Turkey Lasagna w/ a creamy white sauce

Lasagna. I once saw a quote that said lasagna was basically spaghetti flavored cake and honestly, it’s all I think of when I eat regular lasagna. I love lasagna. I love it even more when its filled with veggies and has a creamy white sauce between each delicious layer. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE regular lasagna but some times you just crave something slightly different. Have you ever had a white sauce based lasagna before? It’s different but it’s amazing.

I decided to lighten up the sauce a bit by using almond milk, gluten free flour, and a mixture of butter + olive oil. I still use cheese on top, so this dish isn’t completely dairy free. I find when I use heavy milk and lots of butter, in any dish, makes me feel so sluggish and gross after. Plus, I like to cut back on animal products when I can. If you want to avoid dairy completely, you can totally use vegan shredded cheese and vegan butter. I haven’t made this without cottage cheese but if you do, let me know how it turned out.

Turkey Lasagna w/ creamy white sauce

Ingredients

1.5 pounds ground turkey (roughly about .700 g)
2 small zucchinis – 1 grated, 1 cut into thin slices
2 tsp oregano
1.5 cups cottage cheese
1 small container fresh spinach
1 pack of gluten free ‘ready-to-use, no boil’ lasagna noodles (see note below)
1 container fresh basil (used for recipe + garnish)
1-1.5 cup mixed cheese – I used a blend of parmesan and romano
Optional: fresh parsley, red chili flakes
Sauce
1 small yellow onion – chopped into very small chunks
3 cloves garlic – minced
2 tbsp olive oil – for cooking the onions
1/3 cup butter or oil – I used a mix of both
1/3 cup gluten free flour
1.5-2 cups chicken broth
2 cups almond milk – unsweetened, original
2 tsp garlic powder
1.5 tsp salt + fresh cracked pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Then, in a medium pan, heat up 1 tbsp oil and start cooking the ground turkey. Add in a pinch of sea salt and some pepper.
2. Once turkey is almost cooked, add in GRATED zucchini, oregano, minced garlic and cook for a few more minutes until turkey is done.
3. Turn heat to low, add in cottage cheese, half of fresh basil, and spinach. Stir to combine and cook until spinach is wilted. Turn off heat and set aside.
For the sauce
4. In a medium pot on low, heat up olive oil. Add in onions and a bit of sea salt. Saute until onions are slightly translucent and fragrant, stirring frequently.
5. Turn the heat up a bit, add butter or combo of butter/ oil then stir in the gluten free flour and simmer until bubbly. Stir again, then add garlic powder, broth, almond milk, salt and pepper. Make sure you whisk the sauce as you add the liquid – it will start to thicken quick. Cook until the mixture is thick enough to resemble a good ‘base sauce’ for the noodles. Taste test, adjust salt and pepper if needed. Remove from heat and set aside.
6. Set aside 1/2 cup white sauce. Add the rest of the white sauce to turkey spinach mixture and stir to combine. Set aside.
Assemble
7. Now for my favorite part: assembling the lasagna. Grab a 9×13 baking dish (or which ever one you want that fits the noodles) and pour the small amount of white sauce set aside, on the bottom (it prevents noodles from sticking) and spread out evenly. Add a layer of dry noodles, then a few scoops of turkey spinach mixture and spread evenly. Top with zucchini slices. Add some cheese on top. Add another layer of noodles, a few scoops of turkey spinach, zucchini slices, and the remaining shredded cheese. You will want enough sauce for the noodles not to be dry. I only did 2 layers.
8. Cover lasagna tightly with tin toil and bake for 35 minutes. Then, take off tin foil and bake uncovered for another 10-15 minutes. Check if its cooked through with a fork, and cook longer if needed.
9. Garnish with fresh basil, parsley and more pepper.

Notes:
Pasta type- I use ‘no boil’ kind and I love the brand Rizopia. I’ve heard good things about Tinkyada too.
Broiling: Once it’s done, I like to broil it for a few minutes to get the cheese nice and golden. Make sure you watch it while it’s in there to make sure it doesn’t burn. Literally, I watch mine the entire time. One time, I broiled something at my sisters and it lit on fire. I freaked out and I think I threw it in the sink?? Not gonna lie, I kind of forget what happened because it was so unexpected HAHA. #iblackedout #neveragain.

I like to include the brands I use for my recipes in each blog post since I usually get questions about it in my DM’s. This post is not sponsored in any way. I just love certain brands.

Gluten free flour – I use Bobs Red Mill all purpose
Almond milk -Califia farms is amazing.
Oregano + Garlic powder – Simply Organics

If you whip up this lasagna, please tag me in instagram @glowingholistichealth or DM me so I can see your creations!

Marcy xx