A "white" lasagna, layered with shredded wild turkey and mushrooms.

This “white” lasagna is sauced with a veloute, or roux-thickened turkey stock, which boosts the turkey flavor and adds some nice richness. The additions of mushrooms and peas add interesting depth of flavor and some more texture, but you can skip the peas if you prefer, or add some well-drained cooked spinach or even sauteed kale. Instead of a melting-type cheese like mozzarella, we are using nutty Asiago and umami-rich Parmesan to enrich and thicken the sauce, and provide a little caramelized, crisp topping. 

I use the dry noodle approach for lasagna, meaning that the dried pasta sheets aren’t cooked before baking, which makes this not only easier and quick to assemble, but yields a chewy and crispy top and perfectly cooked pasta layers beneath. I'll never go back to pre-cooking lasagne noodles.

Serves 8

1 turkey leg quarter

4 bay leaves

1 medium white or yellow onion, finely chopped, peels reserved

2 medium carrots, finely chopped, peels and tops reserved

2 stalks celery, finely chopped, trimmings and leaves reserved

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

½ cup butter, divided

4 cups wild or cultivated mushrooms, sliced 

Salt and pepper

1 4” piece fresh rosemary, leaves only, chopped

12 sage leaves, chopped

3 tbsp all-purpose flour

4 cups turkey stock

2 ½ cups milk

¼ tsp nutmeg

1 pound English peas, fresh or frozen

2 cups Asiago cheese, shredded or grated, divided 

1 ½ cups Parmesan cheese, grated

16 ounces dried lasagna noodles

Place the turkey leg quarter, bay, onion skins, carrot peels and celery trimmings in a slow cooker or large pot and cover with cold water. Cook until the turkey is very tender, adding water if necessary, about 6 hours. Remove the turkey leg and shred the meat. Strain the remaining broth through a fine strainer, reserving 4 cups and saving any additional stock for another use.

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

In a medium pot over medium-high heat, melt ¼ cup of the butter. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring often, until they’ve given up their liquid and are starting to brown. Season with salt and pepper and remove the mushrooms to a bowl. 

Add the chopped onions, chopped carrots, celery, rosemary and sage to the pot with a pinch of salt, along with the remaining ¼ cup of butter. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables just start to brown, about 8 minutes.

Add the flour and stir well for a minute, then add the reserved turkey stock and milk, a little at a time, stirring so the sauce is smooth. Once all liquid is incorporated, turn the heat to medium low and cook for 10 minutes, stirring often to keep it from scorching. Season with salt and pepper, and add the nutmeg. Remove from the heat. Add 1 cup of the Asiago cheese, the Parmesan, the reserved shredded turkey, the cooked mushrooms and the peas.

Put about ⅙ of this sauce (about 2 cups) on the bottom of a 10x15” baking dish, then cover with a layer of the dried lasagna noodles. Repeat this, adding 5 layers of the pasta, and ending with a layer of the sauce, making sure there’s enough sauce to fully cover the final layer. Top this evenly with the remaining cup of grated Asiago.

Bake, uncovered, for 1 hour, until the top is golden and crispy, the pasta is tender (maybe crunchy around the corners) and the sauce is bubbling. Allow to cool and set up for about 15 minutes, then serve.