Chicken and Spinach Lasagna
A fabulous chicken and spinach lasagna recipe! This is my Mom’s favorite lasagna recipe; she used to make it for me – now I make it for her. The circle of life – wrapped up in the comfort of lasagna!
This is a truly delicious chicken and spinach lasagna recipe. I have to be a little organised before beginning (easier some days than others!), but the end result is worth it. It’s made with a scrumptious alfredo sauce and is an absolute winner with family and friends. If you don’t have any spinach on hand, try my chicken and broccoli lasagne instead.
The ‘alfredo’ sauce in the chicken and spinach lasagna comes from the popular Italian pasta dish, fettuccini alfredo. In fettuccini alfredo, butter and parmesan cheese melt to form a rich sauce that coats the pasta noodles. And the same process occurs here, except we use pasta sheets instead of fettuccini noodles. Here, we combine parmesan, butter, cream, and mushroom soup to create a rich, flavorsome sauce. Given that lasagna is also Italian, I’m sure the Italian community won’t mind us using delicious alfredo sauce in our lasagna!
Especially in the cooler months, lasagna is hearty and warming – not to mention delicious! It’s easy to eat on its own, but to add nutritional value and color, accompany it with a crunchy salad. Serve a large bowlful of salad in the center of the table, or just add some vegetables to the plates. Lettuce, tomato wedges, carrot & celery sticks, and slices of cucumber will be plenty.
Our Suggestion…
Put lasagna on the table with with a large bowl of salad (or steamed vegetables), and guests serve themselves. It’s easy and informal, and guests can help themselves to a second serving.
Options
I’m sure you know by now that my goal is to give you options so you can personalize my recipes. My theory is that people will only make a recipe a second (and third…) time if they love it. And to love it, it needs to really ‘speak’ to you and your family. So – the goal is to turn my recipe into your recipe!
Here are some ideas to help you add your own flair and flavor to the chicken and spinach lasagna:
- Add 1 cup corn kernels to the chicken and mushroom mixture.
- Finely dice carrot and add to the chicken and mushroom mixture.
- Use 1 cup frozen peas – added to the mixture before removing from the heat and spooning over the lasagna sheets. (Can you tell that I like to add extra vegetables?!)
- Replace the spinach with your choice of kale, dandelion greens, Chinese broccoli (gai lan), chard, or collard greens. You could also use mustard greens – but be prepared for that distinctly peppery, mustard-y flavor!
- Roughly chop 6 rashers of bacon and add them to the pan at the same time as the onion.
Leftovers?
Do you think there will be leftovers?!? Ha ha ha!!! (Just joking – sometimes there are leftovers…)
If you have leftover chicken and spinach lasagna, it will keep well in the refrigerator for a couple of days. Lasagna is always great the next day – warmed for lunch or dinner. Also, you can pack a piece in your lunchbox to take to the office for lunch – and make all your coworkers envious!
Enjoy, my friends! I’d love to know how you find the recipe, so drop me a comment in the section below.
Until next time!
Love & lasagna, Bx
Spinach and Chicken Lasagna
Equipment
- Oven
Ingredients
- 8 oz instant lasagna noodles (or approx 250g)
- 1 roasted chicken skin off, de-boned, shredded
- 2 cans cream of mushroom condensed soup 10.5 oz (or 400ml) cans
- 3 cups heavy/ thickened cream
- 3 cups mozzarella cheese grated
- 2 cups spinach fresh is best (rinsed & shredded), but frozen is fine
- 1½ cups parmesan cheese grated
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- 10 medium mushrooms diced
- 4 cloves garlic very finely sliced
- 1 large onion diced
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 360 degrees Fahrenheit (or approximately 180 degrees Celsius).
- In a medium-sized saucepan over low heat, add cream, both cans of soup, parmesan cheese and butter.
- Allow to simmer – stirring quite frequently – until all ingredients are well blended.
- In a large skillet over medium heat, add olive oil.
- Add in onion until it becomes tender, then add in garlic and mushrooms.
- Cook and stir the onion in olive oil until tender, then add garlic and mushrooms.
- Add in shredded chicken.
- Cook until all ingredients are well heated but NOT over-cooking.
- Season with salt and ground black pepper.
- Lightly coat the bottom of a large (eg, 9in x 13in) baking dish with a little of the cream & soup mixture.
- Place ⅓ of the instant lasagne noodles on the bottom of the baking dish.
- Next, spread over ½ cup of ricotta.
- Add half of the shredded spinach.
- Then half of the chicken mixture.
- Sprinkle over one cup of the mozzarella cheese.
- And finally, add half of the remaining cream & soup mixture.
- Repeat layers once more.
- Top with a final layer of noodles then remaining cream & soup mixture.
- Cover with aluminium foil and bake for 1 hour, or until your scrumptious lasagna is golden brown and the cheese is bubbling.
- Top with the remaining mozzarella, and continue baking until cheese is melted and lightly browned (approx another 15 minutes).
This is a great lasagna, I made it for my kids that weekend and they totally loved it! Thanks for posting this.