Whole Wheat Lasagna with Ground Turkey

I grew up with my mom making the best Italian food.  Sauces from scratch and no measurements, all by hand.  Kids always in the kitchen helping and tasting as food was being made.  The tradition continues with my own take on lasagna.  My sister and the girls all in the kitchen stealing tastes and chatting as I cooked.  A perfect way to spend an afternoon!  I doubled the recipe to freeze a lasagna for the crazy hectic day that is in our future and will be made a little better by some warm comfort food.

Whole Wheat Lasagna with Ground Turkey

Ingredients
1 (8 ounce) package of whole wheat lasagna noodles
1 (16 ounce) package of ground turkey
1 1/3 cups cottage cheese
3/4 cup (6 ounces) cream cheese softened
2/3 cup ricotta cheese
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste (2-3 grinds for us)
4 garlic cloves chopped
2 large eggs
1 jar of pasta sauce (26 ounces), we use a basil sauce
olive oil for oiling the pan
1 cup of shredded cheese

Recipe

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Oil 13 x 9 inch pan.  Set aside 1/2 cup pasta sauce
2. Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions.
3. Brown and crumble ground turkey over medium heat until completely cooked.  Add pasta sauce to the turkey except for the 1/2 cup set aside.  Simmer covered over low heat until warmed then turn off and uncover.  
4. In a large bowl thoroughly combine the cottage cheese, cream cheese and ricotta.  Stir in the parmesan, salt, pepper, garlic and eggs until combined.
5. Spread 1/2 cup reserved pasta sauce in the bottom of oiled pan.  Place 3 noodles over the sauce.  Top with 1/2 of the cheese mixture and 1/3 of the meat sauce.  Place 3 more noodles over the sauce.  Top with 1/2 of the cheese mixture and 1/3 of the meat sauce.  End with three noodles and top with remaining 1/3 meat sauce.  Sprinkle with shredded mozzarella.  
6. Cover pan with foil and cook for 30 minutes.  Remove foil and cook 10 minutes.  If you want a a nice bubbly top with bits of brown broil for 1-3 minutes watching that it does not over cook!  Let it sit for about 10 minutes before serving.

Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole

Who hasn't had some version of chicken and rice casserole.  The classic version is full of fat and sodium but still so tasty.  I was not sure how this version would compare as it's much healthier, but the taste surprised me.  It was amazingly moist, flavorful and invoked happy childhood memories.  This is not your mom's casserole, it's a grown up healthy absolutely scrumptious take on that childhood classic.  We will be making this again and again.  The leftovers, if you have any, heat up really well too!

Recipe Modifications

• Used portion of large white onion instead of whole small onion
• Cooked Rice to package instructions
• Used Sharp Cheddar, I think it tastes better than a mild cheddar in a dish like this and a bit gives allot of flavor
• Added a whole 8 ounce package of mushrooms sliced

Ingredients

1 Tbsp plus 1 Tsp Olive Oil

1 Small Onion, diced

1 Cup Mushrooms, sliced

1 Tsp Salt

1/2 Tsp Garlic Powder

1 Lb Chicken Breasts (about 2), boneless, skinless, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1/2 Cup Sour Cream

1 Cup Cheddar Cheese, shredded (plus additional for sprinkling on top)

3 Cups Cooked Wild Rice (I cooked 1 cup uncooked wild rice in 4 cups water for 50 minutes)

Recipe

This recipe comes from weelicious.  She does an incredible job of putting out healthy and fun recipes.

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