Italian cuisine has long been a mainstay of cultures across the world, having been exported to virtually every corner of the globe to become “international cuisine”. However, its heart remains firmly in Italia, and they bring us some of the classic recipes of all time.

We’ll begin to celebrate this cuisine with a variant on classic true centerpiece dish in the form of our Lampedusa Turkey Bolognese Lasagna. Lasagna (technically, Lasagne is the plural form) are a type of wide, flat pasta, possibly one of the oldest types of pasta in the world. Lasagna refers to a culinary dish made with stacked layers of pasta alternated with sauces and ingredients such as meats, vegetables and cheese, and sometimes topped with melted grated mozzarella cheese. Typically, the cooked pasta is assembled with the other ingredients and then baked in an oven. The resulting lasagne casserole is cut into single-serving square portions.

Lasagne originated in Italy during the Middle Ages and have traditionally been ascribed to the city of Naples. The first recorded recipe was set down in the early 14th-century Liber de Coquina (The Book of Cookery). The traditional lasagne of Naples, lasagne di carnevale, are layered with local sausage, small fried meatballs, hard-boiled eggs, ricotta and mozzarella cheeses, and sauced with a Neapolitan ragu, a meat sauce. Lasagne al forno, layered with a thicker ragu and Bechamel sauce, and corresponding to the most common version of the dish outside Italy, are traditionally associated with the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. In other regions, lasagne can be made with various combinations of ricotta or mozzarella cheese, tomato sauce, meats (e.g., ground beef, pork or chicken), and vegetables (e.g., spinach, zucchini, olives, mushrooms), and the dish is typically flavored with wine, garlic, onion, and oregano. In all cases, the lasagne are oven-baked (al forno). In the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna, and especially in its capital, Bologna, layers of lasagne are served with a pork and beef ragu (a thick sauce made from onions, carrots, celery, finely ground pork and beef, butter, and tomatoes), bechamel and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. For our purposes, we’ll substitute healthy, lean ground turkey for the meat instead.

Onward to cooking our famous Lampedusa Turkey Bolognese Lasagna:

Lampedusa Turkey Bolognese Lasagna:

Ingredients:
1/4 cup turkey bacon, diced
1 pound lean ground turkey
2 turkey Italian sausages, removed from casing
1/2 onion, diced
2 medium carrots, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 cup red wine
1 cup low-sodium beef stock
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
4 oz mozzarella, grated
4 oz white cheddar, grated
8 oz extra smooth ricotta
1 box oven ready lasagna noodles
2 TBSP tomato paste
1 1/2 TBSP Italian seasoning
1 tsp red chili flakes
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp organic sea salt
1/2 tsp fine ground black pepper
1/2 tsp all natural salt substitute such as Mrs. Dash™

Preparation:

• Heat a skillet over medium heat, add turkey bacon and cook for 1 minute. Add ground turkey and sausage, season with salt, salt substitute and pepper. Cook and set aside.
• Reduce heat to medium-low and add olive oil to the skillet. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant. Add the carrots and onion, stir frequently and cook until vegetables are soft, 7-10 minutes.
• Return the meat to the pan. Mix in the Italian seasoning and tomato paste. Add the red wine, increase the heat to medium and allow to reduce. Add the beef stock and can of crushed tomatoes. Reduce to a simmer, add red chili flakes and bay leaf. Let the ragu sauce simmer for 2 hours, remove from heat and cool.
• Remove the bay leaf before assembling the lasagna. Ragu can be made the day before. To assemble the lasagna in 13x9 inch baking pan: cover bottom of pan with a thin layer of rage sauce; then one layer of noodles - overlapping the noodles; top with a thin layer of sauce and grated cheese; another layer of noodles; spread the ricotta evenly; another layer of noodles; top with thin layer of sauce and cheese; another layer of noodles; and top with remaining ragu sauce and grated cheese.
• Bake in oven at 350F for 45 minutes. Cut into 6 servings, serve hot, garnish top with fresh chopped green onion and parsley.