Ground Turkey and Zucchini Lasagna Bake

I call this recipe a "Lasagna Bake" because there are only 6 noodles and its mostly a veggie/meat/cheese dish. It's really good- but not a traditional lasagna you cut...this is more of a scoop into a bowl kinda meal.

Meat Sauce
1 lb. Ground Turkey
1 Tsp. Ground Basil
1 Tsp. Fennel Seeds
Sea Salt
Pepper
3/4 Jar Tomato Basil Marinara Sauce
1/4 C. Red Wine

Veggies
3 Zucchinis (I used 2 green, 1 yellow)
1 Tsp. Olive Oil
1 Tsp. Ground Basil
Sea Salt
Pepper

Cheese Mixture
2 C. Ricotta Cheese
1 C. Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
1 Egg

6 No-Bake Lasagna Noodles
Crushed Red Pepper
1/2 C. Shredded Mozzarella
1/4 Jar Tomato Basil Marinara Sauce
10 Fresh Basil Leaves, Chopped

Preheat the oven to 375.
Brown the ground turkey in a frying pan. Drain the grease. Season with salt, pepper, fennel and basil. Add the tomato sauce, red wine and simmer.

In another frying pan, heat olive oil. Add the sliced zucchini and season with salt, pepper and basil. Sauté until soft, for about 3 minutes. Remove from heat.

In a large bowl, mix the ricotta, mozzarella and egg. Stir and set aside.

In a 9x13 casserole dish, pour the rest of the tomato sauce in the bottom of the pan. Place 3 noodles on the sauce. Layer with half the meat sauce and then all of the cheese mixture. Layer with 3 more noodles. Top with the veggies, the rest of the meat sauce, mozzarella cheese, basil leaves and a couple swift shakes of the crushed red pepper.

Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 25 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for 5 more minutes.

Roasted Tomato Caprese Salad

After 2 weekends of complete food binging- it's time to start eating clean again! So back to the fresh veggies! So to mix up a typical caprese salad- I roasted the tomatoes. It added a nice sweetness and the heat warms the mozzarella perfectly. The roasted tomatoes are inspired by this recipe by Ina Garten.

 

 

Perfectly Roasted Tomatoes

Tomato + Cheese + Basil= Perfect Combination

6 Large Tomatoes, sliced about 1/2"
Olive Oil
Balsamic Vinegar
1 Tsp. Sea Salt
Ground Pepper
1 Tsp. Sugar
Fresh Mozzarella, Sliced (4 oz.)
8-10 Basil Leaves, thinly sliced

Preheat the oven to 450. Line an baking tray with aluminum foil and lay out the tomatoes. Drizzle with olive oil, sea salt, ground pepper and finally sugar. Bake for about 25 minutes. They will shrink significantly and begin to caramelize. Remove from oven.

Layer the mozzarella with the warm tomatoes (be careful, they are very delicate). Drizzle with a little more balsamic, top with fresh basil and a little pinch of sea salt.

Such a delicious salad- I served it with grilled chicken. This would be equally as good with grilled portabellas or eggplant! Veg out!

Enjoy the sweet taste of summer!
-e

Zucchini Squash "Pasta" with Turkey Kale Meatballs

So, if you are a follower of my blog you will see that earlier this week I made a recipe with ground turkey and a recipe with kale...well this is the other half of the 3 lb. ground turkey package and the rest of the kale salad! I always love making something new with leftovers!

The raw kale adds a surprisingly delicious crunch to the meatballs!

Meatballs
1.5 lb. Ground Turkey
2 Cups Kale, (Rinsed, chopped and massaged with olive oil and sea salt--- per my Kale Salad recipe)
1 Tbsp. Italian Seasoning
2 Cloves Garlic, Chopped
1 Tsp. Salt
1 Tsp. Pepper
1/2 Tsp. Crushed Red Pepper
1/4 C. Grated Parmesan Cheese
1/4 C Olive Oil

Zucchini Squash "Pasta"
3 Zucchini Squashes (I used 2 yellow, 1 green), Julienned
1/2 Onion, Sliced
1 Tomato, Diced
3 Cloves Garlic, Chopped
1 Tbsp. Italian Seasoning
Salt
Pepper
3 Tbsp. Olive Oil
Shredded Mozzarella Cheese for garnish
Parmesan Cheese for topping

Mix all the ingredients for the meatballs together. Roll the meat mixture into 1.5" balls and set aside.
Bring olive oil to medium heat and plop them in. Let them brown for about 4 minutes, turn and let brown for another 4 minutes. Cover, reduce to low and let simmer while you make the "pasta."

IF you have a mandolin, use it. It's a tool that helps control the size and style of cut-- very useful for julienning vegetables. If you don't have one, cut the zucchini so it's like long matchsticks.

Bring the olive oil to medium in a frying pan. Add the onion and garlic and sauté until tender, about 2 minutes. Add the chopped tomato and spices. Cook for about 2 minutes and then add the zucchini. Stir it lightly- just enough to get olive oil and spices all over it- but be careful not to mush it up. The idea is not to overly cook the zucchini, but bring it to al dente. That way it still has a little crisp in the bite.

Spoon the zucchini into a bowl, add a pinch or two of mozzarella, a little more parmesan and top with some meatballs! (I add mozzarella on the plate so it doesn't make the pan any harder to clean!).

The best part of this dish is that since there is no pasta, you don't feel guilty when you eat dessert afterwards!
Bon Appetite,
-e