Easy Turkey Lasagne

Now the kids are back at school I am glad to be back blogging after an extended summer break. My youngest child has started secondary school today and my eldest is starting Sixth Form tomorrow so I want us all to have a relaxed family dinner tonight. So I am making one of our favourites, lasagne, which I will serve with salad and garlic bread.

This is a twist on an old Slimming World recipe that I have been making for maybe fourteen years now! I like it because it is lower in fat than a traditional lasagne and I don’t have to mess around with making a cheese sauce. I have adapted it to include more tryptophan-rich foods by using turkey mince instead of beef, and also including mushrooms instead of courgette. I have also used full-fat cheddar cheese because that is what I tend to have in the fridge, I like cheese and crackers and I am not keen on reduced-fat cheese uncooked. However, feel free to swap the full-fat cheese for a reduced-fat version.

Easy Turkey Lasagne (Serves 4)

Ingredients

2 tsps olive oil

450g turkey mince (ground turkey)

1 onion, chopped

4 cloves of garlic, chopped

1 red pepper, chopped

2 handfuls chestnut mushrooms, chopped

2 tsps Italian Seasoning or Mixed Herbs

400g passata

A little olive oil for greasing the lasagne dish

12 dried lasagne sheets

500g fat-free or low fat natural greek yogurt

2 eggs

A pinch of nutmeg (optional)

Salt and Pepper to taste

160g reduced-fat or full-fat cheddar cheese, depending on preference (grated)

Method

Heat the 2 teaspoons of olive oil in a large frying pan. When the oil is hot, add onion and garlic and stir fry for a couple of minutes. Add the minced turkey and cook, stirring, until the mince is browned. Add the peppers and mushrooms to the meat mixture and continue to cook for six or seven minutes, stirring occasionally, until the meat is cooked through. Add the passata and herbs, season to tatse and stir everything together. Continue to cook, stirring frequently for around 15 minutes.

Whilst the meat sauce is cooking, put the yogurt into a medium-sized bowl. Break the two eggs into it, and the nutmeg if using, and stir well until the yogurt and eggs are combined.

Then using a piece of kitchen towel grease a lasagne dish with the extra olive oil.

When the meat mixture is ready put half of the meat mixture into the lasagne dish and spread it on the bottom of the dish. Cover the meat sauce with six of the lasagne pieces. Layer half of the yogurt mix on top of the lasagne, making sure all the lasagne is covered. Then put the rest of the meat mixture on top, layering with the rest of the dried pasta and then the rest of the yogurt, again making sure that the pasta is covered. Finally finish with a layer of the grated cheese and ground pepper to taste.

Serve with a mixed salad and garlic bread if desired.