Healthier Lasagna with Ground Turkey, Peppers, and Mushrooms
This cozy classic is made healthier with a homemade sauce full of extra vegetables and ground turkey. Try this twist on lasagna for the perfect comforting but nutritious meal!
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.