Lasagna virgin no more

Unless you are my sister, everyone loves lasagna. It's comfort food. The Italians will probably claim lasagna as theirs, but it is historically a British dish. I am neither Italian or British but I love it and have always wanted to make my own from scratch. I had turkey meat so I found a recipe online, modified it, and here it is.

• 9 whole-wheat lasagna noodles
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 pound ground turkey
• 3 cans tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
• 3 tablespoons Italian seasoning
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2-3 cloves of garlic
• 6 cups chopped fresh spinach
• 2 cups fat-free ricotta cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1. Preheat an oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook lasagna noodles in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes. Drain noodles, and rinse with cold water.
3. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in the onion; cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 2 minutes. Add ground turkey and garlic and cook 5 to 7 minutes more, stirring to break up any large chunks of meat. Stir in tomato sauce, mushrooms, Italian seasoning, and black pepper. Simmer for 2 minutes and season to taste.
4. Combine spinach, ricotta, and nutmeg in a large bowl.
5. To assemble, arrange 3 noodles lengthwise in the bottom of a greased 9x13 inch baking dish. Spread with 1/3 the ricotta mixture, 1/3 of the turkey mixture, and 1/3 of the mozzarella. Repeat layers, ending with remaining mozzarella. Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes before serving.

A few tips to keep in mind:

• make sure there are no bare noodles poking out the top or sides
• You can add as much or as little spinach as you prefer. We love spinach so I used 6 full cups
• This is not a spicy meal so you could easily add crushed red pepper for a kick

Enjoy with a glass or red wine or cold milk!