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Classic Lasagna = Comfort Food

Who doesn’t love a good lasagna? It’s one of those comfort foods that can be enjoyed any time of year. A meal favored by many for sure. This Classic Lasagna Recipe doesn’t steer too far away from all of those classic flavors. My version just makes a few “healthier” swaps. But lets be real…..you can’t skimp on the cheese!

Lasagna can look a lot of different ways. You can build it however you want. I love that you can swap any ingredients you’d like and it still manages to taste AMAZING! It’s so good to have a few classic recipes on hand that everyone will love.

This is a great dish to make in advance on the weekend and have leftovers for your busy work week. That’s usually what we do since we are cooking for just two right now. Makes for a quick, healthy lunch or dinner any day of the week.

It’s also easy to freeze or prepare ahead of time and then pop it in the oven when you get home from work. Lasagna is also a great meal to take to someone’s house when you are helping out with meals or having a dinner party.

Homemade Tomato Sauce

Although you can buy store-bought tomato sauce, I prefer to make mine homemade. It doesn’t take very long and it can really make a difference when using fresh flavors. This is the exact recipe I use for my spaghetti sauce and it’s so delicious! You can also find my Ground Turkey Spaghetti Sauce Recipe HERE.

My sauce for lasagna and spaghetti always includes a lean ground turkey, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, onion, lots of garlic, basil, oregano, a simple seasoning blend (I swear by the McCormick Hamburger Seasoning) and a little brown sugar. Occasionally I add diced zucchini for extra veggies and a little color.

I truly believe the key to a good homemade tomato sauce is tasting along the way. The best way to ensure you have enough flavor is to add a little seasoning every time you add another ingredient to the pan. This way you know it will never be under seasoned.

Same recipe but made with gluten-free rotini and layered the same way.

Pasta Alternatives

I love making this recipe as-is with regular lasagna noodles (I use Barilla Gluten-Free), but I also recently made it with rotini since it was all I had. It turned out just as good! That’s great news since sometimes we don’t always have lasagna noodles on hand.

A little tip when you make it with another noodle (penne, rotini etc) be sure to still layer it like you would lasagna. I found this ensured there was plenty of sauce and cheese throughout. My husband LOVED it!

It will cook a little quicker if you use another type of noodle. My regular lasagna takes about 35-45 min and the rotini pasta-bake version was done in about 20-25 minutes.

Healthy Lifestyle

Comfort food doesn’t have to be unhealthy or enjoyed only every once in awhile. The truth is you can tweak whatever ingredients you need if you want to make it healthier. But also having regular lasagna from time to time should be allowed. Everything in moderation. Italian food is so delicious!

The great thing about choosing to live a healthy lifestyle instead of the ups and downs of dieting is that you don’t have to cut out your favorite recipes. You just learn to be more mindful about the food you put in your body and find the balance of still including your favorites.

To me that means more delicious homemade recipes, choosing better ingredients, moving your body everyday, cutting out processed foods as much as possible, buying organic as much as you can, and having the balance of the 80/20 rule. That’s eating clean 80% of the time and leaving 20% for everything else.

Food is meant to be enjoyed and shared with others. It is an expression of love. This Classic Lasagna is the perfect comfort food to share. Also be sure to check out my Cheesy Stovetop Rotini Recipe HERE if you want to try my version of the classic Mac N Cheese.

Follow me on Social Media

I hope you make this recipe or any version you like and be sure to tag me on Instagram @motivate.educate.repeat or use the hashtag #MotivateEducateRepeat. Come follow along HERE and be the first to find out when I post new recipes and share other wellness tips.

Recipe Tips:

-You can prepare this dish ahead of time. I prefer to use the no-boil lasagna pasta sheets so you can go ahead and make your sauce and cheese mixture and assemble everything, cover it and leave it in the fridge or even freezer until you are ready to bake. Just make sure to bring your dish back up to room temp (if using glass) before baking or your glass dish can break.

