Lasagna Dip

By kimvess

Lasagna dip is everything your cheesy Italian dreams are made of! Who needs a fork when you can use a chip to eat this!

Ingredients

• LASAGNA SAUCE:
• 1/2 pound ground turkey
• 1 cup lasagna tomato sauce (see below)
• 1 cup low fat cottage cheese or ricotta or cream cheese
• 1 cup partially skim mozzarella, shredded
• Option: Use ground beef or Italian sausage instead of ground turkey or omit the meat entirely.
• Option: Use marinara sauce or your favorite tomato sauce instead of making the lasagna sauce from scratch.
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed (optional)
• 1 (15 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste (optional)
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning or oregano
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika (optional)
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar (optional)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon basil, chopped (optional)

Details

Servings 4
Preparation time 5mins
Cooking time 45mins
Adapted from closetcooking.com

Preparation

Step 1

Cook the turkey, add the tomato sauce and simmer until it thickens a bit, about 3-5 minutes.

Spread the cottage cheese over the bottom of a baking dish, followed by the sauce and finally the mozzarella.

Bake in a preheated 350F oven until the top is a light golden brown and the sides are bubbling, about 15-20 minutes.

Lasagna Sauce Directions:

Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat, add the onion and cook until tender, about 5-7 minutes.

Add the garlic, red pepper flakes, and fennel and cook until fragrant, about a minute.

Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, Italian seasoning, bay leaf, paprika, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper, bring to a boil, reduce the heat, simmer until until it thickens, about 5 minutes, and then mix in the basil and remove from heat.

Option
Cover and simmer for longer to develop more flavor.

Add one 2 inch piece of parmesan rind to the sauce while it simmers.