Description
This easy homemade lasagna is pure comfort food and absolutely delicious! The perfect recipe that works well for both a holiday gathering or a cozy weeknight dinner.
Ingredients
Scale
- 12 lasagna noodles
- 4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
For the Sauce
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 1/2 pounds ground turkey
- 1 large carrot, peeled and diced
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 1 sweet onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 2 – 25oz jars marinara sauce
- 1 parmesan rind
- 1 dried bay leaf
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 cup roughly chopped spinach
For the Ricotta Filling
- 15 oz whole-milk ricotta
- 1 egg
- juice of half lemon
- 1/4 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
- 1 cup grated parmesan
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves, chopped
- 1/4 cup basil, chopped
Instructions
- Make the Sauce: Heat a large pot over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the ground turkey. Brown the meat, breaking it up as it cooks. Once the meat is mostly brown, add the diced carrot, diced bell pepper, and onion. Cook for 4-5 more minutes until the onion starts to become translucent. Next, add in the minced garlic and Italian seasoning. Sauté for 1-2 more minutes or until the garlic is fragrant. Add the marinara sauce, parmesan rind, dried bay leaf, salt, and pepper. Stir until well combined, lower burner to low heat, and simmer the sauce, covered, for 15-20 minutes. After the sauce has simmered, discard the bay leaf and stir in the chopped spinach until wilted. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- Make the Ricotta Filling: Add the ricotta, egg, lemon juice, black pepper, parmesan, parsley, and chopped basil to the mixing bowl. Stir until well combined.
- Boil the Pasta: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the lasagna noodles to the boiling hot water and cook for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent them from sticking. Remove the noodles from the water and drain.
- Assemble the Lasagna: Pour roughly 1 cup of sauce into the casserole dish and spread it out to coat the bottom of the dish. Add 4 lasagna noodles, lengthwise, to the casserole dish (it’s ok if the edges overlap a little bit), then spread a heaping 1/2 cup of the ricotta mixture over the noodles, next sprinkle over 1 1/4 cups of mozzarella cheese, and then pour around 2 cups of marinara sauce. Repeat for the second layer. For the third and final layer, you will skip the mozzarella cheese. Instead add a layer of noodles, the ricotta mixture, and then pour over any remaining marinara sauce.
- Bake the lasagna uncovered at 400 degrees for 25 minutes.
- Remove the lasagna from the oven and top with the remaining mozzarella cheese. Return to the oven and bake for another 15-20 minutes or the edges of the lasagna are bubbly and the cheese is fully melted and starts to become golden brown.
- Let the lasagna sit for 15-20 minutes and garnish with grated Parmesan cheese and chopped fresh basil before serving.
