Weeknight Lasagna

12 lasagna noodles
2 ~ 24 oz jars marinara sauce (your favorite!)
6 oz tomato paste
2 lb ground turkey, Italian seasoned
16 oz whole milk ricotta
1 lb part skim mozzarella, grated
1/4 c grated parmesan

Preheat oven to 350.

Combine pasta sauce and tomato paste in large bowl, set aside. In large stock pot, bring enough water to submerge lasagna noodles to a rapid boil. While waiting for water to boil, brown ground turkey in a skillet and set aside when cooked. Add noodles to boiling water and cook 6 minutes, turn off heat.

To assemble lasagna, spoon a small amount of sauce into bottom of 9x13 pan. Place one single layer of noodles lengthwise in pan*, trim to fit. Add one third turkey evenly over noodles and drop one third ricotta over top. Smooth ricotta over turkey, if desired. Pour over one third of sauce, sprinkle with one third of grated mozzarella and parmesan. Repeat layering in the same order two more times. Cover loosely with aluminum foil and bake in center of preheated oven 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 5 minutes. Let lasagna rest 10 minutes out of oven before slicing. Serves 16.

Chef's Note: Adding tomato paste to your pasta sauce will give it a richer taste, like it's been cooking all day! Don't skip the 10 minute rest after cooking lasagna as the pasta will absorb any excess liquid that has separated out of the sauce. This allows you to not fully cook the pasta prior to assembly, leading to overcooked noodles.

*Tip: use kitchen tongs to get hot noodles from water to pan.