I have been working on this recipe for turkey vegetable lasagna and I think I have finally perfected it. It takes a bit of time but its so worth it and makes a huge lasagna that will feed an army! Even my picky little brother liked this.

Turkey Vegetable Lasagna

Sauce:
1 pound ground turkey breast
3 sweet Italian turkey sausages, casings removed and crumbled
(2) medium onions, diced
(2) carrots, diced
(2) stalks celery, diced
(4) cloves garlic (I love garlic!)
(2) 28 oz. cans diced tomatoes
(1) can tomato paste
(1) tsp oregano
(2) bay leaves
salt and pepper to taste

Layers:
(3) zucchini
(2) pints of mushrooms
(2) bag frozen chopped spinach
(2) shallots
(1) tub of part skim ricotta cheese
(2) eggs
Parmesan cheese
(2) package part skim mozzarella cheese
(1) cup skim milk
(2) tbsp butter
(2) tbsp flour

(1) package whole wheat lasagna noodles

Steps:

1) Saute diced onion, carrot, and celery on medium heat for about 10 minutes until softened. Do not brown the vegetables.
2) Add garlic and saute for another minute or so.
3) Add ground turkey and crumbled up sausage and cook until all of the meat is browned.
4) Add the rest of the ingredients, bring to a simmer and cook covered for about an hour. Add salt and pepper to taste.

5) While sauce is simmering, slice zucchini into 1/4 inch pieces and saute over low heat until cooked through. Place the cooked zucchini into a strainer to drain off excess liquid. This will help the lasagna to be firm once its cooked!
6) Dice the shallot and saute in the same pan you used for the zucchini until translucent. Add the sliced mushrooms and cook until they are nice and browned. Finally add the thawed spinach and salt and pepper to taste.
7) In a small bowl, mix the ricotta cheese, two eggs, 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese and salt and pepper to taste.

6) Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil and add the lasagna noodles. Cook for only 4 minutes and then drain and dry. The noodles will cook the rest of the way when the lasagna is baking.

7) Make the bechamel: Melt the butter and mix in the flour. Cook that for a few minutes to cook out the raw flour taste. Whisk in the milk and bring to a boil, then turn off the heat. I usually add a bit of grated nutmeg as well.

Assemble! I arranged the layers as follows, from bottom to top:

Sauce
Noodles
Zucchini
Sauce
Ricotta
Mozzarella
Noodle
Mushroom/Spinach Mix
Sauce
Ricotta
Mozzarella
Noodles
Zucchini
Sauce
Ricotta
Mozzarella
Noodles
Bechamel
Mozzarella
Parmesan

9) Bake in the oven uncovered at 375 for about 45 minutes or until bubbly and golden. If it starts to get too brown cover with aluminum foil.

10) Let stand for about 10 minutes before eating!