1. Cook Bacon until crisp, drain and set aside.
2. Cut each Chicken Breast into quarters, sprinkle with the Salt and Paprika; set aside.
3. In a large non-stick sauce pan, heat the 2 Tbsp. of Olive Oil (or the oil reserved from the Sun-Dried Tomatoes) over Medium heat.
4. Once the oil is hot (the surface should be shimmering), add the Garlic and Sun-dried Tomatoes and cook for 1-2 minutes, or until you start to smell the Garlic; using a slotted spoon, remove the Garlic and Sun-dried Tomatoes from the pan, leaving the oil behind, and set aside.
5. Add the Chicken to the pan with the leftover oil, adding more oil if needed; cook the chicken for 4-5 minutes per side (until the chicken is a light golden brown).
6. Remove the pan from the heat & cover; the chicken will continue to cook (about 5 minutes).
7. Once the Chicken is no longer pink inside, remove it from the skillet and set aside; drain any juices leftover in the pan.
8. Return the pan to the cooktop, add the Half & Half (or Heavy Cream, if using) and cook over Medium heat until it comes to a boil;
9. Add the 1 cup of Shredded Mozzarella cheese, reduce temperature to Low, and stir until cheese has completely melted.
10. Slowly add the 1 Cup of Whole Milk and whisk continually until mixture is smooth.
11. Add the sauteed Sun-dried Tomatoes and Garlic to the cream sauce, mixing well;
12. Next, add the Basil, Red Pepper Flakes and Salt; mix thoroughly.
13. Lastly, add the cooked Chicken breasts and 1/2 of the crumbled cooked Bacon (reserving the other 1/2 for serving); heat until chicken is warm.
14. Top with the remaining 1/2 of the Bacon and serve over rice, pasta or plain with your favorite veggies 🙂

Making the Homemade Sauce:

1. In a large saucepan/pot, heat 1-2 Tbsp. Olive Oil over Medium/Low heat until it shimmers on the surface.
2. Once the oil is hot, add the Garlic and Onion and cook for about 2-3 minutes, or until the Onion is transparent.
3. Lower the temperature to Low and add the Tomato Sauce, Tomato Puree, Parsley, Basil, Sugar, Salt and Pepper; stir until fully blended; add the Milk and stir to incorporate.
4. Cover and let simmer while you cook the Meatballs and Pasta.

Making the Meatballs:

1. In a large bowl, mix the Ground Turkey, Ground Sausage, Oats, Parmesan Cheese, Parsley, Oregano, Salt and Pepper until thoroughly blended.
2. Next, add the Milk and Egg and mix well using either your hands or two forks.
3. Using a 1″ or 2″ scooper, scoop and form meatballs and place on a cookie sheet or large plate; you should end up with about 24 – 2″ meatballs or 48 – 1″ meatballs.
4. Using a large non-stick skillet, heat the Olive Oil over Medium/Low to Medium heat until the surface shimmers.
5. Once the oil is heated, add 6-8 meatballs (leave enough working room in the skillet to flip/turn the meatballs) and brown on each side (about 3-4 minutes per side). Transfer the browned meatballs to a clean dish/plate, while you cook the remaining meatballs.

The Pasta:

1. While you are cooking the meatballs, bring a large pot of water to a boil; cook the Pasta according to the package instructions for al dente; drain and set aside.

Putting it All Together:

1. While you’re layering the casserole, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Spray a 9″ x 13″ Baking Dish with non-stick cooking spray.
3. Ladle a thin layer of sauce onto the bottom of the baking dish and spread out evenly to cover the bottom.
4. Next, add half of the meatballs.
5. Then, add half of the Pasta onto and around the meatballs.
6. Next, layer with half of the Mozzarella Slices (or “Pearls”).
7. Repeat these layers with the remaining ingredients: Sauce, Meatballs, Pasta, Mozzarella.
8. Sprinkle the top evenly with the 1/2 cup of Parmesan Cheese.
9. Bake on a cookie sheet (to prevent spills in the oven) for about 30 minutes or until cheese is golden and bubbly.
10. Allow to cool for about 10-15 minutes before serving.
11. Yummy!!! Serve with a fresh green salad and Enjoy! 🙂

Making the Turkey-Vodka Sauce

1. Gather the ingredients.
2. In a Large Lidded Cooking Pot, brown the Ground Turkey until thoroughly cooked. Drain any leftover liquids and set cooked Turkey aside in large bowl.
3. In the same large pot, heat the 2T of Olive Oil over medium-low heat. Add the chopped Onion and Garlic. Cook for about 3 minutes, or until onion is translucent.
4. Add the Red Pepper Flakes and cook for 1 minute.
5. Next, add the Tomato Sauce, Vodka and cooked Turkey. Continue cooking for about 5 minutes.
6. Throughly mix in the Tomato Paste, Balsamic Vinegar, Sugar, Salt & Pepper. Simmer on Low for 15-20 minutes, partially covered.
   
7. Stir in the Basil and Half & Half and continue cooking for another 5 minutes on low.
   

Building the Lasagna

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Spray a 9″ x 13″ or 10″ x 14″ baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
3. In a medium or large mixing bowl, stir salt & pepper into the Ricotta Cheese until thoroughly mixed. *I used about 1/2 tsp Salt and 1/8 tsp Pepper.
4. To assemble the Lasagna layers, evenly spread a layer of the Turkey-Vodka sauce in the bottom of the prepared baking pan – it takes about 2 cups.
   
5. The next layer is the sheets of Lasagna Noodles – since I used a 10″ x 14″ pan, I used 4 whole sheets placed side-by-side and 1 broken sheet to fill in any large empty gaps/spaces. If you’re using a 9″x13″ pan, 4 sheets should suffice.
6. Top the Lasagna Sheets with another layer of Vodka Sauce, making sure that the sheets are completely covered with sauce.
7. Sprinkle about 1/3 each of the shredded Mozzarella and Parmesan Cheeses evenly over the sauce layer. *If you’re using Mozzarella slices, sprinkle with Parmesan Cheese first, then place Mozzarella slices on top of the Parmesan.
8. Next, add a thick layer of the Ricotta Cheese and spread with a fork. *The Ricotta Cheese is easier to spread on Mozzarella Slices 😉
9. Repeat steps: Add another layer of Sauce, Lasagna Sheets, Parmesan & Mozzarella, another thick layer of Ricotta Cheese, another layer of Sauce, and sprinkle top with Mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. *Note: I had a little bit of Ricotta Cheese leftover.
   
10. Spray the underside of a sheet of Aluminum Foil with non-stick cooking spray and cover the Lasagna.
11. Bake covered in preheated oven for 40-45 minutes. Uncover and bake for another 15-20 minutes.
12. Let rest about 15 minutes before slicing.
13. Enjoy!