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Sheela Prakash
Sheela PrakashSenior Contributing Food Editor
Sheela is the Senior Contributing Food Editor at Kitchn and the author of Mediterranean Every Day: Simple, Inspired Recipes for Feel-Good Food. She received her master's degree from the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Italy and is also a Registered Dietitian.
published Apr 12, 2021
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Swapping in ground turkey for the usual ground beef makes for a lighter yet equally satisfying lasagna.
Serves8 to 10Prep30 minutesCook36 minutes to 38 minutesreviews
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This turkey lasagna is just as cheesy and saucy as the rest of ’em, but swapping out ground beef for ground turkey keeps it feeling light. Better yet, a few smart shortcuts ensure it can be thrown together on even the busiest of weeknights. Expect this tasty twist on the classic to find a spot in your permanent rotation of winning family dinners.
Turkey Lasagna in Under an Hour
Lasagna tends to be reserved for weekends when there’s plenty of time to prepare and assemble the multiple layers of pasta, meat sauce, and cheese. But if you take advantage of a few store-bought shortcuts and smart techniques, you can streamline the process and get the casserole on your dinner table in under an hour. Here’s how/
- Soak the noodles. Instead of boiling the noodles (time-consuming) or starting with no-boil noodles (inferior texture), soak the dry lasagna noodles instead. This is a smart tip I picked up from Ina Garten. Soaking the noodles in warm water while you prepare the other components basically par-cooks them. When layered with sauce and cheese, the softened noodles bake up perfectly al dente.
- Reach for your favorite store-bought sauce. Considering how close to homemade Rao’s tastes, I fully support this shortcut, and I encourage you to do the same. Here, you’ll enhance whatever sauce you choose with ground meat and extra aromatics so you can be sure your lasagna won’t suffer by taking an assist.
- Skip the leanest ground turkey. Opt for 93% lean / 7% fat ground turkey for this recipe. While you can find packages marked 99% lean, you do need some fat for it to cook up moist and flavorful. Trust me: It takes more time and effort to add that fat and flavor back in, so grab the package that has it already in there for you.
Round out dinner: The Best Side Dishes to Serve With Lasagna
The Best Turkey Lasagna
Swapping in ground turkey for the usual ground beef makes for a lighter yet equally satisfying lasagna.
Prep time 30 minutes
Cook time 36 minutes to 38 minutes
Serves 8 to 10
Nutritional Info
Ingredients
- 15
dried lasagna noodles (not no-boil, about 2/3 of a 1-pound box)
- 1
medium yellow onion
- 1/4 cup
loosely packed fresh parsley leaves, plus more for garnish
- 12 ounces
low-moisture whole milk or part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded (about 3 cups)
- 2 ounces
Parmesan cheese, finely grated (about 1 firmly packed cup grated on a Microplane or 2/3 cup store-bought)
- 2 tablespoons
olive oil
- 1 pound
ground turkey (93% lean / 7% fat)
- 3/4 teaspoon
kosher salt, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon
freshly ground black pepper, divided
- 1 (15 to 16-ounce) container
whole milk ricotta cheese (about 2 cups)
- 1 (32-ounce) jar
marinara sauce (3 1/2 cups), such as Rao's
Instructions
Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat the oven to 400°F. Meanwhile, arrange 15 dry lasagna noodles in an even layer in a 9x13-inch baking dish. Cover the noodles with hot tap water and let soak while you prepare the cheeses and meat sauce, about 20 minutes.
Dice 1 medium yellow onion. Coarsely chop 1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves (plus more for garnish if desired). Grate 12 ounces low-moisture mozzarella cheese on the large holes of a box grater (about 3 cups). Finely grate 2 ounces Parmesan cheese (about 1 packed cup).
Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a 12-inch or larger regular or cast iron skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the onion, 1 pound ground turkey, 1/2 teaspoon of the kosher salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of the black pepper. Cook, breaking the turkey up into small pieces with a wooden spoon, until the turkey is cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes.
Remove from the heat and let cool for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, place half of the Parmesan cheese, parsley, 15 to 16 ounces ricotta cheese, the remaining 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon black pepper in a medium bowl and stir to combine.
Drain the lasagna noodles and set aside. Spread a thin layer of the marinara sauce from a 32-ounce jar into the baking dish. Stir the remaining sauce into the ground turkey mixture.
Arrange 5 lasagna noodles in an even layer on top of the sauce, breaking them if needed to fit (it’s okay if the noodles overlap slightly). Dollop and spread half of the ricotta mixture over the noodles. Dollop and spread about 2 cups of the meat sauce on the ricotta, then sprinkle with 1 cup of the mozzarella.
Arrange 5 more noodles over the mozzarella, followed by the remaining ricotta mixture, 2 cups of the meat sauce, and 1 cup of the mozzarella. Top with a remaining 5 noodles and the remaining sauce, spreading the sauce thin so that it almost completely covers the noodles. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 cup mozzarella and Parmesan.
Bake uncovered until the cheeses are melted and lightly browned, and the sauce is bubbling, about 30 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack for at least 15 minutes before serving. Garnish with more chopped fresh parsley leaves, if desired.
Recipe Notes
Make ahead: The lasagna can be assembled and refrigerated unbaked up to 2 days in advance, or frozen for up to 1 month. Thaw the frozen lasagna for 2 days in the refrigerator before baking.
Storage: Leftovers can be refrigerated, tightly wrapped, for up to 3 days.
Filed in:
Casserole
dinner
Ingredient
italian
Main Dish
pasta
