Best Ever Lasagna

I have worked for years putting the right flavors together to get the best ever lasagna.  My secret for great lasagna is using a variety of cheeses and having a wonderful sauce.  Additionally, the pasta sauce should be flavorable but not overpowering.  Thus, like with most red sauce pasta dishes, the flavors enhance the next day.  So do not over season the sauce.

Lasagna used to be a cumbersome process but with the availability of oven ready lasagna noodles, making lasagna has never been easier.  So make this for dinner, family gatherings, parties and events.  Lasagna is a meal that tastes great warm and does not have to be piping hot to eat.  Serve this with your favorite salad and garlic bread to complete.

Many people that try my lasagna can’t believe it is made with ground turkey.  Ground turkey digests lighter than ground beef.  You also do not have the drain any liquid from ground turkey after cooking.  So this can be made with ground beef or a mix of both if that is what you have on hand.

To see my available Party Label Bundle Downloads, click here:  https://majorgates.com/product-category/party-bundles/

 

Don’t Forget To Follow Me On Pinterest!

 

Also try my Ground Turkey Sun-dried Tomato Creamy Pasta recipe here: https://majorgates.com/recipes/sun-dried-tomato-creamy-pasta/

 

For more delicious recipes, visit my Recipes section here:  https://majorgates.com/category/recipes/

 

 

Ingredients

• 3 1/2 pounds of Lean Ground Turkey
• 3 boxes of Oven Ready Lasagna Pasta – usually sold in 8-9 ounce boxes.  Recipe takes about 2 1/2 boxes but it is good to have a third box for broken pasta.
• 24 ounce Cottage Cheese (Small Curd)
• 24 ounce Ricotta Cheese
• 3 cups Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
• 2 cups Shredded Cheese Blend  (any kind like Colby and Cheddar blend, Italian Blend, Pizza Blend etc.)
• 2 cups of Shredded Cheddar Cheese
• 1 bunch of Fresh Curled Parsley (finely chopped)
• 3 jars of pasta sauce or if you have 2 jars of pasta sauce you can also add 2 cans of tomato sauce. Some jars come in 24 ounce – 32 ounce.  The stores also sell much larger jars as well, so you need about 70-80 ounces of pasta sauce.

Seasonings:

• • 1 Tablespoon of dried Oregano Leaves
  • 1 Tablespoon of dried Basil Sweet Leaves
  • 2 teaspoons of coarse Black Pepper
  • 1 Tablespoon of dried Italian Seasoning
  • 2 Tablespoons of Granulated Garlic or Garlic Powder
  • 1 teaspoon of Tony Chachere’s Original Creole Seasoning
  • 1 Tablespoon of Worcestershire Sauce

Supplies

• Large Skillet
• Large Stock Pot
• Spatula or Large Spoon
• Mini Chopper or Food Processor
• Extra-Large Plastic Container
• Large Casserole Dish
• Large Cookie Sheet
• Foil
• Plastic Wrap (for make ahead or freezing)

 

Directions For Lasagna

• Brown ground turkey in a large skillet.  If you are making with ground beef, make sure to drain the oil with a strainer before adding to the stock pot.
• In a large stock pot, add in the cooked ground turkey, then the pasta sauce and seasonings.
• Simmer on Medium-low for 25 minutes to allow for the pasta sauce to enhance from the seasonings.

 

• While the pasta sauce is simmering, prepare your cheese mixture.  Feel free to taste and add more seasoning but be careful not to add too much because lasagna flavors deepen the longer it sits or the next day.
• Finely chop the parsley in a food chopper or with a fine knife.

 

• In a very large container, add your cheeses.  Start with the cottage cheese and ricotta cheese and mix with a spatula or large spoon.  Next add in the chopped parsley and mix until blended.

 

 

• Then, add in the remaining shredded cheeses, mixing after you add each cheese blend.

 

• Turn off the pasta sauce and remove the lid to allow to cool.  You need the pasta sauce to cool down a while so the pasta noodles do not curl as you assemble the lasagna.  Make sure there is no steam from the pot before assembling the lasagna.
• Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Assembly for Lasagna:  add sauce to the baking dish to cover the bottom, next add a layer of lasagna noodles (break lasagna noodles to fill any gaps), then add a thick layer of cheese mixture and then another layer of lasagna noodles.  Now add sauce again, then noodles, cheese mixture, noodles, and the last layer is sauce.

 

• Break pieces of lasagna noodles to fill in large gaps.  Small gaps do not matter as the pasta expands while cooking.

• Thick layer of cheese.

 

• Repeat another cheese layer and the last layer should be sauce.

 

• Bake lasagna for 1 hour covered with foil on a large cookie sheet.
• Then bake for another 25-45 minutes uncovered.
• Cool for at least 45 minutes to an hour before cutting or the cheese will spill out of the lasagna and it will not cut into squares.

 

Make Ahead and Freezing Lasagna 

To make ahead, assemble the lasagna as the instructions above.  Then cover with clear plastic wrap and then heavy duty foil.  You can make this the day before and then bake it the next day.  Also, you can freeze for up to 2 months.

If frozen, extend baking covered with foil on for 1 1/2 hours.  I also recommend placing the frozen lasagna on the counter for at least an hour before baking for glass or ceramic baking dishes.  That will allow the baking dish to adjust before going into a hot oven.  So don’t forget to remove the plastic wrap before baking or you will ruin the lasagna with melted plastic.

 

 

For another great Italian recipe, try my Ground Turkey Penne Pasta here:  https://majorgates.com/recipes/ground-turkey-penne-pasta/

 

To see my available Jeopardy/Trivia Party Downloads, click here:  https://majorgates.com/product-category/jeopardy-trivia/