There’s no denying it, lasagna is one serious comfort food. It’s cheesy, it’s savory, and best of all, it can be eaten as leftovers for days and days. For the traditional noodle lasagna lover, I have a tasty red and green rendition for you… for the non-noodle lover, I have something equally as good! In fact, some, dare I say, would even say it’s better. 😉
I was taking on a lasagna project recently… I wanted to make something for a friend who was down in the dumps- a large easy to reheat and serve comfort food kinda meal. Not much fits that better than lasagna.
So I went on a lasagna attack. For my friend, I created a twist on the traditional- homemade sauce with lots of veggies and ground turkey, a light ricotta filling packed with flavor (and color) with fresh spinach and basil, and some plain old simple lasagna noodles… layered three times, and topped sprinkles of fresh parm.
But then, I thought, something so good needs a variation for my grain-free friends too. Years back, I’d created this Layered Spaghetti Squash dish that I loved, so I branched off that to create a spaghetti squash version of this lasagna too. Annnd, since I wanted to make a little one to keep at home for the mister and me too, I created a mini personal-sized option too. Perfect for the single or couples at home- those cooking for just 1 or 2, not wanting a dish for twelve filling up their fridge. They make great take-to-work leftovers too!
If you’re running short on time, or energy, feel free to use a store-bought pasta sauce instead. I find this one pretty straight-forward, but I also know what it’s like to have a long day and want to cut corners. 😉
Either way, I pack this guy full of fresh veggies. For the ‘maters, fresh would work if it’s tomato season, but if not, canned crushed tomatoes work beautiful as well. San Marzanos are famous for their deliciousness… perfect for this.
It’s the ricotta filling that really makes this lasagna different though. Yes, it’s green… hard not to notice that! But it’s also super flavorful. Any basil fan would love it. And any dork who likes colorful food like me would too. 😉
Lasagna is often made with a combination ground beef and pork sausage. And it’s no mystery why… pork sausage brings a powerful punch of flavor. I wanted to make this recipe simply with ground turkey though, so I got creative and added in herbs and seasonings to mimic the sausage taste. I love this TURKEY BREAKFAST SAUSAGE recipe I created last year- so I played off of that to make this turkey taste sausagey too. 🙂
makes 1 large lasagna, 2 half-sized, or 4 personal-sized guys
INGREDIENTS
for the sauce…
1 lb ground turkey (beef, bison, or chicken work too)
1 cup chopped yellow onion
1 zucchini, chopped
8-10 mushrooms, sliced
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp minced garlic (3-4 cloves)
3 tbsp chopped fresh basil leaves
3 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
3 cups chopped or crushed tomatoes (fresh or 1 – 28 ounce can- I like San Marzano)
1/2 cup tomato paste (1 – 6 oz can)
1-2 tsp olive oil
optional, 2 tablespoons honey
seasoning blend, see below
for the seasoning blend…
1 tsp dried sage
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp smoked paprika
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes*
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper*
(*gives it a slight kick! lessen for no spice)
for the basil~spinach ricotta filling…
1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese
1/2 cup cottage cheese
1 cup fresh spinach
2 tbsp chopped fresh basil
1 tbsp fresh parsley
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 cup grated mozzarella cheese
for the layers…
9 lasagna noodles OR 1 medium spaghetti squash and 2 zucchini
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3 1/2 cups grated mozzarella
Note: Since turkey is simple in flavor, I add plenty of seasonings to spruce it up… if you prefer to keep this simpler, or just use a pre-made sauce, that will work as well. If you have the time though, I always reccommend homemade. 🙂
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 400 degrees
If you’re making the spaghetti squash version, begin prepping that first…
Slice the squash in half, remove all seeds, then drizzle a little olive oil, salt, and pepper over each half
Turn the squash face down
Bake for approx 45 minutes, until cooked through
Meanwhile, begin the meat sauce…
Cut the onion, bell pepper, mushrooms, zucchini, garlic, basil, and parsley
Add olive oil to a pot over medium heat
Add the onion, mushrooms, zuke, bell pepper, and salt
Cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally, until it begins to soften
Add the ground turkey, basil, parsley, garlic, and seasoning blend
Cook for approx five minutes, stirring often,
until turkey is no longer pink (or mostly not anyway)
Add the tomatoes and tomato paste
Cover, lower heat, and cook for approx 30 minutes
Taste and adjust seasonings as desired
If you’d like it a little sweeter, add a couple tbsp of honey 🙂
Set aside for now, or keep warm over a low heat if you prefer…
To make the ricotta filling…
Add the ricotta, cottage cheese, spinach, basil, parsley,
salt, pepper, and mozzarella in a food processor
Blend until smooth
Taste and adjust seasonings if you’d like now, before the eggs go in 😉
Add eggs
Almost set!
