Healthier Lasagna with Ground Turkey, Peppers, & Mushrooms
This cozy classic is made healthier with a homemade sauce full of extra vegetables and ground turkey. Try my twist on lasagna for the perfect comforting but nutritious meal!
November 1, 2020
Lasagna is one of those classic comfort foods that is inherently good no matter how it’s prepared. How can you go wrong with layers of pasta, sauce, ricotta, and cheese?
Some may argue that the only thing “wrong” with lasagna is that it can be pretty fattening. Often with a rich beefy sauce and thick layers of cheese, it’s not exactly easy on the waistline. Sure, there are lots of other satisfying Italian favorites that may be healthier for you, but why settle for something else when you can just make lasagna a bit better for you! Enter, my Healthier Lasagna.
Homemade sauce
I loved subbing out a beef or pork-based sauce for lean ground turkey. You’ll barely notice this swap, especially if you make the homemade sauce! Plus, I’m always a fan of adding in extra vegetables when possible. This time I added onions, mushrooms, and red bell peppers. (Other good veggie options: spinach, zucchini, carrot,
If you have the time, homemade sauce is so worth it and makes a big difference in my opinion — I also like knowing exactly what goes in.
Of course, there’s always the option to use your favorite prepared sauce and just cook the ground turkey, onions, peppers, and mushrooms separately. Simply layer them on top of the sauce while assembling the lasagna.
For these photos, I made my tomato sauce the day before when I had more time. The sauce ingredients are everything that’s listed in my recipe below, minus the turkey, peppers, and mushrooms. The next day, I cooked onions, garlic, turkey, and the vegetables and layered them on top of the sauce when assembling the lasagna. (Described in Step 2 of the sauce instructions.)
Pasta Options
I decided to make my own pasta for this recipe, but you can obviously use your favorite boxed lasagna. I didn’t want to go to the store for gluten-free lasagna, so this was just an easier and cheaper option. To be honest, it felt even lighter and healthier since I could control the thickness of the noodles.
If you’re curious, making pasta is much easier than it sounds. All you need is egg and Italian 00 flour (you can use all-purpose). Knead it together, let it rest, and then roll it out with a pasta maker or rolling pin.
I love my Nevku pasta attachment for my Kitchenaid and highly recommend this product for the easiest pasta-making.
Homemade Pasta Recipe from Gimme Some Oven (This isn’t exactly what I do, but I’ll share my own recipe soon!)
**If you choose pre-made lasagna noodles, just follow the box instructions for whether or not to pre-cook them.
Assembling the Lasagna
For some reason, I feel like this step can get very confusing and isn’t always described well in recipes. I tried my best to make it clear and simple.
There’s always a thin layer of sauce on the bottom, and then a repeated series of layers until you run out.
Here’s how I picture it:
- Meat sauce on bottom
- Noodles, Ricotta, Mozzarella, Meat Sauce, Parmesan
- Noodles, Ricotta, Mozzarella, Meat Sauce, Parmesan
- Noodles, Ricotta, Mozzarella, Meat Sauce, Parmesan
With less cheese and extra veggies, I hope you enjoy my (slightly) healthier twist on a true comfort food classic.
Serve with a caesar salad or my Lemony Green Beans!
Healthier Lasagna with Ground Turkey, Peppers, and Mushrooms
Equipment
- 9x13 (or larger) baking dish
- large saucepan with lid
Ingredients
Homemade Sauce:
- 1/2 large onion, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, diced
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 lb lean ground turkey
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 8 oz. baby bella mushrooms, roughly chopped
- 1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
- 1 tbsp dried Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp white sugar
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
- splash of red wine
- fresh basil, chopped
Ricotta Mixture:
- 16 oz. ricotta, part skim
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley (or 1 tsp dried parsley)
- 1/2 tsp salt
Remaining Layers:
- 12-16 lasagna noodles (Gluten free, regular, or homemade. Follow package instructions for pre-cooking or leaving dry. For homemade noodles, leave them dry)
- 8 oz. shredded mozzarella
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
Instructions
For the sauce:
- Heat olive in a large saucepan on medium heat, add onion and garlic and cook until translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Sprinkle with kosher salt. Add the ground turkey, and sauté until cooked through. Add the bell pepper and cook until slightly softened. Then add the mushrooms, and cook until browned.
- Add the remaining sauce ingredients. Bring to a gentle boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 30 minutes (or more if you have the time) stirring occasionally.** If using already-prepared tomato sauce, simply cook turkey and veggies separately: Drizzle olive oil in a medium pan, cook onions and garlic. Season with salt. Add ground turkey and sauté until almost cooked through. Add peppers, cooking until soft. Then add mushrooms and cook until tender and brown.
Remaining layers & assembly:
- While meat sauce is simmering, combine ricotta, egg, parsley, and 1/2 tsp salt. Set aside.
- Layer 1 cup of meat sauce on the bottom of a greased 9x13 dish. Add 1 layer of noodles, then 1/3 of ricotta mixture, 1/3 mozzarella, 1/3 remaining meat sauce, and 1/3 parmesan cheese. Repeat this twice more until you run out of ingredients. Top with additional shredded cheese, if desired. ** If you have limited noodles, just make two layers.
- Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes at 375°. Uncover and bake for 25 minutes.
- Cool 10 minutes before cutting.