Chicken and Spinach Lasagna

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil (extra virgin or light )
• 1 lb ground chicken
• 1 onion (diced)
• 3 cloves garlic (diced)
• 1.25 cups cottage cheese (or ricotta)
• 10 oz frozen chopped spinach (thawed and squeezed to remove water)
• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning (or dried oregano or basil)
• kosher salt and pepper
• 1/2 cups light olive oil (extra virgin has a stronger flavor, but it would work)
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup milk (whole, 2%, or 1%)
• 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 8 oz no-boil lasagna noodles
• 4 cups shredded mozzarella
• kosher salt and pepper

Instructions

1. 1

   --- Prep the ground chicken mixture: ---

2. 2

   Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to a large skillet over medium heat. Sauté onions until translucent. Add ground chicken, 1 teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper, and cook until chicken is no longer pink, breaking up large pieces with a wooden spoon. Add garlic, and sauté for 1 more minute.

3. 3

   Remove from heat and stir in cottage cheese, spinach, and Italian seasoning.

4. 4

   --- Make the white lasagna sauce: ---

5. 5

   In a medium saucepan, heat ½ cup light olive oil. Add flour and cook for two minutes, whisking constantly. Slowly add chicken broth and milk and bring to a boil, whisking constantly. The mixture will begin to thicken.

6. 6

   After mixture is thickened (it will start to coat the sides of the pan), remove from heat. Stir in parmesan cheese, 1 teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. If mixture becomes too thick, you can add additional milk or broth to thin.

7. 7

   --- Assemble and bake the lasagna: ---

8. 8

   Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly rub or spray a 9x13 baking pan or lasagna pan with a thin layer of olive oil.

9. 9

   Spread approximately ½ cup of sauce in the bottom of the pan. Cover with a layer of lasagna noodles. (You may need to break some of the noodles in half).

10. 10

    Pour another cup of sauce over the noodles, using a spatula so spread it evenly over the noodles. Top with 1 cup of mozzarella and ⅓ of the chicken mixture (eyeball it).

11. 11

    Add another layer of noodles, another cup of sauce, another cup of cheese, and half of the remaining chicken mixture.

12. 12

    Top with another layer of noodles, another cup of sauce, another cup of cheese, and remaining chicken mixture.

13. 13

    Top with one more layer of noodles, remaining sauce, and remaining mozzarella.

14. 14

    Cover with foil and bake for 35 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 20 minutes, or until golden brown and bubbly.