Dinner, Lunch, Pasta

Chicken Mushroom and Spinach Lasagna

Here’s another Chicken dish for “Chicken Week” in the current Cook/Bake-a-long. Hearty comfort food for a cold February weekend with another round of snow incoming. Sauteed mushrooms and baby spinach, mixed with “left over” rotisserie chicken in a creamy bechamel sauce. Lots of fontina cheese to top it off. Feeds a crowd or plenty of leftovers. Very yummy.

Ingredients
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
2 tablespoons minced garlic
12 ounces crimini mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
1 (6 oz.) bag fresh baby spinach
2 cups shredded cooked chicken
1 cups low-sodium chicken stock
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, divided
1 cups whole milk
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg (optional)
3/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese, divided
1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese
1 egg
9-12 long lasagna noodles (normal, not no bake)
2 cups shredded fontina cheese

Directions
Preheat the oven to 375F.

Boil the lasagna noodles according to the box directions. Drain and set aside on damp paper towels in layers, so they do not stick together.

Heat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. When hot, add oil and then the onions, garlic, mushrooms, basil, oregano, red pepper flakes, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Sauté for 5 minutes or until the mushrooms soften while stirring occasionally. Make sure all of the liquid from the mushrooms has evaporated before moving on. Set aside in a large work bowl.

Stir in spinach; cook until wilted and all of its moisture has evaporated. Add to the mushroom-onion mixture. Stir in the cooked chicken. Set the work bowl side.

In a small bowl make a slurry by whisking together 1/2 cup chicken stock with 1/4 cup flour. It should be thick milky consistency. Set it aside. In a small saucepan, combine the remaining 1/2 cups chicken broth, milk, nutmeg, and 1 teaspoon of salt. Bring to a slow simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Once the mixture starts to bubble up around the edges, add the slurry while whisking nonstop. Simmer until thickened, about 5-8 minute, whisking occasionally. Stir in 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese and then remove from heat. Add this to the chicken-mushroom-spinach mixture.

In another work bowl, combine ricotta, remaining Parmesan, egg and remaining flour.

Pour 1 1/2 cup chicken-mushroom-spinach sauce into bottom of deep 9 x 11 (or possibly a 10 x 10 square) baking dish, top with 3 noodles, all of the ricotta mixture, another 3 noodles, remaining 1 1/2 cup chicken-mushroom-spinach sauce, 3 more noodles, then the shredded fontina, making sure noodles are covered with sauce. You can even press them down lightly.

Cover baking dish with aluminum foil and bake for 35 minutes. Uncover and bake for 15 minutes longer. If desired, broil for 2-3 minutes for golden brown top. Let stand 15-20 minutes before cutting and serving.

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