The Lasagna

•  Olive oil
•  1 pound ground meat (turkey breast or beef)
•  1 ½ cups chopped onion
•  2 garlic cloves, chopped
•  2 (26-ounce) jars marinara sauce, about 6½ cups (or more, to taste)
•  1 (16-ounce) carton cottage cheese
•  1 egg
•  ¼ cup (1 ounce) grated Parmesan cheese
•  1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
•  ¼ teaspoon black pepper
•  Spinach (choose one):
  • 1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
  • 1 pound fresh spinach, slowly wilted and cooked until enough moisture has evaporated to make it look like drained frozen spinach
•  9-12 cooked lasagna noodles (depending on pan size)
•  2 cups (8 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese

Step 1

Preheat oven to 350°F

Step 2

Add some olive oil (about 1 tablespoon) to a large skillet, and place over medium-high heat until hot and the oil just begins to smoke. Add meat, onion, and garlic; cook until meat is browned, stirring to crumble. Add 5 cups marinara sauce; cook 5-10 minutes to thicken a bit, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat.

Step 3

Combine cottage cheese, egg, Parmesan, parsley, pepper, and spinach; stir well.

Step 4

Spread half of remaining marinara sauce in bottom of a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with olive oil. Arrange 3-4 noodles over marinara, trimming to fit in an even layer with no overlap if necessary; top with half of the cottage cheese mixture and one third of the mozzarella. Spoon half of the turkey mixture over the mozzarella. Arrange 3-4 noodles over turkey mixture; top with remaining cottage cheese mixture and half of the remaining mozzarella, then spoon remaining turkey mixture over the mozzarella. Arrange remaining 3-4 noodles on the top, spread remaining marinara sauce over them, and the remaining mozzarella.

Step 5

Bake at 350° for 50 minutes or until cheese melts and sauce is bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.