A look back - Italian at Jill's

Late February in Chicago can be disheartening. Fortunately for us, Jill had the ultimate comfort food, lasagna, warming in the oven to help us beat back the blahs. We were all set with wine and dessert but were without side dishes. Lisa had called ahead to tell us she had left her side dish behind in the rush to leave work. So, Jill and I put down our wine and popped over to the supermarket to shop for some filler. Thus, I was introduced to one of the wonders of the modern world, Texas Toast. Sliced thickly, Texas Toast is slathered on both sides with garlic butter and toasted . You may wonder how this is any different from regular garlic bread. Tastewise, it's not all that different. It's all in the texture and bite. The lightly toasted exterior, yields to a very soft interior. It's not dense or substantial, but light, airy and melty. It's so good, it has its own entry in Wikipedia. Not fancy by any means, you can find Texas Toast in the freezer section of any grocery store. I know, I know...it's odd to wax poetic about convenience food, but hey, it's tasty! And, it's perfect with lasagna.

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Turkey Lasagna
1 lb gound turkey breast
cooking spray
1 c water
1 (26oz) bottle pasta sauce
3-4 c shredded part-skim mozzarella
2 c low fat ricotta (or cottage) cheese
1/2 c grated parmesan cheese
1/2 c egg substitute
1/4 c chopped spinach or parsley
1/4 tsp black pepper
9 uncooked lasagna noodles
1 (14oz) bottle pasta sauce

Preheat oven to 350. Cook turkey in large saucepan coated with cooking spray over medium heat till browned, stirring to crumble. Add water and 26oz pasta sauce; bring to boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

Combine mozzarella, ricotta, parmesan, egg substitute, spinach and pepper in large bowl.Spread 1 c turkey mixture in bottom of 13X9 in baking dish. Arrange 3 noodles over turkey mix, top with additional 1 c turkey mix and half of cheese mixture. Repeat until mixtures and noodles are gone.

Cover with alumium foil and bake for 1 hour. Spread 14oz pasta sauce on top and bake uncovered for an additional 10 minutes.

Cooking Light

Angie's Notes:
- Serve with texas toast! (The brand we bought was New York Brand, Texas Toast in Garlic. I can't vouch for any of the other brands.)

-This is my current favorite for classic lasagna. I've made it since Jill's supperclub. It's unbelievably good and it freezes/reheats well. (I used a package of frozen chopped spinach and opted for cottage cheese instead of the ricotta.)