Creamy Turkey and Bacon Alfredo Lasagna Recipe

Many years ago, I had a random burst of inspiration to create a non-traditional lasagna as a surprise dinner for my over-worked boyfriend.  I had never actually made a lasagna before, and was only basing the recipe on a few items I wanted to include.  Ground turkey, bacon, smoked cheese, and spinach.  I researched a few different lasagna recipes to get a sense of other ingredients I would need, as well as the mechanics of cooking a lasagna.  I was pleasantly surprised that it wasn’t as hard as I thought!  The stars aligned for this Alfredo lasagna recipe – after an hour or so of winging it, I had one of the most delicious lasagnas I’ve ever eaten!

Turkey and Bacon Alfredo Lasagna

I’ve continued to make this lasagna recipe throughout the years, always trying to remember exactly what I did by looking at pictures.  It had been a while since I last made this lasagna, I decided this was the perfect opportunity to finally write out the recipe.  That way I’d finally have it, and best of all, I’d get to share it with all of you!

I hope you all enjoy my Turkey and Bacon Alfredo Lasagna recipe!

Here’s what you need:

  • 2 16 oz. bags of frozen spinach, defrosted and drained
  • 16 oz. of ricotta
  • 1 box lasagna noodles
  • 1 lb. of ground turkey
  • 1 package of turkey bacon, diced
  • 3/4 medium onion, chopped
  • 3/4 medium bell pepper, chopped
  • 2 cups of mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 tsp thyme
  • 1/4 tsp pepper
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 1/2 tsp paprika
  • 1 TBSP oregano
  • 3-4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 12 oz. smoked cheese blend, shredded
  • 2 jars Alfredo sauce

Here’s what you do:

Preheat oven to 375.

In a large skillet, brown turkey over medium heat.  Once turkey is cooked through, drain on paper towel and set aside.

Brown Ground Turkey for Alfredo Lasagna

I like to cook everything in the same pan, so all the flavors meld together.  If you’re short on time, you could certainly use multiple pans.  After you’ve cooked the ground turkey, lightly brown the bacon over medium heat for about 5 minutes.

Lightly Brown Turkey Bacon for Alfredo Lasagna

Set bacon aside.  Saute the onion and bell pepper over medium heat for about 5 minutes.  Add mushrooms and cook for an additional 2 minutes.  Then add your spices and garlic, cooking for another 2 minutes.

Sauteed Vegetables for Alfredo Lasagna Filling

Combine Ground Turkey and Sauteed VegetablesIn a large bowl, combine ground turkey and your sauteed vegetables.  Set aside about a 1/3 of the diced bacon; this will be for topping the lasagna.  In a medium bowl, combine the rest of the bacon, ricotta, and drained spinach.  You really want to make sure you get all the liquid out of the spinach, so it doesn’t make the lasagna watery.

You now have all the components to assemble your lasagna!  Lightly coat a 9×13 casserole dish with cooking spray, and then spread a thin layer of Alfredo sauce on the bottom.  Layer lasagna noodles on top of the sauce, and sprinkle 1/4 of cheese over the noodles.

I previously mentioned in my Spinach and Prosciutto Lasagna recipe, I use no boil noodles, because that’s the only kind Trader Joe’s carries.  If you choose to use no boil noodles as well, I like to soak them in hot water for about 5-10 minutes.  They will be more pliable and you won’t have any crunchy noodles in your lasagna!

Crumble 1/3 of the ricotta mixture on top of the noodles.  Layer 1/3 of the ground turkey mixture on top of that.  Evenly spread 1/2 cup of sauce, smoothing out slightly with the back of a spoon.  Don’t worry if your sauce isn’t spreading everywhere, all the ingredients will meld together while the lasagna bakes.  Repeat all layers two more times.

Crumble Spinach Mixture Over the Ground Turkey

Place one final layer of noodles, and evenly spread 1 cup of sauce over that.  Sprinkle the remaining cheese and bacon on top.  Note:  if you can’t find a smoked cheese blend, you could always buy smoked mozzarella and shred it yourself.  Just be sure to measure the cheese after shredding.

Top Lasagna with Cheese and Turkey Bacon

Back uncovered for about 20-25 minutes, or until cheese is bubbling and the edges have browned.  Let rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.

Creamy Turkey and Bacon Alfredo Lasagna
Turkey and Bacon Alfredo Lasagna Recipe

Creamy Turkey and Bacon Alfredo Lasagna RecipeThis delicious lasagna serves 12 huge portions; even more if you like smaller portions!  I love how different this Alfredo lasagna recipe is from a traditional lasagna.  The smokiness from the cheese and bacon, mixed with the creamy Alfredo sauce is an amazing combination of flavor!

