This ground turkey lasagna recipe is great for feeding a crowd! Pair it with a salad for a meal that everyone will love. 326 calories and 6 Weight Watchers SP
When you’re hosting a crowd around the holidays, recipe that feed everyone in one fell swoop, like this ground turkey lasagna, are mandatory. With three layers of filling, this healthier lasagna is anything but wimpy. Pair it with a salad for a satisfying meal that will keep the masses happy.
Every year, the kitchen is filled with Nutella fudge, my mother-in-law’s traditional butter cookies and treats from friends. The “No Grinch” rule requires that I dig into some of those treats. It’s a tough job, I admit. But a little indulgence means that I need to balance the day with healthier meals.
This lightened-up lasagna is a great option, but we also turn to shepherd’s pie, a traditional Canadian meat pie, chicken butternut squash stew and soups.
After doing a little research on various beef lasagnas, I found that the average serving consisted of 22 grams of fat. That’s a little hard to swallow when you’re trying to avoid wearing nothing but pants with elasticized waistbands.
How to make low fat lasagna:
After doing a little research on various beef lasagnas, I found that the average serving consisted of 22 grams of fat. That’s a little hard to swallow when you’re trying to avoid wearing nothing but pants with elasticized waistbands.
I set to work slashing fat and pumping up the fiber in a classic meat lasagna. First, I switched to whole wheat lasagna noodles and used lean ground turkey and Italian chicken or turkey sausages.
Instead of using traditional ricotta cheese, or an even heavier Béchamel sauce, I used low fat cottage cheese. Sounds kind of weird, right? When you purée it, the cottage cheese becomes smooth and creamy…perfect for lasagna! This is something I’ve done for a couple of years, using the smooth cheese in everything from baked ziti to vegetarian lasagna rolls.
If you’re short on time, use your favorite store-bought tomato sauce. However, if you have a bit of extra time, this homemade sauce is worth the extra effort.
Healthy recipes to feed a crowd:
Fisherman’s Soup with Tilapia, Shrimp, Tomatoes & Capers {Cookin’ Canuck}
Healthy Slow Cooker Spaghetti & Meatballs {Cookin’ Canuck}
Slow Cooker Taco Soup {iFood Real}
Vegetable Lentil Soup {My Natural Family}
Best Ground Turkey Lasagna
Ingredients
The Sauce:
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1/2 onion chopped
- 1 pound lean ground turkey
- 2 spicy Italian chicken or turkey sausages
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 6 ounce can tomato paste
- 2 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 3 tablespoons minced flat-leaf parlsey
- 2 bay leaves
The Rest:
- 12 ounces whole wheat lasagna noodles
- 16 ounces low-fat cottage cheese
- 3 tablespoons minced flat-leaf parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 6 large basil leaves thinly sliced
Instructions
The Sauce:
- Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick saucepan or skillet set over medium heat. Add the onion, ground turkey and sausages. Cook, crumbling the meat with a wooden spoon, until the turkey and sausages are cooked through.
- Add the garlic, oregano, thyme, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes, and cook for 1 minute.
- Add the tomato paste and stir to combine with the ground turkey mixture, cooking for 1 minute.
- Stir in the crushed tomatoes, chicken broth, parsley and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
The Rest:
- Cook the lasagna noodles according to package instructions. Drain and rinse with cold water. Lay out the noodles on kitchen towels in a single layer.
- Place cottage cheese, parsley and salt into a blender, and puree until smooth.
Assembling The Lasagna:
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Spread 1 cup of the sauce in the bottom of a 9- by 13-inch baking dish.
- Lay a few lasagna noodles in a single layer over top of the sauce. When fitting in the lasagna noodles, it may be necessary to cut some in half lengthwise or crosswise so that they fit properly.
- Spread ⅓ of the cottage cheese mixture over the noodles. Top with 1 ½ cups of the sauce, ¼ of the Parmesan cheese, and ⅓ of the sliced basil.
