I love to make lasagna for holiday parties, often for my team at work. I have a few go-to recipes that are more traditional - heavy, rich, and hearty, and oh so good. This recipe is not that. It's more of a "creamy" lasagna, with herbed up oil added to the ricotta, and cannellini beans which give added creaminess - oh, and we don't use lasagna noodles.
Say what? That's right - let's lighten those layers up, and do it like many of our favorite grandmothers/mothers did in the 70s - with eggroll wrappers! They make much lighter layers, and are great little thin barriers for layers. Your family will devour it.
Make the sauce: Add a few tablespoons or so of olive oil to a large saucepan over medium heat. Throw in about a cupful of diced onion (thanks Trader Joe's for doing the work here!), along with a few cloves of minced garlic. Let simmer together a few minutes, until onions are browned. Then add a pound of ground turkey, and cook until cooked through. Reduce the heat, and add a jar of your favorite pasta sauce, and a can of cannellini beans - and about a teaspoon of Italian seasoning. Let this all simmer together for about 12 minutes or so, then turn off the heat.
Amp up the ricotta: In a large bowl, combine a 15 oz container of ricotta, one cup of Monterey jack cheese, 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese, and two eggs. I also add in about 1/4 cup of herb oil (in your blender, mix 1 cup olive oil with a handful of either basil or cilantro). Mix well.
Now assemble! Preheat your oven to 350. In a 13x9 baking dish, spread about a cup of the sauce on the bottom. Cover with a layer of egg roll wrappers. Then add 2/3 cup of mozzarella. Cover this with a layer of spinach leaves, and sliced mushrooms. Top with 1/3 of the remaining sauce.
Add another layer of egg roll wrappers, and then cover with half of the remaining ricotta mix, and then half of the remaining sauce. Add another layer of eggroll wrappers, then covers these with the remainder of the ricotta. Arrange another layer of spinach leaves, and sliced mushrooms. Cover with the remaining sauce, and then cover with about two cups mozzarella cheese.
Bake this beautiful dish uncovered for about 45 minutes - it should be bubbly and slightly browned. Let sit for a while (like 15-20 minutes) before slicing up and serving.
Then dazzle your family with this pan of goodness!