Caprese Lasagna with Spicy Turkey Sausage

Love the recipes I am getting from this blog, www.iowagirleats.com.  This one was delicious too!  It's a take on lasagna using a white sauce and spicy sausage that was simply delicious!  It was lighter than traditional lasagna making it more appetizing during the warm fall weather we've been having.  The hot Italian sausage was a bit spicy for the boys so I might use something a little milder next time but I sure loved it!  Yum!

 

Caprese Lasagna with Spicy Turkey Sausage

Recipe adapted from www.iowagirleats.com

1 pkg. oven ready lasagna noodles
extra virgin olive oil
1 pkg. hot turkey Italian sausage (could use sweet - I might next time for the boys' sake)
2 Tablespoons butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 Tablespoons flour
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cups milk
salt & pepper
5-6 Roma tomatoes, thinly sliced
3/4 cup torn fresh basil
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Squeeze sausage out of its casing and cook while breaking up until no longer pink. Remove to a plate and set aside.

In the same skillet, melt butter, then add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Sprinkle in flour, then whisk to combine and cook for 30 more seconds.

Slowly pour in chicken broth a few tablespoons at a time, whisking to break up any lumps. Continue pouring and whisking until mixture is smooth. Pour in milk and whisk to combine. Season with salt & pepper.  Continue stirring until thick and bubbly, about 10 minutes.  Set aside.

Spray the bottom and sides of a 9×13″ baking dish with non-stick spray. Pour 1/4 cup sauce into the bottom, then spread evenly with a spatula. Layer 1/3 of the lasagna noodles.  Then top with 1/3 of the tomatoes, 1/4 cup torn basil, 1/3 of the cooked turkey sausage, 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, and 1/3 of the remaining sauce. Repeat 2 more times, for a total of three layers.

Cover baking dish with foil and bake for 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 15 more minutes, or until cheese is golden brown and sauce is bubbly. Let sit 5 minutes before slicing and serving.

Husband Rating: I don't think we got one for this meal but I will ask him next time because there will definitely be a next time for this meal!

Food for Thought: I think that adding some chopped spinach would be really a nice addition to this dish.  I am going to try that as well as turning down the heat on the Italian sausage for next time.  Enjoy!

You could also do this for the freezer, cooking it all up and before baking it cover it well and stick it in the freezer.  Allow to thaw in the fridge and then cook up according to instructions.