Home Made Lasagna (Pasta and All)

Lasagna is such a classic dish. I have made it many times before, but never like this. I decided to challenge myself and make the entire dish from scratch. This means no wavy sheets of pre-made pasta from the beautiful blue box. As I began to roll out the dough my inner Italian began to surface. Not your typical New York Italian, but the small, plump, mustache clad Italian. I couldn't stop myself as I began to sing “When The Moon Hits Your Eye”.

Since I have never made this dish using fresh pasta I really had no idea how it would turn out. I must say, I don’t think I can ever go back to my old ways again. The pastas was soft and slightly plump. It held up well to all of the toppings. My only word of advice is to make sure you cover all of the pasta with sauce or the edges will become very crispy and dry. The few times I have made my own pasta I follow a great Mario Batali recipe. I tweaked this recipe a tiny bit to get the correct amount for my lasagna.

Ingredients

1¾ cups all-purpose flour

2 large eggs

1 tbsp olive oil

1 pound ground turkey

1 large onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 28-oz can whole peeled tomatoes

1 tsp red pepper flakes

2 tsp sugar

2 tbsp red wine vinegar

Salt and pepper

1½ cup part skim ricotta cheese

1 tsp honey

2 cups baby spinach

½ cup mozzarella

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees F. For pasta, mound the flour on your work surface and make a well in the middle and add the eggs. With a fork begin to whisk the eggs while slowly incorporating the flour as you go. The dough will come together into a shaggy mass as you incorporate.

2. Begin to kneed the dough with your hands while continuing to incorporate the flour. Once the dough is cohesive and not too sticky begin to knead it for about 5 minutes. The final product should be elastic but not too sticky. Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and let it sit at room temperature for about 20 min.

3. Cut the dough in half so it is easier to work with. Pass through a pasta roller at setting 0. Fold the dough in half and pass through again. Repeat this process four more times.

4. Continue to pass through #1 through 8 until you are left with a thin long sheet. *If the dough becomes too long to handle you can always cut it in half again and continue with the smaller pieces. Repeat this process with the second half of the dough. Set aside on a piece of parchment. Cut down sheets so you have a total of six.

5. For the sauce, heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a medium skillet on medium-high heat. Add the ground turkey and sauté until brown and cooked through, about 7 min. Remove turkey with a slotted spoon and set aside in a small bowl lined with paper towel. Pour out excess fat leaving about 1 tbsp remaining in the pan.

6. In the same skillet add onion and garlic and sauté until soft, about 10 min. Add tomatoes and begin to crush them with your spoon. Add red pepper flakes, sugar, vinegar, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Add turkey back to sauce. Simmer for 30 min.

7. Meanwhile, in a small bowl combine ricotta cheese and honey. Season with salt and pepper.

8. In a glass-baking dish, ladle a small amount of sauce on the bottom of the dish to coat. Lay down your first sheet of pasta followed by a layer of sauce, a layer of spinach, and a few dollops of ricotta cheese. Repeat this step until all of the pasta sheets are used. Finish the last layer with a sprinkle of mozzarella cheese.

9. Bake until bubbly and golden brown, 35 min.