Healthy Turkey Lasagne

This healthy turkey lasagne recipe features lean turkey mince, nutrient-packed veggies, and a creamy, low-fat sauce for a guilt-free twist on a classic comfort food.

We both really like lasagne but don’t have it that often at home as it’s not particularly healthy!   We were looking for something healthy to take to work for lunches during the week instead of soup, and knowing that turkey is a healthier protein, I decided to buy a pack of turkey mince and then look online for some inspiration.    I found this recipe from Olive Magazine and have adapted it slightly.   The main difference I made is to the ingredients/instructions for the white sauce as their way just didn’t work for me at all.

I’m sure when I suggested this recipe to David that he was thinking it would be bland, tasteless, NOT lasagne!!!   Well, from one sceptic to another, believe me when I say that he loved it and so do I – it's really delicious.   Actually, it proved that you don’t need to have a béchamel sauce in each layer. The addition of spinach to the white sauce is different, but really good.   Just make sure to get the seasoning right in both the tomato sauce and the white sauce, for your taste.

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How to make this Healthy Turkey Lasagne

Ingredients

• 1 tsp olive oil
• 2 carrots, peeled and finely diced
• 3 onions, finely chopped
• 2 celery stalks, finely diced
• 2 peppers (any colours), deseeded and chopped
• 500g lean turkey mince
• 2 tbsp tomato purée
• 400g tin chopped tomatoes
• 1 bay leaf
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 15g butter
• 20g plain flour
• 300ml semi skimmed milk
• 65g parmesan, grated and split into 35g and 30g
• 180g baby spinach, roughly chopped
• 6 dried lasagne sheets (approx. 135g)

Instructions

1. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan or casserole dish, and fry the carrot, onion, celery and peppers for 15 minutes over a medium heat until they are very soft and starting to caramelise, stirring occasionally. Add the mince and fry, for 5 minutes, until brown all over. Stir to break the mince up among the vegetables.
2. Add the tomato purée and stir into the mince, then add the chopped tomatoes with half a tin of water and the bay leaf. Bring to the boil and then reduce the heat to a steady simmer, cook for 30 minutes, until the sauce is thick. Heat the oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Season the tomato sauce, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Remove the bay leaf!
3. To make the white sauce, melt the butter on a medium to low heat in a medium saucepan and then add the flour and cook for 1 minute. Stirring continually, add the milk gradually until completely incorporated and there are no lumps (I like to use a wooden spurtle). Turn the heat to low and add the 35g of grated parmesan and stir until it's melted into the sauce. Stir the spinach through the sauce until it wilts. Season with some freshly ground black pepper.
4. Now assemble the lasagne - put half of the tomato sauce in a large baking dish (I used a rectangular Staub dish - dimensions: 27cm x 20cm), and cover with 3 dried lasagne sheets. Layer the rest of the sauce on top and the finish with the other 3 dried lasagne sheets. Pour over the white sauce, and scatter with the remaining 30g of grated parmesan.
5. Bake for 1 hour or until the sauce is bubbling and the top is golden. Cover with foil if it’s getting too dark (I top ours with foil for the last 15 to 20 minutes).