Do you get inspired reading food magazines? Or watching food shows on TV? Or browsing Pinterest? I certainly do, and it was one of these, although I can’t recall which, that led me to create this unusual white lasagna with chicken and spinach. I used up leftover shredded chicken from making chicken stock and a package of fresh spinach I had purchased that I was afraid would go bad soon. I made my béchamel sauce with flour, butter, a very rich chicken stock, and some powdered milk to enrich it, but you can make a traditional white sauce or even use a jarred Alfredo sauce for this lasagna if pressed for time or ingredients. I also had some diced up peppers and green onions that I threw into the mixture (that’s the red you see peeking out at the bottom of the lasagna in case you were wondering), so feel free to add extra veggies. Also take note: if you usually don’t bother to pre-cook your lasagna noodles, figuring the sauce will cook them while you bake the lasagna, this sauce is not very “wet” and you will definitely need to pre-cook the noodles first. I found this to be a nice change from our traditional lasagna, and hope you like it too!
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic
- 3 cups béchamel sauce
- ½-1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 3 cups shredded cooked chicken
- Cooked lasagna noodles (enough for 5 layers in a 13x9x2-inch casserole dish)
- 1 pound fresh spinach, wilted and excess liquid squeezed out and chopped
- 6 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
- Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan and cook the garlic for about a minute, just until it starts to turn light golden. Stir in the béchamel sauce, Parmesan, and chicken and set aside.
- Spray a 13x9x2-inch casserole dish with cooking spray and layer noodles on the bottom. Build the casserole in layers on top of the noodles: ⅓ of the chicken mixture, a layer of noodles, ½ of the spinach, a layer of noodles, ⅓ of the chicken mixture, a layer of noodles, the remaining /12 of the spinach, a layer of noodles, and the remaining ⅓ of the chicken mixture. Spread the mozzarella cheese over the top.
- Cover with foil that has been sprayed with cooking spray to prevent sticking. Bake at 375 degrees until bubbly, about 45 minutes. Let stand a couple of minutes before serving. If desired, drizzle with more warm béchamel sauce before serving.