As much as I’m missing blogging and all of my amazing Blends out there while I’m away, I’m so excited to share this guest post with you.  Kristen’s blog is my go-to when I need a meal that is healthy and husband friendly.  Bobby doesn’t always enjoy my healthified version of foods, but whenever I make something of Kristen’s, he’s always a fan!  Enjoy!

Hello to all of Alyssa’s readers!!   It’s Kristen from Confessions of a (Not-So) Domesticated Newlywed here!

Throughout the past year and a half of my marriage, I have had some major successes in the kitchen, and some sad failures.  But today, I am incredibly excited to share a huge success with all of you!

Spicy Kale and Ground Turkey Lasagna

(Modified from this recipe)

Serves 8

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. kale, stems removed
• 3 tbsp. olive oil
• 2 tsp minced garlic
• 1 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 1 (28 oz.) can crushed tomatoes with basil
• 2 tsp. kosher salt, divided, plus more for kale
• ¾ tsp. pepper plus more for kale
• 3 cups low-fat cottage cheese
• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• ¾ cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
• 12 no-boil lasagna noodles
• 1 lb. ground turkey

Directions:

For turkey -

• Cook ground turkey in a large skillet over medium heat, breaking apart with a spoon as it cooks.  Cook until no longer pink.  Turn off heat and set aside.

For kale -

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Add kale and cook for about 2 minutes. 
• Drain the kale, rinsing it with cold water.
• Once it’s cool enough to touch, wrap about half of the kale in a clean kitchen towel.  Wring the towel out until most of the water has been removed from the kale (note: I thought this step would stain my towel green, but it didn’t).  Put dry kale in a bowl, and repeat with the remaining kale.  Chop the kale roughly and then add a little salt and pepper to taste.  Set aside.

For cheese mixture -

• Using a fine mesh strainer, strain the liquid from the cottage cheese.
• To the cottage cheese, add ricotta cheese, 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, 1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese, pepper, and 1 tsp salt.  Mix together and set aside.

For the sauce -

• Put olive oil, minced garlic, red pepper flakes, and 1 tsp kosher salt in a saucepan.  Heat the pan over medium-high heat, stirring continuously.  A few seconds after it starts bubbling, add the crushed tomatoes and stir together.  Reduce the heat to medium-low and let simmer for 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. 
• Add ground turkey to the sauce and mix together.  Set aside.

To put it all together -

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Spread a thin layer of the sauce on the bottom of a 9×13 pan.  Put 4 noodles on top of the sauce.  Then spread half of the cheese mixture onto the noodles, then half of the kale, and then half of the remaining sauce.
• Lay down another layer of 4 noodles, followed by the rest of the cheese mixture, and then the rest of the kale.  DO NOT ADD THE LAST OF YOUR SAUCE YET (learn from my mistakes ).
• Add another layer of 4 noodles, followed by the rest of the sauce mixture.  Make sure that your sauce completely covers the noodles.  (This keeps the noodles soft in the oven.)
• Cover the pan with foil and bake for about 45 minutes.
• Remove the foil and sprinkle the leftover cheeses on top of the lasagna.  Put the lasagna back in the oven for another 5-10 minutes, until the cheese is nice and gooey.
• Let cool for about 10 minutes before digging in!

This lasagna was a huge hit at our house.  My husband, Brandon, is usually against any changes to his traditional lasagna.  So I was a little nervous to include both ground turkey (vs. ground beef) and kale in this new recipe.

But he loved it!  Of course, how could he not?  This lasagna was the perfect mix of Italian seasonings, gooey cheeses, and healthy kale!

I know there’s a lot of steps in this recipe, but I promise that none of the steps are challenging.  If they were, I wouldn’t have made it!  So don’t be scared … hurry into your kitchen and start cooking!

Do you and your significant other share tastes in food?

What is your favorite Italian meal to make and/or eat?!