If you’re making the spaghetti squash version…
Scoop all that squash out of the shells and into a bowl
Evenly slice the zucchini into long thin pieces
You could use a mandolin… I don’t, I just slice and call it good
{I’m showing a personalized-size here- a 4 cup Pyrex bowl, which you could make
approx four of, or you could fill a normal rectangular lasagna pan full too… your choice 🙂
Start by scooping some sauce onto the bottom of the dish
This helps to keep things moist and flavorful at the bottom too
Top with some cooked spaghetti squash
There’s no reason to measure here, just eye-ball it 😉
Top the squash with sliced zucchini
You may need to cut some thinner to fit
Top that with a hefty spread of ricotta filling
Top with some grated mozzarella
Now for a round two…
Top that with meaty some sauce
The layer on some spaghetti squash and zucchini slices
Top with some ricotta filing
Then , in whatever fashion you’d like, top with a little more squash, sauce, and cheese
Sprinkle with grated parmesan
Tip: to prevent the cheese from sticking, brush the foil with a little oil first
Cover with foil and bake for approx 20 minutes (still at 400), then remove the foil and cook for 20 more
Let cool a bit, then scoop up and dig in!
To make the traditional noodle version…
{I’m showing a half-size here}
Boil noodles according to package (unless using no-boil of course)
Tip: cook them a minute or two under, so they’re slightly al dente, then
let them sit in cold water while you assemble the layers to keep them soft and pliable!
Scoop some sauce over the bottom of the dish
Cut lasagna noodles to fit, if needed
Layer the noodles over the sauce
Top with a hefty dose of ricotta filling, spreading it out evenly over the noodles
Top with some grated mozzarella
Round two…
Scoop some meaty sauce on there
Followed by more noodles, ricotta, and mozzarella
Top with one more layer of noodles and sauce
Cover liberally with grated mozzarella and parmesan
I sometimes mix a teensy sauce in there too, just for fun 😉
There there!
Cook as is… oorrrrr plop a few little dollops of the ricotta filling around the top
It tastes amazing, and looks pretty too!
Brush oil on the foil, cover, and bake for about 20 minutes (still at 400)
Remove foil, and bake for another 20 minutes until cheese is bubbly and golden
For personal-sized noodle lasagna…
Find a medium-sized ramekin or oven-safe bowl
I find ones that hold 3-4 cups to be a good size
Spread some sauce on the bottom
Lay two lasagna noodles in an “X” in the center of the bowl
Fill with some ricotta filling, then top with grated mozzarella cheese
Top with meaty sauce, then a couple of small noodles cut to fit
Repeat the layers with ricotta filling, mozzarella, and then more meat sauce
Fold over two of the noodle ends over the center, covering the sauce
Fold the other two over, covering the whole thing now
Top with ricotta filling, a couple of extra noodles piece, and parmesan cheese
Brush foil with oil to prevent sticking, cover, and bake for 20 minutes
Remove foil, and bake for approx 20 minutes more (still at 400), until melty and bubbly
Whichever version you made, make it pretty with some basil if you’d like, dig in, and enjoy!
Tip: lasagna likes to set first, so it doesn’t slip and slide all over the place
If you’re like me though, it can be tough to resist,
which is what makes the little personal-sized guys great… no waiting, just diggin in!
Want to Pin this recipe for another day?
At what temp do you cook the lasagna, the only temp I see is when cooking the spaghetti squash. thanks.
Hi Diane, great question! The lasagna is cooked at the same temp as the squash, so you just leave the oven going while you prep, then bake! I just updated the recipe with this info… thanks for pointing that out!! 🙂