Wonton Wonderful Lasagna Recipe

How to make it

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• Wontons for lasagna noodles? You bet! Quicker than cooking up real lasagna noodles, and so much better than using those no-cooking" noodle substitutes that taste pasty and cardboard-like. Thank Sara Moulton for this one!
• Sara Moulton, aka "Sara's Secrets" on the Food Network, has long been one of my favorite food-TV personalities. Understated, practical and efficient, the dishes she prepares and promotes are nutritious, delicious and don't keep you slaving away in the kitchen for more than about 20-30 minutes. I have taken her tip for substituting wontons for lasagna noodles to heart and pledge never again to deal with a big cauldron of boiling water, those slippery 12-inch long things and the time and mess it takes to prepare lasagna noodles. I'm usually tired of "cooking" by the time I get that done!
• In contrast to lasagna noodles, wontons need no prep, are inexpensive, readily available, can be frozen and a few thawed just as needed. You won't be able to tell the difference between wontons and lasagna noodles in most recipes (including baked ravioli!) Wontons cook up beautifully just like fresh Italian pasta. One other quality about wontons that appeals: they automatically divide the big lasagna casserole into individual portions, albeit they are too generous for me (a half serving is more to my liking.) With wontons, there is no more stabbing through noodles that won't seem to cut!
• This is my special adaptation of Sara's "Quick Asparagus Lasagna," a recipe published in her wonderful 2005 cookbook, Sara's Secrets for Weeknight Meals. I added lean ground turkey and diced tomatoes to her cheese and asparagus lasagna. For certain, this is a recipe you could have fun designing your own lasagna -- meat or no; spinach for asparagus; tomatoes or not; more spicy or less. Have fun!
• Wonton Wonderful Lasagna
• (Serves 4 very generously)
• (adapted from Sara's Secrets for Weeknight Meals)
• Ingredients:
• 1 lb. asparagus, stemmed, roasted and cut into 1 inch pieces
• 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1 lb. lean ground turkey (93/7 is my choice for lean turkey; not as "dry" as turkey with even less fat)
• 1 can (14 ounces) diced tomatoes, drained, with juice set aside for use
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/3 c. chopped onion
• 15-ounce container nonfat ricotta cheese (substitute 1 1/2 c. nonfat cottage cheese mixed with 1 large egg)
• 16 wonton skins
• 2/3 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan, Asiago or Fontina cheese
• Method:
• 1. Preheat the oven broiler. Wash and stem the asparagus. In a bowl or shallow dish, mix the olive oil, some salt and pepper. Toss the asparagus in the oil mixture until it is well coated. Line a baking sheet with foil and arrange the asparagus in a single layer. Broil for about 6-8 minutes or until the asparagus is lightly brown in spots. Remove from oven to cool. Cut into 1 inch pieces.
• 1a. Reduce the oven temperature to 375 deg. F.
• 2. Brown the ground turkey with the garlic and onion. Drain the tomatoes, reserving the juice. When the meat is browned, cut through large chunks and add the diced tomatoes.
• 3. In a small bowl, mix the ricotta cheese with 2-3 tbsp. of the tomato juice to a pudding-like consistency.
• 4. Butter or spray a 9x9 casserole dish. Line the bottom of the dish with four wonton skins.
• 5. Ladle one-half the turkey mixture onto the wontons. Sprinkle with 3-4 tbsp. of mozzarella cheese.
• 6. Layer four more wontons onto the turkey and cheese.
• 7. Layer the cut asparagus onto the wontons. Using about 3/4 of the ricotta cheese, spread it over the asparagus.
• 8. Layer four more wontons onto the asparagus and cheese.
• 9. Use the remaining ricotta and spread it over the wontons. Sprinkle the grated Parmesan on top.
• 10. Bake at 375 deg F. for 35-40 minutes until bubbly and cheese on top browns.
• Nutrition Scorecard (these are VERY GENEROUS servings, half or 2/3 serving will suit many): Calories = 480; Protein = 40 grams; Carbohydrate = 23grams; Fat = 3 grams.