Easy White Chicken Lasagna With Spinach

Easy White Chicken Lasagna With Spinach is one of the creamiest and dreamiest lasagnas you will ever taste. This dish is perfect for sharing with family and friends or keeping to yourself.

You’ll love this Spicy Tomato Garlic Shrimp Pasta or this Chicken Cordon Bleu Pasta.

I love everything pasta. My husband, all my siblings AND my extended family love pasta, too. Otherwise, they would be in serious trouble if they were to come over to my house to eat or to attend a potluck. We don’t argue about who brings the pasta, salads, or bakes. (For a delicious bake, check out my Chicken Cordon Bleu Pasta Bake) and other pasta dishes like my Lemon Artichoke & Asparagus Pasta. No. We fight over who MUST bring the salad or the vegetable dish. You know, to avoid feeling like a bunch of gluttons stuffed with carbs and no veggies to be seen. The person who draws the short straw will bring something healthy, albeit reluctantly. It’s up to us whether we choose to eat the food or not, but it is there for when we need a healthy snack.

This White Chicken Lasagne is something I’ve prepared for family gatherings before. This time, I added some spinach. You could call it my turn to sneak some spinach into a meal that is otherwise a deliciously starchy and cheesy one. I can’t be accused of trying to worm my way out of having to bring the vegetables!

What vegetables can I use in a WHITE CHICKEN LAAGNA?

To save time, I stirred the spinach directly into the sauce for this recipe. This step can be done with spinach, kale or any other hardy green. If you’re looking to add other vegetables to the dish, I recommend adding these. However, unless you’re adding something that cooks quickly, you should make sure to cut your veggies thinly first and then cook them before adding them to your spinach.

• All mushrooms, such as portabellas, white buttons, and baby bellas, work well.
• Lasagne is delicious with squashes like summer or zucchini — slice them into thin ribbons or rounds before layering.
• This dish will have a lovely texture if you add finely chopped cauliflower or broccoli. Be sure to cook them first before adding the sauce and noodles.
• Bell peppers in red, yellow or orange will give the lasagne a wonderful sweetness. Consider using roasted red peppers in a jar instead.
• This White Chicken Lasagne has a Mediterranean flavor thanks to the Kalamata black olives, red peppers, and mushrooms.
• This dish is given a surprising and fun twist by adding artichokes or palm hearts that have been marinated.
• If you want to add some bitterness, you can add some shaved Brussels sprouts.

How do you make a Roux?

You should first understand what a “roux” is. A roux paste is made from a mixture of flour and fat. The roux is cooked until it thickens and can be used to make many sauces. It is what thickens sauces, such as when making mac ‘n’ cheese.

When making sauce, it’s essential to have a roux. When I make a cheese sauce, I use roux. If you like, the cheese will need a carrier. If you don’t, the cheese will melt in your pasta (or whatever else you are making) and won’t be very…saucy.

When I first got married, I made my husband macaroni cheese with just macaroni cheese. After that, I baked the whole thing because I knew you would have baked it together. You can probably guess what I took out of the oven: a hardened mess made of dried pasta and cheese. Yum! The roux is delicious!

In order to make this dish, I first melted the butter, then added the garlic, flour, and butter (the fat), and finally, the flour. I stirred until the mixture became thick and formed my base or roux. Then and only then, add the cheeses. Stir some more until you get your white sauce base.

What can I substitute for chicken?

Lasagne is my favorite dish. You can also use thinly sliced cooked Italian sausages (chicken be, ef or, pork, or a combination is fine). You can also take the sausage out of its casing and crumble it instead of cutting it thin.

You can also make this lasagne vegetarian by using a combination of the vegetables above and omitting the meat. The sauces and flavors are delicious and will please both meat eaters and vegetarians. You won’t miss the meat at all!

Preparation Time: 20 Minutes

Cook Time: 45 Minutes

Total Time: One Hour and Five Minutes

Servings: six portions

Ingredients for Easy White Chicken Lasagna With Spinach

sauce

• 3 tablespoons of butter
• Two teaspoons of minced garlic
• 3 Tablespoons of flour
• 2 1/2 cups of whole milk or Half and Half
• Salt – To Taste
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 4 ounces cream cheese – softened

Lasagna

• 3/4 cup ricotta cheese
• 1 egg
• 8 lasagna noodles dried – cook according to the package instructions
• 2 cups of cooked chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 4 cups baby spinach leaves

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Oil an 8 x 8-inch baking dish.

Make the Sauce

1. Place a saucepan over medium heat. When the butter is melted, add the garlic and the flour. After 30 seconds, add the milk and whisk it in. Bring the sauce to a simmer and continue cooking until it thickens. Add the cream cheese, Parmesan and spinach. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir until spinach has wilted.

Assemble the lasagna

1. In a small bowl, whisk the egg and ricotta until well combined.
2. Pour about 1/4 cup of sauce into the baking dish. Top with 2 lasagna noodles, then 1/4 cup ricotta. Next, add 2/3 cups of chicken, 2/3 cups of mozzarella, 1 tablespoon of Parmesan, and 1/2 cup of sauce. Repeat the layers two more times, and then pour the remaining sauce with the Parmesan on top of the noodles.
3. The sauce will bubble up after 20-25 minutes of baking.
4. Allow the lasagna to cool for 15 minutes before serving.

Notes

This recipe is great with leftover or rotisserie poultry!

Nutrition

Calories: 678 kcal. Carbohydrates 40g. Protein 38g. Fat 29g. Saturated fat 16g. Transfat 1g. Cholesterol 146mg. Sodium 562mg. Potassium 557mg. Fiber 2g. Sugar 8g. Vitamin A 2821 IU. Vitamin C 6mg. Calcium 523 mg. Iron 2 mg.