As always, let me know if you make this recipe and how it turns out!  Happy eating!


Spinach and Prosciutto Lasagna and Other Christmas Recipes

Before Christmas, I shared with you all a few recipes I intended to make for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.  As promised, I now want to share how they all turned out!

You may remember that the main event was a Spinach and Prosciutto Lasagna from Martha Stewart.  After reading the reviews, I omitted quite a few things and added others.  I also made mine a lot bigger since the original only made 4 servings.  Not nearly enough leftovers for the amount of work, I think!

Here’s what you need:

  • 2 (10 oz.) packages of spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
  • 16 oz. ricotta cheese
  • 4 oz. thinly sliced prosciutto, diced
  • Lasagna noodles
  • 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 1 1/2 jars of tomato sauce
  • 1/2 white onion, diced
  • 4 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 9 button mushrooms, sliced
  • 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp oregano
  • 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
  • 1 green bell pepper (optional)
  • 3/4 red bell pepper (optional)
  • 3/4 yellow bell pepper (optional)

Here’s what you do:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Over medium high heat, saute your onion and mushrooms in olive oil for 3-4 minutes.  Add your spices and saute another minute or so.  You don’t need to cook the veggies too long, since they will finish cooking in the oven.  Set aside to cool slightly.

Sauteed Vegetables for Lasagna

Lasagna Spinach and Mushroom FillingIn a medium bowl, combine ricotta, spinach, garlic, and cooled veggies.  Set aside.  Also in a medium bowl, thoroughly mix your diced prosciutto with your tomato sauce.  Set aside.  You can use any sauce you’d like, we combined a four cheese sauce and a basil marinara, both from Trader Joes.

In a 9×13 casserole dish, spread a thin layer of sauce on the bottom of the pan.  Then place a layer of noodles on top.  I used no boil noodles because that’s all Trader Joes had, but either will do!  If you do use no boil noodles, I highly suggest soaking them in hot water for 5-10 minutes before working with them.  This will make them more pliable, and help to ensure they will cook all the way through.

Evenly crumble 1/3 of the spinach and ricotta mixture on top of your noodles, and then spread 1/4 of the remaining sauce.  Repeat noodles, mixture, sauce two more times.  Place one more layer of noodles on top, the last 1/4 of your sauce, and then top with shredded mozzarella.

Assembling Lasagna Layers

Bell Pepper Christmas TreeNow, if you did see my previous Christmas recipe post or just went to my Pinterest board, you know I planned to create a Christmas tree topper for my lasagna.  That’s where those optional bell peppers come in!  You’ll want to slice the green peppers, dice and create a tree stump from the red pepper, and dice and create a star from the yellow pepper.  I thought it was pretty awesome looking, what do you think?

With or without the topper, bake uncovered until brown, about 35-40 minutes.  Then let stand 5 minutes before serving and enjoy!  My recipe will make about 12 servings, and Daniel said it was the best lasagna he’s ever eaten!

Here are a few pictures of our tasty lasagna and our Christmas Eve!

Christmas Lasagna

We served our lasagna with garlic bread and salad, and plenty of wine, of course!

Christmas Eve Dinner

Christmas Eve Table Setting

Daniel and Michele on Christmas Eve

For dessert, as I suspected, we were too tired to make this peppermint bark cheesecake.  So sadly I can’t tell you if it was delicious or a fail, BUT I can tell you that the frozen cheesecake sampler from Trader Joes is worth a try!  It comes with 2 slices of 3 different kinds of cheesecake, and all you have to do is thaw it for an hour on the counter.  A great find if you want something easy!

Cranberry Mimosas

We did make breakfast and mimosas for Christmas morning though!  We made cranberry mimosas, and they were pretty tasty, although the orange juice really overpowered the cranberry.  I think next time we make them I’ll fill the glass with mostly cranberry juice and add just a splash of orange.

We had a few unused glasses already rimmed with green sugar from our holiday party, and Daniel had the brilliant idea to use them that morning.  I LOVE how festive they look!

We also made baked french toast and baked bacon!

Christmas Day Breakfast

I followed this french toast recipe exactly, and it turned out beautifully!  The top is the perfect french toast consistency, and the bottom has a delicious buttery brown sugar sauce – it didn’t even need syrup!  This was the first time I had ever baked bacon in the oven, while I wouldn’t say it made the clean up any quicker, it did produce an entire pan of perfectly crisp bacon.  So I definitely think I will be cooking it in the oven from now on!

Family on Christmas MorningWell, it’s always a little sad to see Christmas come and go.  It was a very relaxing and quiet Christmas with my best friend and love, and all around favorite person in the world.  It will be a Christmas that I will cherish forever!