Healthy Turkey Ravioli Lasagna

There are certain dishes that just hit the spot and for me, it’s a rich and delicious Italian meal (with lots of cheese of course)… So yummy!

Now, this kind of meal usually isn’t exactly low-calorie, especially if you’re trying to lose weight, maintain, or just trying to make lifestyle changes. But we are only human and from time to time you need to treat yourself and enjoy the real deal… its when you make heavier meals a daily thing that you run into trouble!

This turkey ravioli lasagna is the perfect low-calorie Italian meal that will curb that craving you might be having; it’s a meal with lots of filling protein from the turkey, but with a few layers of cheese ravioli all tossed in a rich tomato sauce.

You might wonder how this could be a healthier option as you eat it, but with subbing the ground beef that is usually in a traditional lasagna for a lean ground turkey – then using cheese ravioli in place of lasagna noodles and ricotta cheese – you still get the flavors you know and love, but for a fraction for the calories and fat.

TIP: To switch this meal up a little bit – change the flavors of ravioli (like spinach, meat, or sun-dried tomato ravioli). Just make sure the nutrition is about the same per ravioli to keep these macros accurate.

Turkey Ravioli Lasagna Ingredients:

20 oz. lean ground turkey
2 tsp. olive oil
1 shallot, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp. dried rosemary
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. ground fennel
1 jar of pasta sauce (I used Classico four cheese)
1 cup shredded Italian six cheese
1/4 cup grated parmesan
24 frozen cheese ravioli
cooking spray

Directions:

1. First cook the ravioli according to the packaging and set aside once cooked. Preheat oven to 375°.
2. In a large skillet heat 2 tsp. of olive oil on medium heat. Add chopped shallots to the pan and saute for a few minutes, stirring frequently.
3. Add ground turkey to the pan and start to brown and break up until all ground. Continue cooking until fully cooked.
4. Add garlic, rosemary, oregano, basil, salt, pepper, and ground fennel. Stir until fully dispersed. Set aside.
5. In a 13×9 baking pan, spray with cooking spray.
6. Start to layer the lasagna by spreading about 3/4 cup sauce on the bottom of the pan.
7. Next place 12 cooked raviolis on top of the sauce (see picture below), 3 ravioli down and 4 across.
8. Sprinkle cooked turkey on-top of that reserve 1/2 cup for the topping.
9. Add 1 cup of sauce onto of the meat layer, then sprinkle with 3/4 cup of shredded Italian six cheese.
10. Place remaining 12 cooked ravioli on the next layer (same as before), sprinkle the 1/2 cup of turkey over the ravioli.
11. Pour the remaining sauce on-top of that, making sure to spread it out.
12. Sprinkle evenly with 1/4 cup shredded italian six cheese and then 1/4 cup grated parmesan.
13. Cover with foil and bake for about 15 minutes.
14. Remove foil and bake for an additional 15 minutes.
15. Remove from oven when fully cooked, cut into 8 equal squares and serve.

Nutritional Information:

Servings: 8
Serving Size: 1 square (1/8 of the 13×9 pan)

Calories: 285
Fat: 12 g
Carbohydrates: 19 g
Sugar: 5 g
Fiber: 2 g
Sodium: 598 mg
Protein: 23 g