Turkey Lasagna

© 2011 Wil Mowrey. All Rights Reserved. 

Growing up, for our birthday dinners my mom would make whatever meal us kids wanted. We never had to tell our mom what we wanted, she already knew. For my sister, it was always roasted chicken, mashed potatoes with gravy and fresh corn. Mine, was always lasagna. There is no better comfort food for me. Not only does it make me feel good and remind me of great birthdays but it is super delicious.

Ingredients:
4 tablespoons olive oil
18 lasagna noodles
1 pound ground turkey
6 cups marinara sauce
1 1/2 pound ricotta cheese
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 10 oz. package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
16 oz. shredded mozzarella
1/2 cup freshly shredded or grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
kosher salt
freshly ground pepper

Instructions:

1. In a large pot, bring water to boil. Once at a boil, add salt 2 tablespoons of kosher salt and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Cook the lasagna noodles until almost al dente (5-7 minutes), rinse the noodles in cold water to stop the cooking. Arrange the noodles on a damp towel and cover with damp towel to keep the noodles from drying out while preparing the lasagna.
2. Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large saute pan. Add the turkey, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Break up large clumps with the back of a wooden spoon. Sauté until browned. Remove excess fat, set aside and let cool completely.
3. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
4. In a large bowl, mix the ricotta, eggs, parsley and freshly ground black pepper until well mixed. Set aside.
5. Evenly spoon 1/3 (2 cups) of the marinara sauce in the bottom of a 9x12 baking dish. Arrange  6 noodles over the sauce, slightly overlapping and completely covering the sauce. Evenly spread the ricotta mixture over the noodles and then top with spinach. Add another layer of 6 noodles. Top with the ground turkey. Spoon 2 cups of the marinara on top of the turkey, then sprinkle 1/2 of the mozzarella. Top with the remaining 6 lasagna noodles. Spoon the remaining marinara over the noodles and then top with the remaining mozzarella and 1/2 cup of Parmigiano.
6. Place baking dish on sheet pan (to protect the oven from anything that may spill over.) Bake for 30 minutes, or until heated through and cheese is bubbling and lightly browned. 

This recipe can also be made a day ahead. After assembling the lasagna, cover tightly with aluminum foil or plastic wrap, then refrigerate. When ready to bake, pull out of refrigerator and allow to sit for a half hour at room temperature before placing in oven.