Ina Garten's Twist For Better Turkey Lasagna

There is no shortage of ways to create a delicious lasagna. Whether you prefer lasagna filled with béchamel sauce or ricotta cheese, vegetarian or full of meat, created with sheets of pasta or layers of sliced zucchini, or held together with tomato sauce or butternut squash puree, the hearty and comforting pasta dish is a crowd-pleaser in any form. Ina Garten moves slightly against the traditional protein choice of ground pork and beef and, instead, makes her lasagna with turkey. But, we're not talking about plain ground turkey. Instead, she reaches for Italian turkey sausage, which really amps up the flavor since it's already seasoned.

Italian turkey sausage is an ingredient that you can generally find in grocery stores, which comes in hot and sweet variants. Garten likes to "combine the two so it's half and half" (via Facebook). If you can't get hold of it, or just prefer to flavor up some plain ground turkey on your own, you could season the meat with herbs and spices like garlic, red pepper flakes, fennel, and paprika.

To cook the sausage, it needs to be removed from the casings, broken up in a skillet, and cooked in olive oil until browned. Garten then adds the remainder of her tomato sauce components. When the meat sauce is complete, Garten builds her lasagna by layering sauce, lasagna noodles, and mozzarella. And for another creative twist, she also adds a ricotta cheese mixture which contains an additional ingredient you don't typically see in lasagnas.

Ina Garten often surprises her fans by using ingredients in recipes you wouldn't ordinarily equate with them. For example, Garten roasts fish in mustard for truly scrumptious results, and likes to elevate chocolate cake by adding coffee. While her turkey lasagna makes clever use of turkey sausage, Garten also amps up the flavor by mixing creamy goat cheese into her ricotta cheese mixture.

This unusual ingredient doesn't provide an overly strong flavor, but it does impart a mild and pleasant tang that goat cheese is known for, along with added lusciousness. Garten uses the same ingredient when she makes her roasted vegetable lasagna, but opts for herb and garlic flavored goat cheese to boost the taste even more. The dairy product is a versatile addition to other dishes and sides, too — you can stuff your dinner rolls with goat cheese for a creamy, delicious flavor.

Lasagna is one of those dishes that can actually taste great when made with a number of different cheeses. Of course, ricotta is the classic choice, and we've learned that a bit of crumbled goat cheese is a winning move thanks to the Barefoot Contessa. But cottage cheese, mascarpone, and cream cheese are also unconventional, yet they work perfectly in the Italian classic.