- Repeat these layers 2 more times, starting with the lasagna noodles. End with an additional layer of lasagna noodles, and the remaining sauce and Parmesan cheese.
- Cover with foil and cook for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and baked until the lasagna is bubbling, 25 to 30 minutes.
- Let rest for 15 minutes, cut into 12 squares and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
This post was first published on December 8, 2014 and updated on December 17, 2019.
Disclosure: I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
Nutmeg+Nanny
Love lasagna but not a huge fan of all the heavy ingredients. I love how you kept this version light and delicious 🙂
Angela {Mind Over Batter}
I just love that your entire family gets together for Christmas!! Such wonderful memories you must have. We make lasagna for Christmas every year. Very cheesy, though. Lol. Your lasagna is the perfect balance to indulgence holiday meals. Love this sauce!
Lauren+@+Healthy+Delicious
I love that you ALL get together! I don’t think my parents and my in-laws have been in the same room since my wedding. We always make lasagna for Christmas, too. I LOVE the look of your sauce – I might have to try it on this year’s lasagna.
Heather+|+girlichef
I like the thought of having a pan of this at the ready during the holiday season. I use cottage cheese in mine sometimes, but I’ve never pureed it – I will try that next time. I think I’ll go with this recipe in it’s entirety for my next go, it sounds delicious!
Lora+@cakeduchess
It’s so nice that you all get together for Christmas. It’s so nice to even be all together once a year for a feast. I love how you lightened up your lasasgna!! A nice way to be able to enjoy a taste of a very rich dish!!
Melanie
Oh Dara that sauce looks fantastic. So vibrant! And I’m keen on recipes that are lighter right now. This is perfect!
Ginny+McMeans
You did a great job on cutting down lots of calories for this wonderful looking comfort food. Sounds like you have great family gatherings too!
Kate+@+Diethood
I love it when families get together during the Holidays. That’s one tradition I love to keep going.
Your photos are stunning! And so is this lasagna!
Martha+@+A+Family+Feast
Looks like a great, lower calorie lasagna – and so necessary this time of year with all of the holiday treats…
Liz+@+The+Lemon+Bowl
I love the cottage cheese idea!!!! So smart. Also, I can’t believe you get to spend the holidays with both sets of parents!! That really is magical. 🙂
Nicole @ mypurplespoon.com
This post just made me realize that I haven’t had lasagna in like…forever, and now it’s all I can think about. Pinned! Thanks for including my recipe in your round-up!
Heather at Basilmomma
I am pretty sure I just planned all of our meals for next week from this one post! 3 swim meets means lots of pasta. But I really only eat about 1200 calories a day so i appreciate this low fat/cal recipe!
Kirsten/ComfortablyDomestic
Christmas Eve always means lasagna with my inlaws, which is a tradition that we continue in our family. I really like how you’ve lightened up lasagna without compromising the flavor and comfort of the dish.
Ilona @ Ilona's Passion
One of the best lasagna I have seen! Pinned and I will definitely make it:)
Brenda@Sugar-Free+Mom
I love using Italian Turkey sausage, can’t even notice a difference!
Amy @ Elephant Eats
Wow, this lasagna looks soooo good. Too bad I’m off of dairy right now…ugh 🙁 Thanks for linking up to my recipe!
Ashley+@+Wishes+&+Dishes
A lasagna that’s lower in fat is my new best friend! 🙂
The+Food+Hunter
Lasagna goes a long way. Love your photos
Deanna Segrave-Daly (@tspbasil)
I think your tradition sounds wonderful! We always host Christmas to a crowd of 30+ usually (my husband is one of 11 kids) and we always lasagna rolls – usually meatless but I think I’ll try your version here – sounds delish.
Shelley@TwoHealthyKitchens
I just love lasagna, and this gem of a recipe is a true find! So excited that it has the wonderful flavors I love, plus lots of great lean protein, calcium and whole grains … with so much less unwanted fat! Score! Definitely pinning this drool worthy idea! 😀