Turkey Sausage and Spinach Lasagna




Our first lasagna recipe we've made together - can you believe it? The photos don't really do the meal justice. Michael's mom made a really great lasagna dish over the holidays that didn't require cooking the noodles ahead of time first. We may be posting that one soon too.

So we haven't quite racked up on a broad variety of cooking dishes yet. You should be able to put this meal all in one dish, but we had to split it into our only two small baking dishes. It was actually kind of fortunate because we ended up freezing one and reheating it the next week. You could really even double it, make a ton, and freeze some. It still super tasty reheated and you will be very grateful on a crazy weeknight when all you have to do is zap it to reheat! Recipe modified from Eating Well. Serves 10. Takes about 2 hours to make - so plan ahead. You can also make steps 1-5 ahead of time (up to a day).

Ingredients

  • 8 ounces whole-wheat lasagna noodles
  • 1 1/4 pound lean spicy Italian turkey sausage, casings removed
  • 8 oz. package sliced mushrooms
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 2 10 oz. packages chopped, frozen spinach, thawed
  • 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes, preferably chunky
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, to taste
  • 2 cups part-skim ricotta cheese, divided
  • 2 cups part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
  2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add noodles and cook until not quite tender, about 2 minutes less than the package directions. Drain; return the noodles to the pot, cover with cool water and set aside.
  3. Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium-high heat. Add sausage; cook, crumbling with a wooden spoon, until browned, about 4 minutes.
  4. Add mushrooms and water; cook, stirring occasionally and crumbling the sausage more, until it is cooked through, the water has evaporated and the mushrooms are tender, 8 to 10 minutes.
  5. Squeeze spinach to remove excess water, then stir into the pan; remove from heat.
  6. Mix tomatoes with basil, salt and pepper in a medium bowl.
  7. To assemble lasagna: Spread 1/2 cup of the tomatoes in the prepared baking dish. Arrange a layer of noodles on top, trimming to fit if necessary. Evenly dollop half the ricotta over the noodles. Top with half the sausage mixture, one-third of the remaining tomatoes and one-third of the mozzarella.
  8. Continue with another layer of noodles, the remaining ricotta, the remaining sausage, half the remaining tomatoes and half the remaining mozzarella. Top with a third layer of noodles and the remaining tomatoes.
  9. Cover the lasagna with foil and bake until bubbling and heated through, 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes. Remove the foil; sprinkle the remaining mozzarella on top. Return to the oven and bake until the cheese is just melted but not browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

22 comments:

Karine said...

That is my kind of pizza! It looks delicious :)

Chef E said...

I have not had lasagna in a while and this looks great...I always have room for pasta!

I have to make this soon...

Mary Bergfeld said...

You have another winner here. This looks wonderful.

3 hungry tummies said...

That looks like a one big satisfying meal!

Gloria Baker said...

Dears this look absolutely tasty and yummy, really I love it, and the pictures are georgeous! xx gloria

grace said...

this lasagna debut is amazing. i personally believe that some type of sausage should be incorporated into pretty much every pasta dish, so bravo. :)

pam said...

It's 8:30 in the morning and I'm craving lasagna!

Barbara said...

Nice recipe, especially because it's healthier than most lasagnas! Looks delicious too. Kudos!

Dee said...

This looks delicious. I believe it looks much healthier than most. Bravo!!

Kathleen said...

I'm bookmarking this one. I love that its got healthier ingredients. Lasagna is one of my fav's but I always feel a wee bit guilty after having it!

Inspired by eRecipeCards said...

wow.. that is so different looking, but totally appealing when you read the recipe ;;;love this

Rose said...

Lasagna NEEEVER photographs well for me! Yours looks (and sounds) amazing. I'll put it on our list to try!

Kerstin said...

Lasagna is so perfect in the winter and this looks delicious!

Ivy said...

Lovely ingredients in your lasagna dish. Great idea to use turkey sausages.

The Duo Dishes said...

Freezing it is the best way to go. You can have it anytime you want. Looks good enough to triple for that reason!

Debbie said...

That looks like a delicious lasagna. I use the no cook noodles and they are so easy to work with.

Cookin' Canuck said...

This looks fantastic! I like the mixture of veggies that you included.

Sam Hoffer / My Carolina Kitchen said...

Lovely lasagna. It would be perfect for the rainy weather we're having here in Florida.
Sam

Conor @ HoldtheBeef said...

Excellent non-traditional lasagne!! It's such a good reheating dish, perfect to stick in the freezer for lazy nights or to take into work and annoy your colleagues with delicious smells.

(lol, the word verification word was "suckiest")

Leslie said...

I think it is a fine photo! Looks delish

Chef Jeena said...

Fabulous lasagne it looks so appetizing.

Chats the Comfy Cook said...

I think it looks delicious. I was going to make something like it tonight until I happened on a potato lasagna and I had to try it. I will post it soon. Just too tired to type it up, tonight.

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