Lasagna

To preface this, please let me mention that I am in no way Italian....do I love Italian food? Yes. Do I enjoy cooking Italian food? Heck yes! So, with that said, I am now going to divulge my own lasagna recipe.  I use no-boil pasta....To which all my Italian friends gasp! But I have to say, if you make this the night before, the no-boil noodles taste as great as the boiling ones without all the hassle of noodles sticking together as they boil.

Ingredients
1 T olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 lb ground turkey
1 large can of marinara sauce (or crushed tomatoes)
1 big handful of fresh basil, chopped
1/2 box Trader Joe's No-Boil Pasta
15 oz fat free ricotta
1/2 Cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg
salt & pepper
2 Cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions

• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. 
• Heat olive oil in a large pan on medium-high heat. Add chopped onions and garlic, and saute until the onions start to get translucent (3-4 minutes).

• Meanwhile, mix the ricotta, egg, Parmesan, salt and pepper in a bow. Put aside for later.

• Once the onions and garlic have softened, add your ground turkey and gently separate the meat with the back of a spoon and cook until the meat is no longer pink. (about 10 minutes)

• Once the meat has cooked, add the can of tomatoes/marinara sauce and cook until warmed through or until your ready to assemble the lasagna. When you're ready to assemble, turn off the heat and add your chopped basil.

• Set up a nice BIG work station with plenty of room to assemble your ingredients.  I like to use a large baking dish, but you can divide your lasagna if you want to give some away or freeze it in smaller portions.

• And thus begins the layering process....Start with a few ladles of the sauce, then add a layer of noodles, then a layer of the cheese mixture, then noodles, then sauce, then cheese, then noodles, and so on.  I like to end with a sauce layer, while others like to end with a noodle layer. Whatever you like, that's what you should do! 

 

• Top the whole thing off with as much shredded mozzarella cheese as you like.
• Let the lasagna rest for at least a half an hour (for the sauce to really get into the noodles) or covered in the fridge overnight.
• Bake for 40-50 minutes (30 minutes covered with aluminum foil, the rest of the time uncovered) or until the top is nice and brown.
• Sprinkle some extra basil on top for a nice presentation, let it rest for at least 5 minutes to cool, slice, and eat!