Birthday Lasagna

I am partial to lasagna laden with mushrooms and spinach… with plenty of cheese, of course. 🙂

When requesting his birthday menu, my son wanted “regular” lasagna, “you know, with just meat and cheese!” His wish was my command. 🙂 It was delicious!

This recipe was adapted from Martha Stewart. I used ground turkey and chicken sausage, added red pepper flakes, and increased the amount of garlic. We ate it with garlic bread and Caesar salad. He absolutely loved it. It was even more celebratory for him to eat it with our special “Happy Birthday” fork. 🙂

• 1/2 sprig basil, (3 tablespoons coarsely chopped)
• 4 ounces Parmesan, (1 cup finely grated)
• 14 oz (about 1 1/4 cups) whole milk ricotta
• 1 1/2 pounds mozzarella (5 cups grated)
• 1 pound no-boil lasagna noodles (I needed 2 additional sheets.)
• 28 ounces canned, diced tomatoes
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1-2 dashes red pepper flakes, optional, or to taste
• 1/2 pound sweet Italian sausage (casings removed) or sun-dried tomato-basil chicken sausage (casings removed)
• 1 pound ground turkey
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon coarse salt
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 1 T olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Make the sauce: Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a skillet over medium heat; cook onion, garlic, salt, and pepper 1 minute.
3. Add turkey and sausage; cook, breaking up with a spoon, until browned, about 5 minutes.
4. Stir in tomatoes, red pepper flakes, and oregano. Reduce heat; simmer 1 minute.
5. Remove from heat. Stir in basil. Taste and adjust seasonings, as necessary.
6. Coat baking dish with cooking spray or oil; spread a thin layer of sauce on the bottom of the dish.
7. Top with a layer of noodles. (I used 6 noodles per layer.)
8. Next, spread a third of the ricotta, then 1 1/2 cups sauce, on top. Sprinkle with 1 cup mozzarella and 3 tablespoons Parmesan. Repeat these steps 2 more times.
9. Top with a layer of noodles, the remaining sauce, mozzarella and Parmesan.
10. Cover with parchment paper topped with foil; bake 20 minutes.
11. Remove foil and parchment; bake 20 minutes more. Let rest 10 minutes before cutting and serving.

Vegetarian Variation: Clean and trim 8 ounces button mushrooms; finely chop in a food processor. Follow the recipe, but in step 2, cook onion and garlic in 2 tablespoons olive oil. In step 3, add mushrooms, 1 cup diced zucchini, and 1/2 cup diced red bell pepper instead of turkey and sausage; cook, stirring, until just tender, about 6 minutes. After simmering with the tomatoes and oregano in step 4, stir in 4 cups chopped spinach along with basil.

One Year Ago:

• Spaghetti Pizza

Two Years Ago:

• Broccoli Rabe Risotto with Grilled Lemon

Three Years Ago:

• Baked Pasta with Spinach, Chicken Sausage, & Vodka Sauce

Four Years Ago:

• Spaghetti with Turkey Meatballs

About Josette@thebrookcook

I live in Stony Brook, New York on Long Island. I love garlic and baking. My hobby (and love) is to try new recipes. My favorite recipe resources include The New York Times, Food and Wine, Bon Appetit, and Martha Stewart Living. Enjoy!

View all posts by Josette@thebrookcook →