Thursday 27 September 2012

Turkey Sausage Lasagna










One of my 11 year old sons favourite jokes:

What did one country say to the other country?

Hey Turkey, I'm Hungary.

I guess you had to be there.



Turkey Sausage Lasagna
from Ina Garten's Barefoot Contessa Family Style
Serves 8

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
500g turkey sausage, casings removed
1x 400g can chopped tomatoes
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, divided
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
Sea salt flakes
Freshly ground black pepper
250g lasagna noodles
200g creme fraiche
80g creamy goat cheese (or ricotta if you prefer), crumbled
1 cup grated Parmesan, plus 1/4 cup for sprinkling
1 extra-large egg, lightly beaten
200g fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C.

Heat the olive oil  in a large frying pan. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes over medium-low heat, until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the sausage and cook over medium-low heat, breaking it up with a fork, for 8 to 10 minutes, or until no longer pink. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, 2 tablespoons of the parsley, the basil, salt and pepper to taste. Simmer, uncovered, over medium-low heat, for 15 to 20 minutes, until thickened.

Meanwhile, fill a large bowl with the hottest tap water. Add the noodles and allow them to sit in the water for 20 minutes. Drain.

Combine the creme fraiche, goat cheese, 1 cup of Parmesan, the egg, the remaining 2 tablespoons of parsley, salt and pepper. Set aside.

Ladle 1/3 of the sauce into a large baking dish, spreading the sauce over the bottom of the dish. Then add the layers as follows: half the pasta, half the mozzarella, half the creme fraiche, and one third of the sauce. Add the rest of the pasta, mozzarella, creme fraiche, and finally, sauce. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup of Parmesan. Bake for 30 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling.

9 comments:

  1. Hahaha I love kod's jokes hihi :P Gosh your lasagna smells the love!!! With all those cheese and the sausage and...wow. I love it :)

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  2. I am sure that casserole dish emptied quick. I just discovered a love of chicken sausage that our local market makes. Maybe I'll adapt this and use the chicken.
    BTW - cute joke.

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  3. Thanks Gabrielle. At least kid jokes are better than Dad jokes :) Cheese and Sausage, Oh yeah... so yummy.

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  4. Hey Patty. You're absolutely right. That dish was practically clean enough to bypass the dishwasher and go straight back into the cupboard. Chicken sausage would be great in this recipe. That joke is hilarious to me, because he likes to make me laugh.

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  5. It looks amazing and I bet it tasted just as good, too! :)

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  6. Thanks Laura. The turkey sausage and creme fraiche make this a much lighter meal than the traditional one made with beef/pork and bechamel. And yes, it was gone in a flash :

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  7. Hey Turkey, you are making ME Hungary! ;o)

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  8. This is a must-try-dish! Looks divine - and lasagna is my favourite food anyway. :-)

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  9. Thanks Hippu. All the yumminess of lasagna without meat sauce and bechamel making :)

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