Gosh I love this lasagna. It is a total spin on regular lasagna & I am ALL ABOUT IT. It is loaded with veggies & lean ground turkey, to balance out the creamy cheese sauce. It is a bit of a process to make lasagna but I promise it is well worth it. We ate this for days & still put half in our freezer for later!
White Turkey & Veggie Lasagna
1 box lasagna noodles
8 oz Italian cheese mix
Meat Filling
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp olive oil
1 pack sliced mushrooms
1 shallot, chopped
1.5 lbs lean ground turkey
1 cup frozen spinach
1 tbsp mince garlic
Red pepper flakes
Salt & pepper
Ricotta Filling
32 oz ricotta
1 egg
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp dried basil
Salt & pepper
Sauce
6 tbsp butter
1/2 cup flour
6 cups milk
8 oz Italian cheese mix
3 tbsp mince garlic
1 tsp dried basil
Dash of nutmeg
Salt & pepper
Start by making the meat filling. Heat butter & oil in a large pan and add in mushrooms and shallots, season well with salt & pepper. Cook down until mushrooms and shallots are soft, then add in ground turkey. Add in garlic, red pepper & season with more salt and pepper, cook until turkey is done. Add in spinach & cook until soft. Set mixture aside.
Preheat oven to 375 & boil lasagna noodles per boxes instructions (you want them al dente). While noodles cook, in a medium sized bowl, add all the ricotta mixture ingredients and set aside.
Next, to make the cheese sauce, melt the butter and add in flour. Allow the butter flour mixture (a roux) to brown slightly. Then add in milk & bring to a simmer, whisking constantly. Add in cheese mixture and whisk until sauce is smooth. Season with garlic, nutmeg, basil, salt & pepper.
Congrats, you have made it this far! Now it is time to assemble… in a casserole dish, place a spoonful of sauce in bottom to stop noodles from sticking to dish. Layer noodles, ricotta mixture, meat mixture, shredded Italian cheese, then sauce. Repeat & top with the rest of the Italian cheese.
Bake for 40 minutes then broil the top to brown up the cheese.
Serve! Enjoy! It will be worth it!
