Lasagna is a dish that can be made in myriad ways. One of our favorite ways to make lasagna is with spinach and chicken because it adds some nice texture and flavor to the dish without adding too many calories. It also makes for great leftovers!
Ingredients
Chicken Lasagna Ingredients:
9 lasagna noodles, cooked al dente
4 cups shredded rotisserie chicken or cooked from 2 lbs chicken breast
Spinach Cream Sauce:
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
4 Tbsp unsalted butter
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cups half and half, (or equal parts of heavy cream and milk)
5 oz fresh spinach, coarsely chopped
2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
3 garlic cloves, minced
Ricotta Cheese Sauce:
15 oz ricotta
1 large egg
1/4 cup parsley
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
3 cups mozzarella cheese, 12 oz by weight, divided (reserve 1 cup for topping)
Preparations
1. Thaw the egg noodles. If frozen, bring to room temperature before cooking.
2. In a medium bowl, combine eggs with ricotta and chopped spinach.
3. In a pan large enough to hold all of your lasagna noodles, over medium heat, bring water and salt to a boil. Add egg noodles and cook until al dente or soft but not mushy. Drain, rinse with cold water, drain again then set aside.
4. In a large saucepan or frying pan over medium heat, brown chicken pieces in 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil.
5. Remove chicken pieces from the pan and set them aside in a bowl covered with foil to keep warm while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
6. In the same pan over low heat, add tomato sauce and simmer for 5 minutes.
7. In a 9x13 pan, layer the following in this order: noodles, chicken mixture, tomato sauce, mozzarella, and spinach filling. You can also skip this layering step and just place all the ingredients in the pan at once if you prefer.
8. Pour egg noodles on top and sprinkle with remaining cheese.
9. Bake in a 350F oven for 40-45 minutes or until cheese is golden brown and bubbly.
10. Remove from oven and let lasagna stand 5 minutes before cutting into squares to serve.
