Turkey Sausage and Spinach Lasagne

Turkey Sausage and Spinach Lasagne

I have to blame Quida for this. She keeps asking me to make my lasagna…and in all fairness, I’ve only made it once. Right when Celeste was first pregnant…and I thought it would be fun to cook for her. So I made up this lasagna…which is completely wasted on my husband who doesn’t like most things pasta. I went for flavor. So I flavored each layer. I must say, I was impressed. My first lasagna I used a combination of ground sirloin and ground veal. I thought the result was pretty fantastic, especially for a first. The next day I took in a slice each for Celeste and Quida…only to discover that Celeste was now in the queasy stages of her pregnancy. So Quida had hers for lunch and raved about it. The next day Celeste was still very sick so Quida’s attitude was, “Oh well. More for me!” Apparently she loved it so much that she has been raving about it to her friends. Her Martha Stewart friend, April, is almost at the point of “Enough already. Either show me the lasagna or shut up.” I told Quida that I wanted to try a turkey and spinach lasagna and her response was, “bring it on.” So here it is. One Sunday and six hours later…

The Ingredients:

Tomato Sauce:
1 Large Can peeled Italian Tomatoes (I recommend the imported kind from Italy)
2 Cloves Garlic, minced (or crushed)
2 Tbsps Olive Oil
¼ cup Torn Basil Leaves
Salt and Pepper to taste
Good Quality Vinegar, such as Sherry Vinegar, Zinfandel, etc.
Honey if needed (A good quality imported Italian tomatoes picked at perfect ripeness, may not need any sweet added at all.)

1 Package Turkey Sausage Links

1 Package Baby Spinach
2 more Cloves Garlic, Sliced
Lemon Zest and 1 Tsp Lemon Juice
Fresh Ground Nutmeg
Salt and Pepper to Taste

¼ Cup Minced Parsley
¼ Cup Minched Oregano
1 Package Ricotta Cheese
More Fresh Ground Nutmeg
Salt and Pepper to Taste

1 Layer Fresh Basil Leaves

1 Package Fresh Lasagne Noodles

1 Package Smoked, Sliced Fontina Cheese

¼ Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese

The Sauce:

Open a large can of Peeled Italian Tomatoes and pour into a large bowl, with the juice. With your hand, crush each tomato. Heat a large pan and add 1 tbsp Olive Oil. Crush 2 Garlic Cloves into the oil and let bloom a couple of seconds. Add the tomatoes, all at once and bring to a simmer. Tear half of the basil into the sauce. Add a dash of Crushed Red Chili Flakes. Stir occasionally until reduced and the sauce is not watery. Tear the remaining Basil into the Sauce. Taste. If it needs salt, add some now. Sometimes the tomatoes have salt already in the can, so be sure to taste the sauce before adding additional salt.