Cajun Lasagna

Sunday is the day I like to try out new recipes.  So, this week I chose Cajun Lasagna.  I love lasagna and I love Cajun spices, so why not mix them together, right?  I cheated a little and used the Barilla oven-ready lasagna noodles so I could skip a step.  I hope you love it as much as we did!   Happy cooking!!

Ingredients 

1 lb ground turkey or ground beef

1 lb andouille sausage, fresh, casing removed

1 box lasagna noodles, cooked and dried

1 red onion, diced

1 bell pepper, diced

1 stalk celery, diced

1/2 bunch Italian parsley, minced

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups chicken broth

1 28oz. can crushed tomatoes

1 6oz. can tomato paste

1 1/2 tablespoons creole seasoning

1 tablespoon black pepper

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon onion powder

1 tablespoon Italian seasonings

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1 teaspoon sugar

For the Ricotta/Cheese Mixture: 

1 cup parmigiano reggiano cheese, grated

2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, grated

2 cups jack cheese, grated

8 oz. fresh mozzarella cheese, grated

2 cups ricotta cheese

2 eggs, beaten

extra virgin olive oil

Instructions 

 1.  Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.

 2.  Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Cook pasta for 6 minutes.

 3.  Rinse Pasta with warm water, drain, coat with oil and set aside.

 4.  Mix seasonings, reserve 1 tablespoon for ricotta/cheese mixture, and divide remaining seasons in  half, set aside.

 5.  In a large soup pot heated over medium heat add 2 tablespoon of olive oil, add onion, bell pepper, and celery.

 6.  Saute for about 5 minutes, add garlic and cook 1 minute more.

 7.  Add ground turkey and andouille sauce, break into small chunks. Season with half of the seasoning blend and cook until browned about 15 minutes.

 8.  Add tomato paste and mix well, cook for 5 more minutes.

 9.  Add crushed tomatoes and chicken broth, season with remaining seasoning blend and mix well.

10.  Lower heat to medium-low and cook uncovered for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

11.  Add chopped parsley and mix well and allow sauce to cook about 15 more minutes.

To Assemble Ricotta/Cheese Mixture: 

 1.  Mix eggs, ricotta, parmigiano reggiano, 1 cup sharp, jack, and mozzarella cheese with remaining seasoning blend and set side.

To Assemble Lasagna: 

 1.  In a large greased 13X9 inch casserole dish, place about 1 cup of pasta sauce on the bottom.

 2.  Top with lasagna noodles, slightly overlapping noodles.

 3.  Top with more pasta sauce, top with about 6 heaping tablespoons of ricotta/cheese mixture.

 4.  Top with a handful of remaining grated cheeses and repeat with another layer of lasagna noodles, meat mixture/ricotta cheese mixture/grated cheese.

 5.  For the last layer top with noodles, pasta sauce and remaining grated cheeses.

 6.  Cover casserole with greased foil and bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes.

 7.  Remove foil and cook 20 minutes more.
 8.  Remove from oven, allow to cool 10 minutes. Serve with garlic bread.

Original recipe can be found at the Creole Contessa.