Turkey Lasagna with Rustic Italian Salad

Lasagna is both a type of noodle and a dish made with that noodle; when pluralized, lasagna noodles are known as “lasagne”. Lasagne are long, flat, broad noodles which are ideally suited to layering in a baking dish to make a sort of noodle pie with an assortment of ingredients which may include meats, cheeses, and tomato sauce. Most markets carry lasagna noodles, often in an assortment of flavours including spinach, whole wheat, and plain. “Lasagna” is derived from the Greek lasanon, which means “chamber pot.” The Romans borrowed the word to refer to cooking pots of a similar shape and eventually the word came to be used to refer to the noodles which were traditionally layered in a lasanum, a Roman lasagna dish.

Ingredients for Turkey Lasagna

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large brown onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1kg turkey mince
500 g bolognaise sauce
500 g natural yoghurt
200 g ricotta cheese
½ tsp ground nutmeg
100 g parmesan, grated
250 g frozen spinach, thawed
1 pack oven ready lasagna sheets (250g)
1 tsp mixed dried herbs

Method

Preheat oven to 180ºC. Heat oil in a large heavy based frying pan, cook onion and garlic until onion is softened. Add turkey mince and cook until browned. Add bolognaise sauce, mixed dried herbs to pan and simmer for 10 min. then remove from heat.

Place yoghurt, ricotta, nutmeg and 75 g parmesan into a bowl and combine.

Spread a thin layer of turkey sauce mince into the base of a medium 2 liter capacity ovenproof dish. Add a layer of lasagna sheets then top with approx. 500 g turkey sauce mix, covered with 225g of yoghurt mixture. Spread half the spinach on top. Repeat with a layer of lasagna sheets and the remainder of turkey sauce. Place the last of the lasagna sheets, yoghurt mixture and spinach then sprinkle with remaining parmesan cheese. Bake for 45 minutes.

Ingredients for Italian Rustic Salad

1 red capsicum (200g)

1 yellow capsicum (200g)

½ telegraph cucumber (200g)

2 shallots (50g)

4 tomatoes (350g)

1 cup baby spinach leaves (50g)

½ cup flat parsley leaves (25g)

5 basil leaves

2 cups baby mesclun (50g)

Freshly grated parmesan

Olives

Method

Deseed capsicums and cut into small pieces, cut cumber into quarter and slice, cop shallots finely, cut tomatoes in wedges and place in a bowl. Add chopped baby spinach leaves, chopped parsley, torn basil leaves, mesclun and toss the salad. Serve in bowls with freshly shredded parmesan, freshly grinded pepper and olives.

Serving suggestion: Cut lasagna in rectangle pieces and place on a serving plate with a bowl of freshly made Rustic Italian Salad and perhaps a slice of toasted Picatta bread.

Note: If you like dressings for your salad try an Italian salad dressing. Whole lasagna can also be assembled and be frozen uncooked.

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