Well, this Chicken and Spinach Lasagna is my all time favourite lasagna recipe. Tried and tested more times I can count over pretty much the past 20 years. Made with homemade marinara sauce, lots of fresh spinach and mozzarella. A real winner of a dinner!
Lasagna is Work, fact
I know, I know, lasagna is a lot of work. There is no way around it, to make a great lasagna, you just got to put in the time and the effort.
Take this little beauty we see in front of us here. Start to finish it’s a few hours. Well, basically one hour hands on and then about 45 minutes in the oven. But can i just say, it’s worth it. Every single minute. Just like my Classic Lasagna, this one is a true family favourite!
You might not want to make it on a rushed day when you schedule is packed full or when you’re rushing in from work. Save it for a Saturday when you have time to spare and enjoy the cooking process. If you’re looking for an easy Italian comfort food, why not try my Italian Sausage & Tomato Stew…yum!
Truth, I don’t always love (or even like), the cooking process. My days are generally packed and quite often dinner is rushed. But days when I have time, I know there’s lasagna.
I promise you, this lasagna is worth the effort. All one and half hours of it! Yea, it’s not a quick midweek dinner. I have made this more times that I can count and every single time it is a huge success. Much like my Roasted Squash and Zucchini Lasagna and the Roasted Zucchini & Cherry Tomato Lasagna, it’s an absolute winner.I have served it to countless friends over the years and it’s usually a hit with kids as well as adults.
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Chicken & Spinach Lasagna
Ingredients
- 20 lasagna sheets
- 3 cans whole tomatoes 16 oz cans (large ones)
- 1 large red pepper roughly chopped
- 1 large green pepper roughly chopped
- 1 large onion roughly chopped
- 6 to 8 cloves garlic crushed
- 1 bag spinach 8 oz/200 grams
- 2 chicken breast cut into small pieces or into ground chicken
- 2 Cups mushrooms sliced
- 1 Cup sour cream
- 2 Cups mozzarella grated
- Fresh basil rosemary & parsley
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Olive oil
Instructions
- First, make the marinara sauce
- In a large frying pan, add olive oil and about half of the crushed garlic. Cook for a minute until fragrant..
- Add the peppers and onions. Stir well and cook on high heat for a few minutes until they start to brown. Then reduce heat to medium-low and continue to cook for about 10 more minutes. While the onions and peppers are cooking, add in a little of the tomato juice from the can. This will ensure they soften while they cook and not burn
- Add can tomatoes, herbs, salt and pepper. Continue to cook until the liquid in the tomatoes reduces by half. This will take around 30 minutes. Stir as it cooks. At this point taste your sauce and see if it is bitter at all. If so, add about a teaspoon of sugar. Stir well and leave to simmer for a few more minutes.
- Once you have finished this, add the mixture to the blender and blend in batches until you have a smooth sauce. Flavours can be adjusted once you have made your sauce with additional herbs, salt, pepper, sugar….
- Heat the reserved skillet and add a little olive oil and garlic. Add mushrooms and cook until browned, about 5 minutes.
- Then add in chicken to the mushrooms. Cook just to brown the chicken for a about 3 – 4 minutes. Remove from heat. Add prepared sauce and the fresh spinach to the chicken and mushroom mixture. Stir well
- Cook pasta in boiling water for 8 minutes. Remove and instantly rinse with cold water. Let drain.
- To assemble the lasagna you need a large lasagna pan. Put a tiny amount of sauce on the bottom layer. This is just so the pasta does not stick. Then you can start layering. First a layer of lasagne sheets, followed by a few ladles of sauce, few spoonfuls of sour cream and finally cheese. Keep repeating the process until all layers are done. I usually get around 4 layers.
- Bake in a preheated oven of 350 degrees for around 40 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand for 10 to 15 minutes. This allows time for the lasagna to set so when cut it stays together.
- Can be served with any fresh salad and garlic bread. Makes for great, fuss free entertaining as it can be made ahead and refrigerated up to 24 hours before baking.
*A note on times provided: appliances vary, any prep and/or cook times provided are estimates only.
Notes
- If your lasagna is browning too quickly, loosely place a sheet of aluminum foil over the top while it finishes cooking.
Thanks For Stopping By & Hope To See You Soon!
