Ashley's Turkey & Spinach Lasagna

I grew up hating lasagna. Weird, right? People would ask me what my least favorite food was, and I'd always say raisins and lasagna. Now it'd probably be goat cheese (gasp!)

I realized later in life that it wasn't fresh homemade lasagna I didn't like, it was the yucky frozen kind from the store. Sure, those are good for quick family meals, and I don't hate them now, but after trying my mom's homemade lasagna later in life, I was hooked. Tonight I decided to make up my own lasagna recipe, and man was it GOOD.

Servings: 6-8

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. Ground turkey
• 1 28 oz can Crushed Tomatoes
• 1 cup Dry white wine
• 1 small-medium Onion, chopped
• 3-4 cloves of Garlic, finely chopped
• Olive oil
• Fresh Parsley, chopped
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning
• 9 Lasagna noodles (use whole wheat noodles for a healthier option)
• 1 large handful fresh Spinach, chopped
• 1 cup Ricotta cheese
• 2 cups Mozzarella cheese
• Grated Parmesan cheese (for sprinkling on top)

Preparation:

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. When water comes to a boil, throw in your lasagna noodles and cook according to the box directions. Drain when done.

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.

While you're bringing your water to a boil, start making the tomato sauce:

Heat up a tablespoon or so of olive oil in a large saucepan. On medium-high heat, add the chopped onions and garlic and cook until the onions are translucent (about 5 minutes). 

Pour in the white wine and let reduce to about half (3-4 minutes). Pour in the can of crushed red tomatoes and heat until sauce begins to bubble. Reduce heat to low and mix in the fresh chopped parsley and italian seasoning. Simmer on low for another 3 minutes and set sauce aside.

       Finished Sauce

Cook ground turkey thoroughly while the sauce is simmering. When the turkey is done cooking, and the sauce is complete, pour the sauce into the turkey to create a turkey meat sauce mixture. 

Mix together the ricotta cheese and chopped spinach in a separate bowl.

In a greased oven-safe dish, place 3 of the lasagna noodles next to each other, covering the bottom of the dish. Add 1/3 of the ricotta/spinach mixture and spread evenly on top of the noodles. On top of the ricotta mixture, evenly add 1/3 of the turkey and sauce mixture. Top this layer with mozzarella cheese. Add 3 more lasagna noodles and repeat this process until all ingredients are used. Your last layer will be a spread of mozzarella with a sprinkling of grated parmesan cheese.

Put your lasagna in the oven for 25 minutes. It should be bubbling from the bottom when done. Let cool for 5 minutes, and serve!


Tips: If your'e making this for a large group you can cook this the night before and stick it in your fridge. The next day all you need to do is throw it in the oven!