Monday, July 11, 2016

Cajun Lasagna

(Courtesy of creolecontessa.com)
Cajun Lasagna-Creole Contessa

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground turkey
1 lb. andouille sausage, fresh, casing removed
1 box lasagna noodles, dried
1 red onion, diced
1 bell pepper, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
1/2 bunch Italian parsley, minced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 c. chicken broth
1 can (28 oz.) crushed tomatoes
1 can (6 oz.) tomato paste
1 1/2 Tbsp. creole seasoning
1 Tbsp. black pepper
1 Tbsp. garlic powder
1 Tbsp. onion powder
1 Tbsp. Italian seasonings
1 tsp. crushed red pepper
1 tsp. sugar
CHEESE MIXTURE:
1 c. parmigiano reggino cheese, grated
2 c. sharp cheddar cheese, grated
2 c. jack cheese, grated
8 oz. fresh mozzarella cheese, grated
2 c. ricotta cheese
2 eggs, beaten
Extra virgin olive oil

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil.  Cook pasta for 6 minutes.  Rinse pasta with warm water, drain, coat with oil and set aside.

Mix seasonings, reserve 1 Tbsp. for cheese mixture, and divide remaining seasonings in half, set aside.

In a large soup pot heated over medium heat add 2 Tbsp. olive oil, add onion, bell pepper and celery.  Saute for about 5 minutes, add garlic and cook 1 minute more.  Add ground turkey and andouille sausage, break into small chunks.  Season with half f the seasoning blend and cook until browned, about 15 minutes.

Add crushed tomatoes and chicken broth, season with remaining seasoning blend and mix well.  Lower heat to medium-low, add parsley and cook, uncovered, for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Mix sharp, jack and mozzarella cheese, set aside.

Mix eggs, ricotta, parmigiano reggino, 1 c. of the sharp/jack/mozzarella cheese blend with the remaining seasoning blend and set aside.

In a large greased 9x13 casserole dish, place about 1 c. of the pasta sauce on the bottom.  Top with lasagna noodles, slightly overlapping noodles.

Top with more pasta sauce, top with about 6 heaping tablespoons of ricotta/cheese mixture.  Top with a handful of remaining grated cheeses and repeat with another layer of lasagna noodles, meat mixture/ricotta cheese mixture/grated cheese.

For the last layer top with noodles, pasta sauce and remaining grated cheeses.  Cover casserole with greased foil and bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes.  Remove foil and cook 20 minutes more.  Remove from oven, allow to cool 10 minutes. 

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