Da Bomb Turkey Lasagna Recipe

Turkey Lasagna is comfort food at its finest. Where the “frugal” comes in is with the quantity that this makes. You can basically eat off it for a week. You will note, that is a common theme with my recipes. I’m a busy working girl and I do a lot of cooking on the weekends and love the leftovers. It is great because you can make it ahead of time and eat off it for days. And, of course, always buy the key ingredients when they are on sale.

It started as a Food Network recipe from Ina, the Barefoot Contessa, but I modified it as I always do. When I made it for weekend guests it was so good they actually wanted it for breakfast the next morning. Absolute true story.

Here is my yummy version.

Prep Time: 50 min
Bake Time 30 min
If you make the day before as I did, remove from refrigerator and let set 1 hour to room temperature before heating.

Turkey Lasagna Recipe Ingredients:

* 3 tablespoons olive oil
* 1 cup chopped yellow onion (1 onion)
* 3 garlic cloves, minced
* 1 1/2 pounds sweet Italian turkey sausage, casings removed. I used Jennie-O.
* 1 1/2 pounds Ground Turkey with Italian Seasonings (could replace with more sweet Italian Turkey Sausage)
* 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes in tomato puree
* 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes with basil and garlic
* 2 (6-ounce) cans tomato paste
* 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, divided
* 2 teaspoons sea salt
* 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* 1 pound lasagna noodles (I didn’t need quite the whole pound, but this allowed for the few that always break during cooking)
* 32 ounces ricotta cheese
* 1 1/2 cup grated Parmesan, plus 1/2 cup for sprinkling (I used the Sorrento chredded in bag)
* 2 extra-large egg, lightly beaten
* 1 pound mozzarella (I used Sorrento shredded, but you could use fresh mozzarella thinly sliced)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes over medium-low heat, until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the sausage and cook over medium-low heat, breaking it up with a fork, for 8 to 10 minutes, or until no longer pink. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, 2 tablespoons of the parsley, the basil, 1 1/2 teaspoons of the salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Simmer, uncovered, over medium-low heat, for 15 to 20 minutes, until thickened.

Meanwhile, cook noodles as directed. Drain. In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta, 1 1/2 cups of Parmesan, the egg, the remaining 2 tablespoons of parsley, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Set aside.

Ladle 1/3 of the sauce into a 9 by 12 by 2-inch  rectangular baking dish (my pan was a bit largerd), spreading the sauce over the bottom of the dish. Then add the layers as follows: half the pasta, half the mozzarella, half the ricotta, and one 1/3 of the sauce. Add the rest of the pasta, mozzarella, ricotta, and finally, sauce. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup of Parmesan. Bake for 30 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling.

Enjoy this delicious Turkey Lasagna recipe from Living Frugal Tips.