Turkey and Veggie Lasagna

I came across this recipe on Delish when searching for something to make with turkey leftovers - this is great to have in the arsenal because it is easy to assemble more than one at a time and keep one in the freezer for future dinners!

My version below includes some personal adjustments, and I doubled recipe to make TWO 8X8 pans of lasagna. I used Hefty EZ Foil pans and turned the edges up (to make them a little deeper) but you can also use deep 8X8 baking pans or casseroles. Click on the link to view the original recipe!

Turkey and Veggie Lasagna

Ingredients:
8 Tbsp margarine or butter
2 packages (8-ounce) whole mushrooms, sliced
1 small onion, finely chopped
2-3 Tbsp minced garlic
2/3 cups all-purpose flour
3 1/2 cups milk, warmed
2 cans (14- to 14.5-ounce) chicken broth (or 3 cups homemade!)
16 lasagna noodles, parboiled
2 packages (10-ounce) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
4 cups leftover cooked turkey, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 1/2 cups canned grated Parmesan cheese
2 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Directions

1. In 12-inch nonstick skillet, melt 2 tablespoons margarine on medium. Add mushrooms, onion, and garlic, and cook about 8 minutes or until mushrooms are lightly browned, stirring occasionally. Set aside.

2. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan or dutch oven, melt remaining margarine on medium. Whisk in flour and cook 1 minute. Gradually whisk in milk and broth until well blended; cook until sauce thickens and boils, stirring frequently. Boil 2 minutes. Set sauce aside.

3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray 8" by 8" baking pans with nonstick cooking spray. Pour 1/2 cup sauce in bottom of each baking dish; arrange 2 noodles over sauce, overlapping to fit. (I used kitchen shears to cut the noodles to size and then layered the leftover pieces in the empty space). Top evenly with a quarter of the spinach, 1 cup of turkey, then 1/2 cup sauce; sprinkle with 1/4 cup Parmesan. Top with 2 noodles, mushroom mixture, 3/4 cup mozzarella, then 1/2 cup sauce. Top with 2 noodles, a quarter of the spinach and 1 cup turkey, then 3/4 cup sauce, and 1/4 cup Parmesan. Arrange remaining noodles on top; spoon remaining sauce over noodles to cover (about 1/2 cup - I poured just enough to lightly coat the noodles and spread the sauce with a spoon to make it even). Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan. Repeat all steps for 2nd pan of lasagna.

4. Spray sheet of foil with nonstick cooking spray (or use nonstick foil); cover baking dish, sprayed (or nonstick) side down. Bake lasagna 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake 15 minutes longer or until hot and bubbly in the center and lightly browned on top. Let stand 15 minutes for easier serving. If you are freezing, move to freezer with foil cover in place - allow to freeze overnight and then cover with an additional, larger piece of foil to get a good seal. Store up to 3 months.

(for frozen, either thaw overnight and bake as directed above, or place directly in oven and bake for 1.5 hours or until heated through)

Total Cost:
Butter - $0.56
Mushrooms - $3.00
Onion - $0.25
Flour - $0.06
Milk - $0.59
Chicken broth - FREE!
Noodles - $1.00
Spinach - $2.00
Turkey - FREE!
Parmesan Cheese - $2.50
Mozzarella cheese - $2.60

Grand Total - $11.56 for 12 servings OR one for now and one for later!