A delicious lasagna layered with chicken, spinach and squash in a creamy, ooey, gooey cheese sauce. An easy all-in-one dinner for any night of the week. Gluten-free & meatless version available.
9ready to bake lasagna noodlesoption: gluten-free noodles or thinly sliced zucchini can be used
¼cupolive oil
1onionminced
2-3teaspoonsminced garlic
½cupflour or gluten-free flour
2cupswhite wine(chicken broth can also be used)
1 ¾cupslow fat milk
½teaspoonsalt
¼teaspoonground pepper
4cupspart-skim mozzarella cheeseshredded
1cupParmesan or Pecorino Romano cheesegrated
2Tablespoonsfresh basilchopped or 2 teaspoons dried basil
1teaspoondried oregano
3cupscooked rotisserie chickenchopped. Option: use mushrooms for a meatless option
1cuppart-skim ricotta
9ozbox frozen chopped spinachthawed
12ozbox frozen mashed butternut squashthawed or change it up with a 15-oz can of pure pumpkin
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 13" x 9" baking dish with non-stick spray.
If you opt for regular lasagna noodles, cook them according to package directions while making cheese sauce. Rinse in colander & set aside.
Making cheese sauce
Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onions and garlic (and mushrooms if using them to replace chicken) and cook for 5 minutes or until onions are translucent.
Add flour and stir well, cooking for about 1 minute.
Slowly add white wine or chicken broth, stirring constantly to avoid lumps forming.
Add milk, salt and pepper and cook for 2 minutes.
Remove pot from heat and add 2 cups of mozzarella cheese, ¼ cup Parmesan cheese, basil and oregano. Set cheese mixture aside.
Assembling lasagna
Lay out remaining ingredients - lasagna noodles, mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, ricotta cheese, chicken, thawed spinach (that has been squeezed to get out all liquid) and thawed squash.
Spread a small amount of cheese sauce in the casserole dish to cover bottom.
Place 3 lasagna noodles on top of sauce forming the first layer. Ladle on ½ of the remaining cheese sauce, followed by ½ of the chicken, then spread ricotta cheese on top.
Layer 3 more noodles on top of ricotta cheese. Top with remaining cheese sauce, followed by remaining chicken then spread thawed spinach on top. Sprinkle 1 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese over spinach.
Add last layer of pasta then spread butternut squash over them. Sprinkle on remaining mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese.
Baking & browning lasagna
Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes.
Remove the foil and continue cooking for 15 more minutes to allow cheese to brown. If cheese is still not browning, turn on the broiler and watch carefully until browned.
Let the lasagna cool for 10-15 minutes to make it easier to cut into servings.
Notes
Low carb version: If using zucchini strips, cut into ⅛" thick long strips, lightly salt, and let sit for 15 minutes. Lightly dab with paper towel to help get rid of excess moisture. On a grill or under broiler, cook zucchini strips for 1-2 minutes per side then place on paper towels to drain. Continue with assembly steps and use in place of pasta.Vegetarian version: Use mushrooms in lieu of chicken and cook with onions and garlic then add to cheese sauce.You can meal prep this by preparing up to the baking step. cover with foil and store in refrigerator until ready for bake. You may need to cook it slightly longer, 10-15 minutes, since the casserole will be cold.