Turkey Lasagna

🥘 Ingredients

• extra-virgin olive oil 1 tablespoon
• garlic 6 cloves
• ground turkey 1 pound
• white onion 1
• kosher salt 1 teaspoon
• crushed tomatoes 28 ounce
• tomato paste 6 ounce
• tomato sauce 15 ounce
• water ½ cup
• pure maple syrup 1 tablespoon
• fresh basil ¼ cup
• italian seasoning 2 teaspoons
• dried oregano 2 teaspoons
• whole fennel seeds 1 teaspoon
• red pepper flakes ½ teaspoon
• nutmeg ¼ teaspoon
• salt 1 teaspoon
• freshly ground black pepper
• lasagna noodles 10
• part skim ricotta 15 ounce
• egg 1
• fresh basil leaves ¼ cup
• salt ½ teaspoon
• freshly ground black pepper
• fresh basil 2 tablespoons
• fresh whole milk mozzarella 16 ounce
• grated parmesan cheese ½ cup
• fresh basil 2 tablespoons
• grated parmesan ¼ cup
• fresh basil

1. 1

   Make it ahead of time: assemble the lasagna completely as directed, cover and place it in the refrigerator one day before serving. When you're ready to serve, bake it up as directed and enjoy! See the full post for 2 ways to freeze this lasagna.

Sauce

1. 1

   Add extra-virgin olive oil to a large pot and place over medium high heat. Once oil is hot, add in garlic , minced and cook for 30 seconds , then add in the ground turkey , white onion , finely diced and - kosher salt and cook until turkey is no longer pink. Stir in crushed tomatoes , tomato paste , tomato sauce , - water and pure maple syrup . Next add in fresh basil , julienned, italian seasoning , dried oregano , whole fennel seeds , red pepper flakes , nutmeg and - salt and - freshly ground black pepper to taste. Cover and simmer on low while you cook the lasagna noodles.

Lasagna Noodles

1. 1

   Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Cook the lasagna noodles for 6 minutes to 8 minutes or until al dente, then drain and rinse with cold water. Another option is to soak the lasagna noodles in very warm (hot) water for 20 minutes to 30 minutes if you do not want to boil them.

Ricotta Mixture

1. 1

   While the lasagna noodles are boiling, make the ricotta mixture: In a medium bowl , mix together the part skim ricotta , egg , fresh basil leaves , finely chopped, - salt and - freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Assembly

1. 1

   Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a 9x13 inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.
2. 2

   To assemble the lasagna, spread 1 1/2 cups of the &turkey meat sauce over the bottom of the baking dish. Place 5 of the cooked &lasagna noodles on top, 4 vertical and 1 horizontal. Spread with half of the &ricotta cheese mixture, fresh basil , diced, then top with 1/3 of the fresh whole milk mozzarella , shredded. Next, add 1 1/2 cups of the &meat sauce on top of the mozzarella and sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese . Repeat layers once more: remaining &noodles, &ricotta, fresh basil , diced, 1/3 of the &mozzarella, any remaining &meat sauce and parmesan. Top with remaining &mozzarella.
3. 3

   Cover with foil and bake covered for 25 minutes . Remove foil and bake another 20 minutes . If you'd like bubbly, golden brown cheese, broil the top for 2 minutes or until mozzarella is golden brown. Garnish with ? grated parmesan and ? fresh basil . Cool for 15 minutes to 20 minutes before serving.