A Healthier Lasagna

Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Fall has a fallen, the leaves will soon start turning, there may already be a chill in the air. Yellow squash is more abundant.

A few nights ago, I had a strong yearning for some type of pasta or lasagna meal. But I had been eating more carbs than I should, so I put my thinking cap on. We had some beautiful yellow squash and a full basket of Cremini Mushrooms.

Pause and take a deep breath, a bit more thought. Mozzarella and parmesan cheese in the fridge, Spicy Tomato and Basil Sauce in the pantry and ground turkey in the freezer. Low and behold, Yellow Squash Lasagna!

Ingredients:

6 medium to large yellow squash (about 1 and ½ pounds) – ¼ inch slice

1 pound of Ground Turkey

1 large yellow onion – large dice

2 cloves of garlic - minced

½ pound of Cremini Mushrooms – ¼ inch slice

2 32 ounce jars of Classico Spicy Tomato and Basil Sauce

½ cup of Parmesan Cheese

3 cups of shredded Mozzarella

¼ cup of Oil of your choosing

Cooking Instructions:

Reserve one cup of the tomato sauce

In a large frying pan, on a medium to medium low heat, add the cooking oil.

Add the Yellow Squash slices in batches without overcrowding the pan and cook for 2 to 3 minutes on each side. You want almost cooked through and tender but firm enough not to fall apart when you layer them later

Remove the slices once cooked and place them on a plate lined with paper towel or a grated surface to drain the excess oil

Note: you will most like need to add more oil as the slices absorb it

Add a bit more oil and sauté the onions with salt and pepper for 1 or 2 minutes

Add the garlic and stir for 30 seconds

Add the mushroom slices to the pan and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sauté for 2 minutes or until the mushrooms are tender

Remove the mushrooms and onions from the pan, drain the excess liquid and set aside

Add a tablespoon of oil and raise the heat to medium

Add the ground turkey and brown it, sprinkle with salt and pepper

You will need to break the turkey up a bit as it cooks by stirring and occasionally breaking the larger pieces down

Once the turkey is browned remove any excess liquid

Add the tomato sauce, onions and mushrooms and bring it to a simmer, stirring occasionally to marry the flavors

If you find water puddles forming in the mixture you should skim them off, so they won’t overflow in the oven

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

In a 9 X 13 inch pyrex, spread the reserved tomato sauce

Add a layer of the sautéed squash

Cover the squash with 1/3/ of the mozzarella and parmesan cheese

Add a generous layer of the sauce, turkey and mushroom mixture

Repeat this process until you have used up all the ingredients except the cheeses

Add the remaining layer of the cheeses to the top of the dish

If you want to be a little decadent, add panko or Italian breadcrumbs to the topping

Place in the oven cook for 30 minutes

The sweetness of the squash and onions, the earthiness of the mushrooms, the saltiness of parmesan cheese and the bite of the spicy tomato sauce blend together the delight of you tastes buds!

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