"Mom's" Lasagna

Usually Mark and I clash in the kitchen (he claims I'm "too slow"), but this time we teamed up.  The result is: Lasagna!

This dish is easy to make, and tastes great - full of flavor, well balanced, good texture, and substantial - not too meaty, not too cheesy, not too watery, and not too dry. The key ingredients indicated by a (!) give our version of this dish its taste and texture, and the real secret is don't be stingy with the organic parsley. * Time saver option: Replace the starred items with a jar of spaghetti sauce that contains basically the same thing.

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground turkey (!)
2 tsp. crushed garlic (!)
1 can tomato sauce (15 oz) *
1 can tomato paste (6 oz) *
1 tsp. dried oregano *
fresh ground pepper to taste
12 lasagna noodles, cooked and drained
2 cups ricotta cheese
1/2 cup cottage cheese
4 cups shredded part skim mozzarella cheese
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
organic parsley (!)

(!) Key ingredients

Directions:

1. In large saucepan, cook turkey over medium high heat until meat is no longer pink.  Stir in spaghetti sauce, cover and simmer for 30 minutes.
2. In a large mixing bowl, mix ricotta cheese, crushed garlic, and minced organic parsley.
3. Ladle one third of the meat sauce mixture into a large Corning ware baking dish.  Then layer as follows:  Noodles,  ricotta cheese mixture, shredded mozzarella, meat sauce, grated parmesan. Repeat layers twice. Towards the top layers, substitute cottage cheese for the ricotta cheese mixture.
4. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for approximately 45-50 minutes or until bubbly and lightly browned on top.

Serves 6-8. The wine pictured here is a 2008 Trader Joe's "Grand Reserve" Meritage from Napa Valley.

Buon appetito!

--The Daily Fitchett