Best. Lasagna. Ever.

Wow. Seriously this was delicious. Definitely better than Stouffer's and it might have been marginally lower in fat. I'm just pretending it was since I used part-skim mozzarella and turkey. I definitely will make this again and possibly even use the sauce for regular pasta in the future. It got two thumbs up from my picky hubby so you know it must have been good. I know the ingredient list and directions seem overwhelming, but it was actually really easy. Enjoy!

Best. Lasagna. Ever.

adapted from AllRecipes

Ingredients

1 1/4 pound sweet Italian turkey sausage (Mine were in casings and I just removed the casing)

1 pound lean ground turkey

1/2 cup minced onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

28 oz can crushed tomatoes

2 - 6 oz cans tomato paste

2 - 8 oz cans tomato sauce

1/2 cup water

2 TBS white sugar

1 1/2 tsp dried basil leaves

1/2 tsp fennel seeds

1 tsp Italian seasoning

1/2 tsp Kosher salt

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

3 1/2 TBS dried parsley (or 4 TBS fresh chopped parsley)

12 lasagna noodles

16 oz ricotta cheese (the good stuff like Polly-O, Sierra or Sorrento)

1 egg

3/4 pound mozzarella cheese, sliced

Parmesan cheese (I didn't really measure this, just sprinkled it on)

Directions

In a Dutch oven, cook turkey sausage, ground turkey, onion, and garlic over medium heat until well browned. You can do one of two things here - if you use the turkey there isn't much "juice" to drain off. I left mine in there for flavor. Now, if you use beef and sausage, you might want to drain off some of the "juice" so that you don't end up in an early grave from clogging your arteries. Just sayin.

Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and water. Season with sugar, basil, fennel seeds, Italian seasoning, pepper, and 2 1/2 TBS parsley. Simmer, covered, for about 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally. If you want to make this a day ahead and not be tied to the stove for 1 1/2 hours, you can follow the directions above (minus the simmering part) and then assemble the lasagna. Put it in the fridge overnight and put it on the counter to come to room temp about 1 hour before you put it in the oven.   

Put the lasagna noodles in hot tap water to soak for about 20-30 minutes. They will still be firm, but will cook up nicely in the oven without getting mushy. In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese with egg, 1 TBS parsley, and 1/2 tsp Kosher salt. 

Preheat oven to 375. 

To assemble, spread 2 cups of meat sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Arrange 6 noodles lengthwise over meat sauce. Spread with half of the ricotta cheese mixture and sprinkle with Parmesan. Top with a third of mozzarella cheese slices. Spoon 2 cups meat sauce over mozzarella, and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Repeat layers, and top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Cover with foil: to prevent sticking, either spray foil with cooking spray, or make sure the foil does not touch the cheese. 

Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil, and bake an additional 25 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!