Turkey and Spinach Lasagna

I actually don’t always love lasagna because I find that the noodles can get soggy, but I came across a Cooking Light recipe for Turkey Lasagna that doesn’t call for pre-cooking the noodles. I’ve made it a few times, tweaking the recipe a little bit each time. I kept the base recipe (uncooked noodles, cottage cheese and mozzarella mixture), but upped the amount of sauce, added some extra seasoning, added some spinach to boost the veggie content, and broiled it at the end to crisp up the top.

This lasagna freezes really well, so I’m going to bring it to work for lunch this week and then freeze the rest for later. I love having this kind of thing in the freezer for lazy nights!

1 lb. ground turkey breast
Olive oil
1 ½ c. water
3 ½ c. marinara sauce (homemade or store bought…I used store bought)
16 oz. chopped frozen spinach, thawed
3 ½ cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
2 c. 1% low-fat cottage cheese
½ c. grated fresh Parmesan cheese
2 eggs + 1 egg white
¼ c. chopped fresh parsley
¼ tsp. black pepper
¼ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. nutmeg
9 uncooked lasagna noodles

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Heat up a little bit of olive oil in a large saucepan and add the ground turkey breast. When the meat is browned, add the marinara sauce and the water. Simmer for 10 minutes.
3. Drain the spinach to get as much water out of it as possible. Combine it with 2 cups of the mozzarella, the cottage cheese, parmesan, egg, parsley, pepper, salt, and nutmeg.
4. To assemble, spread ½ cup of the turkey mixture on the bottom of a 13 x 9 inch baking dish. Arrange 3 noodles over turkey mixture; top with 1 ½ cups turkey mixture. Spread half of cheese mixture over turkey mixture. Repeat layers, ending with the remaining turkey mixture.
5. Top the lasagna with the remaining 1 ½ cups of mozzarella cheese and some cracked black pepper.


6. Bake covered for one hour. Then, uncover the lasagna and broil on high for a few minutes until the cheese is slightly browned.