2teaspooncrushed red pepperoptional (if you use arrabiata sauce be sure to watch heat-level)
Cheese layer
16ozricotta cheese
½cupparmesan cheesegrated/shredded
1teaspoonparsleychopped
1teaspoonbasilchopped
1egg
1-2cupsmozzarella cheeseshredded, for top of lasagna only
Noodle layer
16ozlasagna noodlesor no-boil noodles
1teaspoonolive oilif not no-boil noodles
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350; In a 13x9 casserole or similar baking dish, spray lightly with baking spray or lightly grease with olive oil.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. While you wait, begin on the layers below.
Sauce layer
On the stove in a large sauté pan, heat olive oil and add in onions. Stir and cook down until onions are translucent.
Add in the garlic and cook until starts to brown.
Then add in your turkey and cook until cooked through thoroughly.
Add in spinach until sautéed.
Add tomato sauce, paste, herbs, and spices. Mix until all is completely cooked through, about 4-6 minutes.
Set aside.
Noodle layer (if not non-boil)
Cook noodles for half the time directed on the package's instructions.
Drain in colander and transfer to a bowl. Add a little olive oil and loosely lay noodles out so they don't stick to each other while assembling lasagna
Set aside.
Cheese layer
Beat egg until fluffy and then blend in ricotta. Add Parmesan, parsley, and basil until combined.
Set aside.
Assembling
Begin layering by spreading small scoop of the sauce on bottom. Just sauce, no meat, in a thin layer.
Layer 1 full layer of noodles (about 3 to 4 noodles) in dish.
Layer the cheese mixture on top of the noodles in thin layer, using about ⅕ of mixture.
Then layer the meat and sauce mixture, using about ⅙ of mixture.
Repeat for a total of 5-6 full layers (mine is 5).
You'll finish the top layer with just noodles, sauce, and top with the mozzarella.
Bake
Loosely cover lasagna with the dishes lid or foil and bake for 30 minutes
Remove foil and finish for additional 15-20 minutes, cheese will begin to brown on top, don't let it burn.
Remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes before serving. You can top with freshly grated parmesan and herbs.
Notes
- Layering: Make sure you follow the steps in order so that your ingredients are ready and prepped for when you go to build the layers of the lasagna. Be sure to layer fairly thinly so that you can make plenty of layers (5-6).
- Sauce: The tomato paste can be very thick, so the water from the spinach helps to thin that out. If you don't use spinach in your recipe, it is probably wise to add a little water or broth to your sauce. - Herbs: if you don't have fresh herbs readily available, you can of course use your dried spices from the cabinet. Also, feel free to mix in some other herbs where needed or wanted. Anything to add to the overall flavor is great.
- Heat level: I use an arrabbiata sauce, which is already kind of a spicy sauce. So when it comes to adding the crushed red pepper I don't use as much as I would for like a plain marinara sauce. But we also love spicy, so the more heat for us the better. However, you can use a non-spicy sauce and also omit the crushed red pepper as well.
- Grease: yes, be sure you grease your pan thoroughly, this will ensure a clean pull out of the pan.
- Easy cutting: You can always make this ahead of time for a few hours or a few days. I like to make it a few hours before dinner, refrigerate, then slice with a large sharp knife for the cleanest cutting, wiping between cutting slices.
- Customize: Feel free to customize this recipe as you want. That's what makes it so great. I love mine with ground turkey and a lot of spice. However, my mom makes this as a vegan version for my sibling. You can mix up your protein, sauce, and herbs very easily.