Whole Wheat Turkey Lasagna

Tuesday, March 13, 2012 7:37 PM Posted by Lovely Fluffy Mama

My husband specifically requested for lasagna to be on our menu this week. So, I am making a healthier version (or at least a little healthier) of the classic recipe. I also made it without cooking the pasta first - and I didn't use the "no cook" specific pasta! 

Not gonna lie, I was very nervous about trying this recipe without cooking the pasta first. I had never attempted this before. But, I love to try new things and new ways of cooking, so I went for it!

Pretty simple to put together.

Preheat oven 350*F

Brown the meat, drain, return to skillet, add sauce and water, then simmer for 10 mins.

While the sauce is simmering, combine the ricotta, 1 cup mozzarella, parmesan, eggs, parsley, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl.

Now, time to start layering.
Pour 1 cup sauce into the bottom of a 9x13in baking dish. Then arrange 3 pieces uncooked pasta on top of the sauce. Then add another cup of sauce on top of the pasta. Then spread 1/2 of the cheese mixture on top of the sauce.

Repeat layering lasagna, sauce, and the remaining cheese mixture.

Then top with remaining 3 uncooked pasta pieces, remaining sauce, and remaining cup of mozzarella cheese.

Cover with foil and bake in the oven for 45 min. Remove foil and bake another 10 mins. 
Remove from oven and let set 10 minutes before cutting and serving.

Enjoy!!

We all really loved this recipe! The pasta was cooked perfectly.
 Even my husband loved it, which was extra important to me since he was the one who requested lasagna :)



~Jessica


Whole Wheat Turkey Lasagna
Makes 6 large servings or 9-12 smaller servings.


Ingredients:

  • 1 lb ground turkey
  • 3 cups pasta sauce (or use 26 oz jar of your favorite pasta sauce)
  • 1 1/2 cups water
  • 1 3/4 cups (15oz container) ricotta cheese
  • 2 cups shredded mozzarella, divided
  • 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/4 cup chopped parsley
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
  • 9 pieces of whole wheat lasagna, uncooked

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350*F. 
  2. Brown ground turkey in skillet over medium high heat, drain, and return to skillet.
  3. Add sauce and water to the meat and simmer for 10 mins.
  4. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine ricotta cheese, 1 cup mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese, eggs, parsley, salt, and pepper. 
  5. Pour 1 cup of meat sauce into the bottom of a 9x13 in baking dish. Arrange 3 pieces of uncooked lasagna over the sauce, then cover with 1 cup of sauce. Spread 1/2 cheese mixture over the top of the sauce.
  6. Repeat the layers of lasagna, sauce, and cheese mixture. Top with a layer of lasagna, the remaining sauce, and the remaining 1 cup of mozzarella cheese.
  7. Cover with foil. Bake 45 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 10 minutes, or until the cheese is hot and bubbly.
  8. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting and serving.

Cheeseless Pasta Bake

Wednesday, March 7, 2012 8:28 PM Posted by Lovely Fluffy Mama

Recently, I came across the Modern Parents Messy Kids 6 Week Meal Plan, and decided to give it a try. She has made it so easy! All the meals are already planned out with grocery lists and links to the recipes for directions on cooking them! I am not following the plan exactly day by day, but I am planning my dinners according to the recipes found in each week. I pull about 5 or 6 recipes from the week and decide which day that each meal will work best for my schedule and family. Tonight, I decided to make the Cheeseless Pasta Bake.

Very simple and not a lot of ingredients to deal with which is exactly what I was looking for! I made the pasta sauce ahead of time and stored in a glass jar in the refrigerator until ready to use. Or you can use your favorite store bought sauce. As I was making this, I realized the original recipe only yielded 3 servings, so I doubled the recipe to suit my family's size and appetite :)

Cheeseless Pasta Bake

Ingredients: (this is my version that has been doubled)

  • 4 cups cooked whole wheat pasta (I used rotini pasta, but you can use whatever floats your boat!), boiled per package directions and drained
  • 8 eggs, beaten
  • 1 cup hummus (I used a white bean hummus)
  • 1/2 cup red pepper, chopped thinly
  • 20 leaves of fresh basil, chopped (I used 2 tablespoon dried basil instead)
  • 2 large handfuls of grape tomatoes, chopped
  • pepper to taste
  • salt to taste
  • Pasta sauce to top

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and grease casserole dish.
  2. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except for pasta sauce.
  3. Pour mix into casserole dish and bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes or until egg is firm. (The original recipe calls to cook for 25 mins, but mine was finished in just under 45 mins, rather than doubling the time to 50 mins. You will need to just check so you don't overcook.)
  4. Remove from oven and drizzle with pasta sauce.


So easy! Enjoy!



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