Turkey Lasagna

Sometimes you just want some comfort food.  This turkey lasagna recipe is one of our favorite recipes and a healthier version of the classic dish.  It’s only 9 Freestyle points per serving on Weight Watchers.  

One thing that I love to eat is comfort food, and this lasagna is perfect when you are craving traditional lasagna.  The ground turkey helps to cut back on the fat of traditional beef lasagna, and the lack of ricotta cheese helps to cut back on the Weight Watcher Freestyle points.

People ask me often how I lost weight.  If you want to read my Journey posts, I share more about my weight loss journey there.  But one thing I say is that I don’t cut anything out of my diet.  

I have cut back drastically, but I can’t cut it out – it just won’t happen for me and it will make me have to have it, which is the opposite thing I want to happen.

Knowing that I can eat the foods I love (in moderation and with correct portions), is what makes Weight Watchers a great program for anyone trying to lose weight.

Now, I know what you might be thinking.  9 SmartPoints for dinner seems pretty high.  And it’s a very large dinner, but this recipe is worth it.  

Why?  Because it’s delicious and your whole family will love it.  This was one of my husband’s favorite meals to date, and I definitely have to agree with him.

The ground turkey in this lasagna will surprise you because – to me – it doesn’t taste like turkey.  Herbs get added to the meat before you cook it and this helps to add so much flavor to the meat.  

I also loved that the sauce doesn’t have a ton of cheese in it.  That helps with the Freestyle point values, but the taste doesn’t get compromised.

To make this Turkey Lasagna recipe:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium sized bowl, combine the turkey, garlic salt, garlic powder, onion powder, parsley, basil, salt and pepper.  Mix all together until the seasonings are well incorporated.

Heat a large non-stick skillet to medium heat.  Add the olive oil, onion and garlic.  Cook until the onion starts to become translucent and the garlic is fragrant.  Add the lean ground turkey mixture to the pan and stir, breaking the meat up as it cooks, until it’s cooked through, about 10 minutes.

Add the white wine, crushed tomatoes and diced tomatoes and bring this to a simmer.  Simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Place about 1/5 of the sauce mixture on the bottom of a large 9×13 Pyrex or oven safe lasagna pan.  Top with noodles and about 1/4 of the part-skim mozzerella cheese.  Sprinkle 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese on top of the part-skim Mozzerella cheese.  Repeat for up to 4 layers, until all of the sauce mixture is used up.

Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until the top is browned and the cheese has melted.  Cut into 8 servings and enjoy immediately.

What’s your favorite Italian meal?