Spinach Lasagna | TAMARA LEIGH: The Kitchen Novelist

Just days before Junior headed back to university, I gave him a choice of four entrees and he picked this one, lasagna lover that he is. Though the polenta replaces the usual noodles, he definitely got his lasagna fix. As did the rest of our foursome–now threesome again…

1 tbsp olive oil

1 lb ground turkey

1/4 tsp dried thyme

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

3 cups fresh chopped baby spinach

1-15 oz container part-skim ricotta cheese

pinch ground nutmeg

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

1-16 oz package prepared polenta (I used sun-dried tomato polenta in log form), divided

2-1/2 cups marinara sauce, divided

1 tbsp chopped parsley

1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees

2) To large skillet add olive oil and heat over medium-high; add ground turkey, break up with wooden spoon, and cook 5-6 minutes until brown; stir in thyme, salt, and black pepper; remove from heat and set aside

3) In medium-sized bowl, mix spinach, ricotta cheese, nutmeg, and 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese (reserving 1/2 cup for topping); set aside

4) Thinly slice polenta into rounds; set aside

5) In 9×13″ baking pan, assemble lasagna in layers as follows: 1/2 cup marinara sauce, half the polenta slices, ground turkey, half the ricotta-spinach mixture, 1 cup marinara sauce, remaining polenta slices, remaining 1 cup marinara sauce, remaining ricotta-spinach mixture

6) Bake in oven 30 minutes; sprinkle reserved 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese over top and bake an additional 5 minutes; remove from oven, sprinkle with parsley, and serve; yum!

Servings: 4-6

My sister sent me a recipe for a lasagna featuring lemons and, of course, I just had to mess with it to suit my family’s tastes. This Sausage-Spinach-Lemon Lasagna resulted and, if I may say so myself, it’s every bit as beautiful as the recipe that caught my sister’s eye. Though I don’t know how it compares taste-wise, our version was quite good. Winner!

olive oil spray

1 lb sweet Italian sausage, casings removed

3 tbsp butter

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

4 cups whole milk

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

1 cup grated 4-cheese Italian blend cheese, divided

1 leek, green portion cut away and tossed, white portion chopped

4 cups baby spinach

1 lemon, sliced thin

8 no-boil lasagna noodles

1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees; lightly grease large casserole dish with olive oil spray

2) To large skillet over medium-high heat, add sausage and break up with spoon; cook 5-7 minutes until browned; transfer sausage to bowl and set aside

3) In same skillet over medium-high heat, melt butter; stir in flour and cook 2 minutes; whisk in milk one cup at a time and salt and pepper; bring to a boil, stirring often; remove from heat and stir in 3/4 cup cheese (reserving 1/4 cup), leek, and spinach; set aside

4) To small saucepan, add lemon slices and cover with water; bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 3 minutes; drain water

5) Spread 1 cup sauce in bottom of casserole dish; top with 4 noodles, scatter half the sausage over the noodles, and pour half the remaining sauce over the sausage; top with remaining 4 noodles, sausage, and sauce; arrange lemon slices over top; cover dish with foil and bake in oven 30 minutes

6) Remove casserole from oven, heat oven broiler, and remove foil; scatter reserved 1/4 cup cheese over lemon slices; when broiler is ready, return casserole to oven and broil 2-3 minutes until cheese browns; serve

Servings: 6-8