QUICK AND EASY TURKEY LASAGNA

Although I no longer "count points" a la Weight Watchers, I continue to prepare meals from my large collection of WW cookbooks. I've learned a great deal about how to prepare food in a more healthful manner from these cookbooks and from my subscription to Cooking Light.

Since we eat a great deal of chicken and turkey, my copy of Everyone Loves Chicken is one of my go-to volumes. Despite using a jar of marinara sauce, the meat sauce is incredibly flavorful (I had to add some onion and garlic to the original recipe). I also used part skim ricotta (the recipe called for fat free, but I just can't eat that). I readily admit to being a real snob about Italian food, but I would recommend this recipe to any of my foodie friends. We enjoyed this for dinner twice and Larry happily ate the rest for lunch. You get 10 generous servings and it reheats very well.

Serves 10

1/2 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 lb ground lean turkey

1/2 lb sliced white button mushrooms

1 (26 oz) jar of marinara sauce

1 (16 oz) container part skim ricotta cheese

2 cups (8 oz) shredded, part skim mozzarella cheese

2 egg whites, lightly beaten

1/2 tsp grated nutmeg

1 (9 oz) package no-boil lasagna noodles

1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce** (or additional marinara sauce)

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Spray a large, nonstick skillet with cooking spray and set over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and saute 3-4 minutes, until translucent. Add the turkey and cook until lightly browned, breaking it up with a wooden spoon.

Add the mushrooms and cook until they give off their liquid and it reduces by half .

Stir in the marinara sauce and bring the mixture to a simmer. Season to taste.

Combine the ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, egg whites, and nutmeg in a medium bowl.

Spread the tomato sauce evenly across the bottom of a 9 X 13 inch baking dish. Place 5 of the lasagna sheets over the sauce to cover the bottom. Top with one-third of the turkey mixture, then spread half the cheese mixture over this. Repeat layering one more time, then top with the remaining 5 lasagna sheets, then top with the remaining one-third turkey mixture. Sprinkle the grated cheese on top.

Cover with aluminum foil and bake the lasagna 45 minutes. Uncover and bake until bubbling and lightly browned on top, about 10 minutes longer. Let stand about 5 minutes before serving.