amounts of mozzarella cheese and the remaining Parmesan.

Bake anywhere between 350-400 degrees for 30 minutes or until golden and bubbly.  

And for the most challenging step of this whole process: allow to rest 5-10 minutes before cutting into it so it doesn't fall all over the place.

This will easily feed a family of 8 for a night or a family of two for a few days.  We ate this over a course of about 3-4 days.  It's a great meal to make on your day off and then reheat throughout the week.

oo,