Serves a Crowd

Turkey Lasagna

by:
July  1, 2012
0
0 Ratings
Turkey Lasagna
Photo by Runaround Productions
  • Prep time 20 minutes
  • Cook time 2 hours
  • Serves 12
Author Notes

Fennel and anise are the secret ingredients to elevate ground turkey to a rich, sausage-like flavor in this lasagna resulting in the same great taste but fewer calories than the store-bought version.

This recipe is shared in partnership with Muir Glen. —Ovensports

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • For the sauce:
  • 1/2 tablespoon olive oil, plus 1/2 tablespoon, divided
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 small sweet onion, diced
  • 1/2 green bell pepper, diced
  • 1-2 teaspoons garlic
  • 2 small carrots, grated
  • 1 can (28 ounces) of Muir Glen crushed tomatoes
  • 1 can (14 1/2 ounces) of Muir Glen diced tomatoes
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
  • For the lasagna:
  • 1 pound ground turkey
  • 1-2 teaspoons garlic
  • 1/2 teaspoon fennel seed
  • 1/4 teaspoon crushed anise
  • 1/2 cup shredded, part-skim mozzarella
  • 15 ounces fat-free ricotta cheese
  • 1/4 cup grated parmesan
  • 2-3 sprigs fresh parsley, finely chopped
  • 1 egg, beated
  • 1 box no-boil-necessary lasagna noodles
Directions
  1. To make the sauce: Warm 1/2 tablespoon olive oil in a nonstick saucepan to medium heat. Add onion and bell pepper and cook, stirring often, for 5 to 8 minutes, or until softened and slightly cooked down. Add garlic and carrot; sauté for another 1 to 2 minutes. Add both cans of tomato, salt, pepper, basil, and Italian seasoning. Simmer for 1 hour.
  2. To make the lasagna: Heat a nonstick frying pan to medium heat and add 1/2 tablespoon olive oil. Add the turkey; sprinkle on the fennel, anise, salt, and pepper. Cook until the turkey is fully done (no longer pink). Turn the heat off and stir in one cup of sauce.
  3. In a large bowl, mix the ricotta, parmesan, egg, and parsley. Add salt & pepper to taste if desired.
  4. Preheat the oven to 375° F. Take a large lasagna pan. Spoon 3/4 cup of the tomato sauce onto the bottom of the pan. Next, put down one layer of noodles, followed by another 1/2 cup of sauce, evenly distributed. Add a layer of half the turkey, followed by half of the ricotta mixture. Then spoon over 1/2 cup of sauce; add another layer of noodles. Again, place down 1/2 cup of sauce followed by the rest of the turkey and the rest of the ricotta mixture. Finish with a layer of noodles and then the rest of the sauce. You may not use all of the noodles; this is ok!
  5. Sprinkle on the mozzarella cheese. Cover with foil; let the lasagna sit for 10 minutes. Bake for 45 minutes, then remove the foil. Increase the heat to 450° F and cook for another 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Let sit 5 minutes before cutting into it to serve.
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4 Reviews

Brian
Brian January 1, 2018
I should mention that this turned out awesome! Made it for Christmas Eve dinner and because my Niece doesn't eat "Red Meat" I went looking for a turkey lasagna. This was a big hit, making it again tonight for New Years Day. The only thing I did different was I added another can of diced tomatoes, as the last time I was running out of sauce when on the last layer. I also used a immersion blender for a little while to smooth the sauce out. Very good recipe gets you in the ball park to tweak it to your taste.
 
Brian
Brian January 1, 2018
The garlic isn't in the ingredient list at all I just used my judgement. It would be good to see all the ingredients in the list when it in the directions. Thank you!
 
Jennifer H.
Jennifer H. December 31, 2015
How much garlic are you suppose to add, it doesn't say?!
 
Elisa L.
Elisa L. February 13, 2014
Great Recipe! I made a few changes to fit with what I had on hand.
* I used cottage cheese instead of ricotta and processed with 2 eggs.
* Used 1/4 tsp fennel seed and 1/8 Anise.
* Also added a layer of fresh Baby Spinach.
* For cheese, I used 3/4 cup Medium Cheddar and no Mozzarella(was out :() and of course the Parmesean on top.
For the sauce, I used a jar of whole tomatoes and a jar of crushed tomatoes (32 oz each)and replaced italian seasoning with oregano 1 1/2 tsp.