Turkey "Lasagna" Pie
Cook the lasagna noodles in the same Dutch oven in which you'll eventually assemble the lasagna. Baking in a deep Dutch oven means you don't have to worry about the lasagna boiling over, and it cooks more evenly than it would in a rectangular pan.
INGREDIENTS | SERVES 8
- 12 dried whole wheat or regular lasagna noodles
- ½ cup basil pesto
- 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 1 15-ounce carton ricotta cheese
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese, grated
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- Nonstick cooking spray
- 2 cups fresh spinach, chopped
- ½ cup chopped walnuts, toasted if desired
- 2 cups cooked turkey, chopped
- 1 8-ounce package fresh button or cremini mushrooms, cleaned and thinly sliced
- 1 24-ounce bottle marinara or pasta sauce
- ½ cup dry red wine
- OPTIONAL: fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley leaves
Preheat oven to 375°F.
Cook the lasagna noodles according to the package directions until almost tender. Drain the noodles in a colander and rinse in cold water to stop the cooking. Drain well and set aside.
In a small bowl, mix together the pesto and lemon peel; set aside. Add the egg, ricotta cheese, 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese, and the salt and pepper to a medium-sized bowl and mix well.
Lightly coat the Dutch oven with nonstick cooking spray. Arrange 4 cooked noodles in the bottom of the pan, trimming and overlapping them to cover the bottom of pan.
Top with the spinach. Sprinkle with half of the walnuts. Spread half of the ricotta cheese mixture evenly over walnuts. Spread half of the pesto evenly mixture over the ricotta, then sprinkle half of the turkey over the pesto. Pour half of the pasta sauce evenly over the turkey.
Top with another layer of noodles. Top with the mushrooms. Spread the remaining ricotta cheese mixture over mushrooms. Spread the remaining pesto mixture over the ricotta. Sprinkle the remaining turkey over the pesto, and then pour the rest of the pasta sauce over the turkey. Top with another layer of noodles.
Pour the wine into the empty marinara sauce jar, screw on the lid and shake to mix with any sauce remaining in the jar. Pour over the top layer of noodles.
Cover the pan and bake for 45 minutes.
Remove the cover. Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella cheese over the top. Bake for an additional 15 to 30 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and bubbly and the lasagna is hot in the center. Let set for 10 minutes and then garnish with parsley if desired.
To serve, cut the lasagna into pizza slice–style wedges.
