A delicious white creamy chicken lasagna loaded with ricotta, mozzarella, and Parmesan Cheese, all smothered in a homemade white cream sauce with onions, garlic, and spinach. This is one delicious lasagna that you will want to make over and over again.
INGREDIENTS
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- ¼ cup all purpose flour
- 2 ½ cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 5 ounces fresh baby spinach
- 12 lasagna noodles uncooked
- 15 ounces ricotta
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
- 3 cups mozzarella cheese (reserve 1 cup)
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 2 ½ cups cooked diced chicken
- Fresh parsley chopped (garnish)
INSTRUCTIONS
- Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until it is soft. Reduce the heat to low and add the garlic, cooking for 1 minute while stirring continuously. Whisk in the flour, cooking the mixture for 2 minutes. Whisk in the chicken broth and the cream alternating between the two. Simmer until smooth and thickened, about 5 minutes. Add the spinach and cook until wilted, 2-3 minutes. Season with kosher salt and black pepper to taste. Remove the sauce from the heat.
- Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to boil and cook the lasagna noodles according to package instructions. Drain them well.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a large bowl, stir together the ricotta, egg, Parmesan Cheese, 2 cups mozzarella, and Italian seasoning.
- Spoon several tablespoons of white sauce into the bottom 9×13-inch baking dish. Then layer 4 noodles overlapping them slightly. Spoon 1/3 of the remaining sauce over the noodles. Top with 1/2 the cut cooked chicken and 1/2 the cheese mixture. Now repeat, adding 4 more noodles, 1/3 of the sauce mixture, the remaining chicken, and the remaining cheese mixture. Top with the remaining noodles, remaining sauce mixture, and 1 cup of shredded mozzarella.
- Cover the casserole dish with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake uncovered for another 15-20 minutes or until lightly browned. If desired, sprinkle with fresh parsley.
NOTES
- This recipe can be prepped up to 24 hours in advance. Cover it with plastic wrap and store it in the refrigerator. 30-40 minutes prior to cooking, remove from the refrigerator to warm. Remove the plastic wrap and cover with aluminum foil before baking.
- You can use fresh or frozen spinach. If using frozen spinach, squeeze as much of the moisture out as possible. This step is important to keep the sauce from being watered down.
- Try adding a variety of veggies like broccoli, carrots, mushrooms, or tomatoes.
- Shred or grate your own cheese. Prepackaged shredded and grated cheeses contain anticaking agents that prevent the cheese from melting easily.
- A lasagna must rest for 15-20 minutes so that it is easy to cut and serve without the layers separating from each other.
- Rotisserie chicken is a great choice for this recipe. They are available at most grocery stores. They are always delicious and relatively inexpensive.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.