I’m opening this post with a photo of an adorably bunny from Wallace and Gromit’s many adventures with Cheeeese!
Now that I’ve done that, let’s get down to business.
Although I was supper pumped to try-out the sweet-potatoe mac ‘n’ cheese this weekend, we got sidelined by the prospect of healthy meals, and wanted to incorporate as much Kale as we could. Not fitting into anything you own is a great motivator to eat Kale.
I started with a very simple google search for spinach lasagna recipes, and this Martha Stewart one came up. I modified some things, but I essentially followed the recipe (which I’ve copy-pasted here for your ease – FULL CREDIT to Martha Stewart though.)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil – I used two of our olive oil and herbs cubes, straight out of the freezer.
- 1 cup chopped yellow onion – I found that about 1/3 of a spanish onion was enough for us (Dan does not like onions.)
- 4 cloves garlic, minced – I went with 5…I’m a rebel
- 1 pound fresh ground turkey – apparently my local IGA does not like to stock ground turkey, so they had to go digging in the back room for it. Don’t be afraid to ask for help!
- 1 (28-ounce) can plum tomatoes, crushed – Dan had actually made and canned about 12 large masson jars worth of tomato sauce the week before. Instead of making a new one, I just used a large can of sauce.
- 1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste – see above.
- Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper – always
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley – I love buying parsley, it’s such a great leafy green.
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil – I’m thinking about growing basil next summer!
- 1 (9-ounce) package no-boil lasagna noodles – I found the Oliveri brand noodles did the trick. Most likely can be found in the fridge/freezer isles.
- 15 ounces low-fat ricotta or low-fat cottage cheese – Ricotta all the way! Saputo brand worked nicely, I used about an entire large format of it.
- 3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese – hmmm cheese
- 1 large egg, beaten – I don’t actually remember putting the egg in…?
- 2 pounds fresh spinach, washed, but not dried – I have no idea how much 2lbs of spinach would be, but let me tell you, if you buy a box of spinach and a box of Kale, you’re good to go.
- 1 pound low-fat shredded mozzarella cheese – I did not know how to quantify 1lb of mozza, so I just bough two bags of shredded mozza and called it a day.
STEP 1
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
STEP 2
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook until translucent. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute more. Add ground turkey and cook for about 10 minutes. Add plum tomatoes, tomato paste, and season with salt and pepper; let simmer until thickened, about 20 minutes. Stir in basil and parsley; set aside.
STEP 3
In a medium bowl, combine ricotta, 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, and egg; season with salt and pepper and set aside.
STEP 4
Place damp spinach in a large skillet over medium heat; cook until wilted. Remove from heat and set aside.
TIP: I forgot to wash my spinach and kale, so I had to add a splash of water to get some moisture going.
STEP 5
Ladle 1/4 of the turkey mixture into a 9-by-13-inch baking dish; spread to cover. Add a pasta sheet, 1/3 of the mozzarella, 1/3 of the ricotta mixture, 1/3 of the spinach mixture, and another 1/4 of the turkey mixture. Repeat process two more times; top with remaining sheet of pasta. Sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan over top. Line a piece of aluminum foil with parchment paper; spray parchment with nonstick cooking spray. Cover lasagna with prepared aluminum foil, parchment-side down, and transfer to oven. Bake until bubbly, 25 to 30 minutes.
TIP: If you mess-up the order, make sure your top layer is pasta with cheese on top. In the end, it’ll all taste amazing and “come out in the wash.” Sp just go with it!
STEP 6
Let stand about 5 minutes before cutting; serve.
It was beautiful. It tasted amazing, and we have left-overs for a week now! Dan loved it, and went for seconds. I heartily recommend this recipe!
TIP: You can add mushrooms, zuchini, sweet peppers, and probably any other vegetable you can think-of that would be bakeable. Go for it!
Enjoy!
Spinach, Kale and Turkey lasagna... and lots of cheese
A very simple and delicious recipe for spinach lasagna adapted from a Martha Stewart recipe.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup chopped yellow onion
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 pound fresh ground turkey
- 1 (28-ounce) can plum tomatoes, crushed
- 1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
- Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
- 1 (9-ounce) package no-boil lasagna noodles
- 15 ounces low-fat ricotta or low-fat cottage cheese
- 3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 2 pounds fresh spinach, washed, but not dried
- 1 pound low-fat shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
- Add onion and cook until translucent.
- Add garlic and cook for 1 minute more.
- Add ground turkey and cook for about 10 minutes.
- Add plum tomatoes, tomato paste, and season with salt and pepper; let simmer until thickened, about 20 minutes.
- Stir in basil and parsley; set aside.
- In a medium bowl, combine ricotta, 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, and egg; season with salt and pepper and set aside.
- Place damp spinach in a large skillet over medium heat; cook until wilted.
- Remove from heat and set aside.
- Ladle 1/4 of the turkey mixture into a 9-by-13-inch baking dish; spread to cover.
- Add a pasta sheet, 1/3 of the mozzarella, 1/3 of the ricotta mixture, 1/3 of the spinach mixture, and another 1/4 of the turkey mixture.
- Repeat process two more times; top with remaining sheet of pasta.
- Sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan over top.
- Line a piece of aluminum foil with parchment paper; spray parchment with nonstick cooking spray.
- Cover lasagna with prepared aluminum foil, parchment-side down, and transfer to oven.
- Bake until bubbly, 25 to 30 minutes.
- Let stand about 5 minutes before cutting; serve.