-This recipe can be made with Rotini, Penne, or any other kind of pasta in place of lasagna noodles (in case you don’t have them on hand). It makes a delicious pasta bake whichever pasta you choose. I keep all the other ingredients the same. Just be sure to adjust your baking time. It’s usually about 15-20 min less.

-I always bake my lasagna covered for the first 30 minutes. Then remove your foil and bake again for the remainder cooking time. This allows the inside to cook fully through and still gives you the toasted, melted cheese crust on top that we all love.

5 from 2 votes

Classic Lasagna

This Classic Lasagna Recipe is the perfect comfort any time of year. Loaded with three cheeses and all the declious Italian flavors. Easy to make ahead and great for leftovers during a busy work week.

Course Dinner, Lunch, Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Keyword cherry tomatoes, comfort food, dinner, easy recipe, garlic, italian cuisine, lasagna, main course, main dish, make ahead, mozzerella, onion, parmesan, pasta, ricotta, tomato sauce

Ingredients

Tomato Sauce:

1 Lb. Lean Ground Turkey (85/15)
2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Cup Yellow Onion, diced (or 1/2 large onion)
2 Clove Garlic, minced (2 large or 4 small)
1/4 Cup Stock ( I use low-sodium chicken)
1 14.5oz Can Petite Diced Tomatoes
2 8oz. Cans Tomato Sauce
2 Tbsp Brown Sugar
2 Tsp Dried Basil
1 Tbsp Dried Oregano
1/4 Tsp Garlic Powder
S&P -OR- Simple Seasoning Blend to taste (I use McCormick Hamburger Seasoning)

Ricotta Mix:

1 16oz Container Part Skim Ricotta Cheese (I use Frigo)
1/2 Cup Spinach, finely chopped
1 Large Egg
1/8 Tsp Nutmeg
1/2 Cup Shaved Parmesan Cheese
Kosher Salt & Pepper
1 Box No-Cook Lasagna Noodles (I use Gluten Free Barilla brand)

Instructions

Ground Turkey Tomato Sauce

Heat large skillet pan on medium heat. Add olive oil and diced onions and cook until slightly translucent. Add ground turkey, garlic and light seasoning. Cook throughly about 3-4 minutes.
Next add chicken stock, diced tomatoes, and tomato sauce. Stir in brown sugar, dried herbs, and more seasoning to taste. Allow sauce to cook on medium for a few minutes and then turn down to a slow simmer. Stir in garlic powder and more seasoning to taste. Cook sauce for about 20 minutes if you’re short on time. The longer you cook it the better it will be so if you can cook it up to 30-40 minutes, it will enhance the flavor even more.

Ricotta Mixture

While your tomato sauce is cooking combine ricotta, 1/2 cup shaved parmesan, egg, spinach, nutmeg, and salt and pepper to taste all into a medium bowl.
Keep refrigerated until sauce is ready. Leave out a few minutes when ready to start layering. This will make it easier to spread.

Layering the Lasagna

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In a 13x9 baking dish, pour 1/2 cup tomato sauce into bottom of pan and spread to lightly cover the bottom. Then lay your no-cook lasagna noodles across the sauce. This doesn’t have to be perfect. You can break noodles into smaller pieces if needed. If using regular lasagna noodles, you’ll need to cook them first.
Next, spread a light layer of the ricotta on top of the noodles. I find it easiest to put a few dollops all over first and then spread with the back of a spoon. Just be sure to only use 1/3 of the mixture so you have plenty for the other layers.
Place about 6 slices of fresh mozzarella on top of the ricotta mixture.
Continue these steps two more times. The top later will only be noodles, sauce, parmesan and mozzarella. There is no ricotta mixture on the top layer.
Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Then remove foil and bake another 10-15 uncovered. Top should be slightly brown and bubbling. Let rest another 10 minutes and top with more chopped fresh spinach, basil or parsley. Serve immediately. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container or covered baking dish up to a week in the fridge. Reheat on a plate as needed.

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