This protein and veggie packed Turkey Lasagna with Tofu Ricotta is a dairy-free dinner idea perfect for a crowd or for leftovers. With added mushrooms, zucchini, and spinach, this dish covers all your bases for a well rounded meal.
While tofu is generally considered a meat alternative, I love using tofu to replace ricotta cheese in a lot of baked dishes like lasagna – reducing the calories and fat, and making it dairy-free.
This makes for a filling dish alongside the ground turkey, and I packed all the veggies I could (mushrooms, zucchini, and spinach) into this lasagna that we enjoyed over a couple days. Pick up some no-boil noodles and you’re in business!
- ½ of a white onion
- 1 pound 99% fat-free ground turkey breast
- 2 cups sliced mushrooms
- 1 large zucchini
- 4 cups marinara sauce
- 2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 4 cups packed fresh baby spinach
- 12 ounces no-boil lasagna noodles
- 1 pound extra firm tofu
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Dice the white onion and cook it for 2 minutes in a bit of oil. Add the ground turkey breast and break up the clumps while cooking for about 5 minutes.
- Dice the mushrooms and zucchini and add them to the meat, along with the marinara sauce, Italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes.
- In a food processor, blender, or with a potato masher, blend the tofu ricotta ingredients.
- In a 13 x 9 pan, begin layering the components of the lasagna. I like to do: 1 cup of meat sauce, layer of noodles, ½ cup tofu ricotta, 2 cups packed spinach, 3 cups meat sauce, layer of noodles, ½ cup tofu ricotta, 2 cups packed spinach, layer of noodles, and then any excess sauce and ricotta on top with a sprinkling of additional Italian seasoning.
- Allow to lasagna to rest on the counter for 10 minutes, to allow the noodles to begin absorbing some liquid.
- Bake the lasagna for 45 minutes. Let it rest for 20 minutes after cooking before slicing into 12 pieces and serving.
My favorite trick with making lasagna, a time intensive meal, is to bake up a whole pan (or even double the recipe) and freeze the leftovers in 1-4 serving size portions. You can bake the frozen lasagna to defrost it, but I prefer to pull it out and place it in the fridge the night before I want to enjoy it.
You can also put the frozen lasagna straight into a tupperware in the freezer and then bring it to work. By midday, it should be ready for reheating in the microwave for a healthy and delicious lunch.
- Have you ever made tomato sauce from scratch? I think it enhances this lasagna – here’s my favorite recipe.
- Looking for a lower carb alternative? Try my Spaghetti Squash Lasagna Casserole!
Marisa
Hannah @ CleanEatingVeggieGirl says
Isn’t tofu ricotta SO good? I love serving it to people who think they don’t like tofu and tricking them 😉
Marisa says
Yes I love it – but there is no need to trick! Haha! Usually people are excited to try tofu ricotta.
Julie says
I never liked lasagna before but I do now and it’s so hard to find a good, hearty, and healthy recipe like this.
Marisa says
Enjoy it Julie!
dixya | food, pleasure, and health says
this is a great idea..which reminds me to make lasagna more often.
Marisa says
Yes! I love lasagna!