Lasagna with Turkey Sausage

Oh friends, it's a doozy today. I don't know about you but oftentimes when I eat lasagna I am disappointed at the lack of flavor. Problem solved here! Instead of the traditional ground beef this recipe uses turkey sausage combined with a homemade marinara sauce and enough cheese to send it into the next orbit! Plus, I use no boil lasagna noodles. You will want to make this again and again. That may not be a great idea for your waistline but you get the idea. Feel free to substitute the turkey sausage with roasted eggplant or zucchini if you are vegetarian. It will still be delicious. I made this for dinner on Christmas but put it together on Christmas eve. All I had to do was throw it in the oven on Christmas day! If you make it ahead you will need to add an extra 15-20 minutes to the cooking time to allow for it coming right out of the refrigerator. I also made it in a disposable pan so when it was gone, so were my dishes! Happy dance. 

Lasagna with Turkey Sausage (adapted from foodnetwork.com)

2 T. extra virgin olive oil
1 large yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/4 lb. turkey sausage, casings removed
1 (28 oz.) can crushed tomatoes
1 (6 oz.) can tomato paste
1/4 c. fresh parsley, minced
1/2 c. fresh basil, chopped
Salt and pepper
15 oz. part skim ricotta cheese
4 oz. creamy goat cheese (I used herbed)
1 1/4 c. shredded Parmesan cheese, divided
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/2 lb. no boil lasagna noodles
2 c. (8 oz.) part skim shredded mozzarella cheese


Preheat the oven to 400.  Spray a 9X13 pan with cooking spray and set aside.  In a large saute pan heat the olive oil over medium high heat and add the onion.  Reduce the heat to medium and cook the onion for 5 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute.  Add the sausage and cook, stirring occasionally to break up the sausage, for 8-10 minutes until the sausage is no longer pink and is broken up into pieces.  Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, 2 T. parsley, the basil, 1 1/2 t. salt and 1/2 t. pepper.  Simmer uncovered for 15-20 minutes or until the sauce has slightly thickened.   

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl combine the ricotta, goat cheese, 1 c. Parmesan cheese, egg, remaining 2 T. parsley, 1/2 t. salt and 1/4 t. pepper.  Set aside.

Ladle 1/3 of the sauce into the prepared pan, spreading the sauce over the bottom of the pan.  Add the layers as follows:  1/2 of the pasta (overlap if necessary), 1/2 the mozzarella, 1/2 the ricotta mixture and 1/3 of the sauce.  Add the rest of the pasta, mozzarella, ricotta and sauce.  Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 c. Parmesan cheese on top and bake for 30-45 minutes or until the lasagna is heated through and bubbly.

8 servings (520 calories each serving) according to my calculator on loseit.com

I served this with garlic bread and caesar salad.