This EASY lasagna is filled with chicken, pesto, spinach, and a creamy (lightened up) white sauce. And of course a healthy dose of ricotta, because what is lasagna without ricotta??Â
Eric sent me this picture today from work:
Eric has this habit of putting things up on our walls with reckless abandon. Here’s the Star Wars poster that he randomly tacked up on the wall one day:
(Can’t we have NORMAL Star Wars posters? Like, with Han and Leia? At least Harrison Ford is easy on the eyes. No, I have to have Prince Xizor. (Seriously. That’s his name. Eric would know.)
And here’s the random piece of art that Charlotte painted that he taped (crooked) on the wall, MONTHS ago. The problem is that I just don’t see things after a while and I forget it’s there. Like, if I had remembered that we had a 5-year-old’s “Tree Stump and Throbbing Heart” painting on the wall in the entry way BEFORE we hosted 30 family members for Easter on Sunday, then I would have taken it down. But no. It’s just part of the decor now I guess.
Hopefully this barrage of Pesto Lasagna photos makes up for the Prince Xizor photo up there.
This lasagna is so good you guys! It’s like a mash up of all my favorite things: chicken, noodles, cheese, PESTO. Are you a pesto fanatic like me? Love that stuff. I made the white sauce a little lighter by using Greek yogurt instead of cream. But then I smothered it all with mozzarella so…take it or leave it. Oh wait there are layers of spinach in there too! I’m not completely hopeless.
If you make this lasagna, snap a photo and share on Instagram using #TheFoodCharlatan! I’d love to see it :)
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White Lasagna with Chicken and Pesto
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons dried basil, or 1 tablespoon fresh
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 6 tablespoons flour
- 1/3 cup milk
- 1/3 cup Greek yogurt
- 1 & 2/3 cup chicken broth
- 2 cups cooked chicken, chopped (rotisserie is best)
- 1 (15-ounce) container ricotta cheese
- 1/3 cup basil pesto, homemade or store-bought
- 1 egg
- 9 no-boil lasagna noodles
- 1 & 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
- 2-3 cups fresh spinach
- 3-4 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a large skillet, melt butter with olive oil over medium heat. Add 1 cup onions and saute 5-8 minutes, or until the onions are soft.
- Add 2-3 cloves of garlic and saute one more minute.
- In a small bowl combine the basil, salt, pepper, and flour. Add to the onion mixture and whisk together until all the oil is absorbed.
- In a large glass measuring cup, add milk, Greek yogurt, and chicken broth. Stir to combine.
- Gradually add the liquid to the pan, whisking constantly. Go as slow as you need to make sure the liquid gets absorbed. You want to whisk out any chunks.
- Cook over medium heat, stirring until the mixture is thickened slightly, just a couple minutes. Add the chicken and turn off the heat.
- In a medium bowl, stir together ricotta, pesto, and 1 egg.
- To assemble: wet the bottom of a 2 quart casserole dish with some of the white sauce. Just enough so the noodles don't stick.
- Layer 3 no-boil lasagna noodles on top. Spread with 1/3 of the ricotta mixture. Top with a handful of fresh spinach. Add 1/3 of the white sauce and spread to the edges. Top with 1/3 of the mozzarella cheese.
- Repeat twice more. Noodles, ricotta, spinach, white sauce, cheese.
- Sprinkle the top with Parmesan cheese.
- Spray a sheet of foil with nonstick spray and cover the lasagna.
- Bake at 350 for about 50 minutes, or until cooked and tender.
- Remove the foil and turn up the oven temperature to broil. Broil until golden brown and bubbly, 1 to 3 minutes. Keep an eye on it!
- Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. I like to serve this with some bread, a big salad, and maybe some other green vegetable.
Notes
Nutrition
Other great lasagnas and pastas you will love!
Easy Cheesy Ravioli Lasagna << this is an old family favorite!
Poblano, Corn, and Zucchini Lasagna << I still have dreams about this one. It’s perfect for summer!
Old Fashioned Lasagna << this recipe is from the Better Homes and Garden’s cookbook. A classic!
Lasagna Soup << sounds weird. Isn’t. It’s delicious!
Other lasagna ideas from the blog-o-sphere!
Chicken Bacon Lasagna Roll-Ups from Simply Gloria
Chicken Cheese Lasagna from Will Cook For Smiles
Chicken Alfredo Lasagna Rolls from Belle of the Kitchen
Delicious, easy, and satisfying! Fancy enough for a dinner party
I don’t like plain Greek yogurt, so would I use sour cream instead? Or creme fraiche?
Yes Karen either of those will work great! Enjoy!
Love this recipe.
So happy to hear that Havalah! Thanks so much for the comment!
Can this be made ahead and frozen?
Hey Deb! I’ve never tried it but I’m sure you could! I would just look up some tips on freezing lasagna.
I baked it, froze it, got it out a week later, heated it through, then took the foil off and turned on the broiler. It was amazing!!