The Cheesiest Lasagna

This lasagna is fantastic! So cheesy, and filled with chicken and spinach and mushrooms...yum! Like any lasagna, it takes some time and effort, but it is totally worth it. And it's amazing reheated, so you get lots of great leftovers.

Chicken White Lasagna with Spinach and Mushrooms

Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients:
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
5 cloves garlic, minced
16 oz sliced mushrooms
2 tsps basil
2 tsps oregano
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
salt and pepper to taste
12 oz frozen spinach, thawed and drained
4 cups cooked chicken (about 2 pounds raw chicken breast)
1/2 cup butter
1 cup flour
5 cups chicken stock
3 cups whole milk
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 cup shredded or grated parmesan cheese
16 oz dried lasagna noodles
16 oz freshly shredded mozzarella

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Heat a large frying pan over medium heat, and cook oil, onion, garlic, mushrooms, basil, oregano, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Cook for 10 minutes until mushrooms have softened and liquid has evaporated. Stir in spinach and cooked chicken pieces and cook for another minute. Remove from heat and set aside.
3. In a large saucepan (very large - a lot of sauce will be in here. Mine almost bubbled over the top!) we are going to make the cheese sauce by starting with a roux. Melt your butter over low heat. When it has stopped foaming add 1/2 cup of flour. Heat for two minutes over medium heat, whisking constantly. Slowly pour in the chicken broth and milk, continuing to whisk constantly. Now whisk in your other 1/2 cup of flour, nutmeg, and some salt and pepper. Bring to a low boil and reduce heat, letting it simmer for 5 minutes, or until thickened, being sure to stir frequently. Stir in parmesan cheese and remove from heat.
4. Pour enough sauce into bottom of 9x13 baking dish to completely cover the bottom. Top with 3 noodles, 1/4 of chicken mixture, 1 1/2 cups sauce, and 1/4 of your mozzarella, making sure noodles are covered with sauce. Repeat 3 more times.
5. Cover with sprayed aluminum foil so it doesn't stick to your cheese and bake for 25 minutes. Uncover and bake for 15 minutes more. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

We LOVE mushrooms. You can never have too many.

Lots of protein and greens - all kinds of healthfulness in this pan!

Getting ready to start our layering!

I drained most of the water out of the noodle pot so they would be easier to take out. I like to use two forks to carefully lift the noodles out and place them in the baking pan.

It's starting to come together!

I'm always impressed when the boiled lasagna noodles stay intact. They look so much more impressive.

The pan will be VERY full. I recommend putting a large rimmed baking sheet under it in the oven as it will probably boil over.

So much melty cheese!

This white sauce is amazing!

Hot out of the pan it doesn't look like a square of lasagna, but it is SO GOOD.

Once it's cooled you have a beautiful square of lasagna. It reheats beautifully, so enjoy those leftovers!

So I prefer white lasagna to the tomato and ricotta kind. If you do too, this is the lasagna for you! Give it a try and you won't have to cook for at least a couple of days! Totally worth it.

Yum