turkey lasagna

i love love love ina garten (the barefoot contessa). i love every recipe she creates, partly because they taste so delicious, and partly because it always seems like you spent hours making a dish that took about 25 minutes.

i’ve been on a recent red sauce/cheese/pasta kick, so on my search to find a new lasagna recipe, ina garten’s turkey lasagna immediately seemed like the best option. it’s a slight twist on something classic; turkey sausage instead of ground beef or turkey, goat cheese mixed with the normal ricotta, and a homemade sauce that was ready in less than five minutes. the actual recipe was incredibly quick to assemble, and it baked for only 30 minutes. i used whole wheat lasagna noodles instead of white pasta , and i added a little more salt and pepper than the recipe suggested. this is definitely a make again! 

turkey lasagna (recipe fromina garten, barefoot contessa family meals, or foodnetwork.com)

serves 6. (with some leftovers)

ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup chopped yellow onion (1 onion)
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 1/2 pounds sweet italian turkey sausage, casings removed
• 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes in tomato puree
• 1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, divided
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 pound lasagna noodles
• 15 ounces ricotta cheese
• 3 to 4 ounces creamy goat cheese, crumbled
• 1 cup grated Parmesan, plus 1/4 cup for sprinkling
• 1 extra-large egg, lightly beaten
• 1 pound fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced

directions:

preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. heat the olive oil in a large (10 to 12-inch) 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, fill a large bowl with the hottest tap water. add the noodles and allow them to sit in the water for 20 minutes. Drain.

in a medium bowl, combine the ricotta, goat cheese, 1 cup 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, 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. dig in. (i did right away and burned my mouth….)