Turkey Lasagna

We got stuck in a snow storm last night. So, with candles burning and christmas music playing, I thought it would be fun to stay in and warm up with some homemade lasagna. There is something so comforting about all the layers of melting cheese, turkey marinara and homemade pasta sheets baked together. You can always buy the lasagna sheets but it’s extra special, and has a little more love, when you know everything is homemade. 🙂

Turkey Lasagna

Ingredients

• 1 lb. pasta dough sheets (preferably homemade, recipe follows) or store bought lasagna noodles
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 lb. ground turkey
• 1/2 cup yellow onion, small diced
• 1 cup crimini mushrooms
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/3 cup fresh herbs, minced (parsley, oregano, thyme, rosemary)
• 1 tbsp. fennel seeds
• 1 cup red wine, (I like cabernet or merlot for this dish)
• 1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
• 2 tbsp. tomato paste
• 1 pinch red pepper flakes
• salt and black pepper to taste
• 1 cup whole milk ricotta
• 3/4 cup freshly grated parmesan
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp. parsley
• 1 1/2 cups mozzarella

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large sauté pan, over medium high heat add the olive oil and ground turkey. Start breaking up and browning the meat. Once browned, remove from pan and set aside. Add the onions, garlic, mushrooms into the same pan. Let all cook together to become translucent and tender. Add the turkey back in and the wine to deglaze the bottom of the pan, while scraping the bottom of the pan. Once the wine has cooked down for a couple of minutes add the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, herbs, fennel seeds, red pepper flakes and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a soft boil and then reduce to medium low and cook for about 15-20 minutes until everything cooks together, making sure to taste along the way as you go.

While the sauce is cooking, in a small bowl make the cheese mixture. Mix together the ricotta, parmesan, egg, and parsley until combined. Set aside.

In a large baking pan, start to layer the lasagna, spray the bottom so it doesn’t stick. Add a thin layer of sauce, and cover with a pasta sheet, spread the cheese mixture over the top and then another layer of sauce and then the mozzarella. Cover that all with another layer of pasta sheets and then repeat for about 3-4 layers finishing so the top is sauce and then covered in mozzarella so the top will be crispy. Cover with tin foil and bake for about 45 minutes. Uncover and bake for another 15 minutes until golden and bubbly. Let sit for about 10 minutes to settle then cut and serve immediately with some crusty garlic bread.

Pasta dough

Ingredients

• 1 3/4  cup all-purpose flour
• 6 egg yolks
• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 tsp. olive oil
• 1 tsp. salt

Directions

Either on a marble counter or a large bowl, add the flour and create a well. Add the yolks, egg, olive oil and salt. Then, either using your fingers or a fork, gently start whisking together slowly incorporating the flour. Once it starts to come together, use your hands to knead the dough to become smooth, add more flour for dusting if it becomes too sticky. Cover and let sit and rest for about 20 minutes. Then start to roll it out using a rolling pin and run through a pasta machine until about 1/8 inch thick. Cut into pieces to cover the bottom of the baking sheet.