This Turkey Lasagna recipe has been one of our go to dishes for over 20 years. It’s so easy and takes almost no time to put together. Most people find lasagna recipes to be very time consuming and complicated. I’m here to tell you that this will become one of the easiest dishes you add to your monthly rotation.
Debunking myths about making Turkey Lasagna!
A common myth about making lasagna is that you need to use oven ready noodles or pre-cook the noodles before you build your layers, but my recipe doesn’t require oven ready or pre-cooked noodles. I use regular lasagna noodles like these. This can be put together in under an hour and on the table in under two hours including the baking time because you don’t have to mess with cooking any noodles. The secret is to cover the noodles with sauce after each layer and to bake it for an hour covered. The sauce heats up and the cover creates steam so the noodles cook as the lasagna bakes. Another tip is to put a layer of fresh spinach in the center. Doing this creates more moisture and steam to cook the noodles, plus it’s a great way to get even more veggies into the meal.
What to Serve With this Turkey Lasagna
This lasagna (or as we call them in our house “Pizza Noodles”) is best enjoyed with a big green salad, a side of garlic bread and some extra marinara on the side. We’re a sauce family and love our lasagna with extra sauce. Looking for other easy recipes? Try my lightened up Taco Dip recipe!
Turkey Lasagna
Equipment
- 9×12 Baking Dish
Ingredients
- 1 lb Ground Turkey
- 1 Yellow Onion Diced
- 2 Cloves Garlic Minced
- 12 oz Package Frozen Pepper Medley I used Trader Joe's
- 2 Handfuls of raw spinach Optional
- 1 jar Low Sodium Marinara Sauce I like Rao's
- 12 oz Container of Ricotta Cheese Try to find one without chemicals
- 2 pkgs Regular Lasagna Noodles (you will use about 12-14) Can sub Gluten Free
- 3 cups Shredded Mozzerella Cheese
- 3-4 tbsp Grated Parmesan Cheese
- 1 tsp Oregano or Italian Herbs
- 2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 tsp Salt and Pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spray a 9×12 pan with cooking spray.
FOR THE FILLING
- Saute the onion and garlic in 1T olive oil.
- Add the ground turkey, season with salt and pepper and brown.
- Add the frozen peppers after the turkey is browned and cook until soft. You might need to drain some of the liquid from the meat mixture. Put the cooked meat mixture into a large bowl.
- Mix the ricotta with dried Italian herbs like basil, oregano and thyme. (Or none) and a little pepper. I do this right in the ricotta container. Then add the cheese into the bowl with the meat and combine.
BUILD THE LASAGNA
- Start with the noodles. Usually 3 across and one at the end works, sometimes I have to break them to fit.
- Add 1/2 the meat, cover with sauce and shredded cheese and add a second layer of noodles.
- Add a layer of fresh spinach and cover with another layer of noodles, sauce and shredded mozzerella cheese.
- Add the second 1/2 of the meat and ricotta mixture then top with more noodles. Cover with a generous amount of sauce, shredded cheese and a sprinkle of parm.
- Cover and bake for 45 minutes. It's important to cover the pan so that the noodles cook during this time. After 45 minutes remove the foil and cook for an additional 15 minutes to finish melting the cheese.
- Serve with a side of warm marinara sauce, garlic bread and a big green salad.
Notes
- This can be made a day ahead of time and baked when you are ready to eat it.
- This freezes well after it’s cooked. I wrap the slices in individual foil packets.
- Leave the meat out for a vegetarian option.
- I don’t use oven ready noodles and I don’t pre-cook the noodles. I find that baking the lasagna covered cooks everything.
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