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Ever since I went to Italy, I have been ruined when it comes to pasta in the States. When I was a kid, the closest I got to the real deal pasta was at little holes-in-the-walls my parents would take me to in Little Italy when I lived up near NYC. While my favorite part of those trips were the Bocci courts in the back of the restaurant, I did notice, even then, how much better pasta was when it was the real stuff. And on my trip to Italy in 2011, I witnessed why it just tasted so much better — heart, soul and sweat (literally) went into making that pasta.
You might think I’m about to tell you that for this recipe, I hand-rolled my own pasta dough and made it from scratch. … WRONG!
Last weekend, I was trying to come up with a delicious, belly-warming recipe to make that could last as many nights as possible. Lasagna sounded perfect. But rolling my own pasta dough like I did in Bologna with those lovely Italian mamas just wasn’t in the cards this month. …
Lovely Italian women/chefs
Hopefully I’ll do that again one day, but right now, I’m A-OK with simple and low-maintenance — Seriously — I even used no-boil noodles.
When the lasagna idea popped into my head, it almost went right out, due to my bias formed in Italy. But my trip to the farmers market solidified my scheme for a lasagna recipe — I saw butternut squash, mushrooms, spinach. Hmmm…
And the cheese! If you know me at all, you know I am a serious cheese fan (seriously, vegans, don’t know how you do it)…. and when it’s all melty??!!…. mmmmm.
So I wondered: How bad could a cheesy, fresh vegetable-filled lasagna really be? Not bad at all! Delicious in fact. Turns out my snobbery was holding me back from trying out something awesome. And I promise you, despite all the steps, it’s easy to make.
PLUS it’s a meal in itself- got your carbs, fat, protein and veggies all covered. It lasted for three nights for two hungry people.
I hope you enjoy this non-homemade noodle lasagna as much as I do.
With love and light,
Caroline
Butternut Squash and Turkey Lasagna with Mushrooms & Spinach
2016-12-05 14:16:52
Serves 6
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Prep Time
20 min
Cook Time
50 min
Total Time
1 hr 10 min
Prep Time
20 min
Cook Time
50 min
Total Time
1 hr 10 min
Ingredients
For the vegetables
1 Butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Salt & black pepper to taste
1 Onion, halved and sliced
For the cheese sauce
1 12-oz Container full-fat Ricotta cheese
2 Eggs
1/4 Cup grated Parmesan cheese
Salt & Pepper to taste
For the turkey
1 Yellow onion, chopped (~ 1 cup)
1.5 teaspoon unsalted butter
2 Garlic cloves, minced
1 lb. Ground turkey
Salt, black pepper to taste
1 teaspoon Oregano
1 Jar low sodium pasta sauce
1 Cup sliced Shitake or other mushrooms
2 Cups spinach
For the lasagna
1 Box No-Boil lasagna noodles
8 oz. Shredded Mozzarella cheese
Directions
For the vegetables
Preheat the oven to 410. Toss the squash with 1 tablespoon olive oil on a baking sheet, and season with salt and pepper. Toss the onion with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil on a separate baking sheet, and season with salt and pepper. Roast, rotating the baking sheets once, until the vegetables are tender, 18 to 20 minutes, and set aside. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F.
For the cheese sauce
Combine all ingredients in a medium-sized bowl until smooth.
Season with salt and pepper.
For the turkey
In a large skillet on medium heat, spray some cooking spray.
Sautee the yellow onions for a few minutes in 1.5 tsp unsalted butter. Add the garlic and cook until the onions are translucent.
Add the turkey to the skillet and stir. Season with salt, pepper and oregano
When almost finished cooking Add the tomato sauce (reserve ½ cup of this for later) and the mushrooms, and then the spinach and cook until the turkey is done and spinach is wilted.
For the lasagna
Spread 1/2 cup of the pasta sauce in a bottom of a casserole dish. Spread one layer of no boil lasagna noodles on top of sauce. Follow by a thick layer of the ricotta cheese mixture, then a layer of the veggie mixture, and then a layer of the turkey mixture.
Continue to repeat layers again. Finishing with a layer of turkey mixture, so you have two layers of each. Top with Mozzarella cheese. Cover with foil, bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes. Remove foil and cook for 10 more minutes or until cheese is starting to bubble and brown.
Whole Self Nutrition http://www.thewholeyogird.com/
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