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 :)
Facebook | Pinterest | Instagram | Twitter
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
Made this for the first time for my co-workers. They really liked. Have to say I thought it was good but you have to like pesto and cream sauce. My husband is a red sauce kind of guy….but he LOVES pesto. He said it was good, but not something he would eat much of….he doesn’t care for the cream/Alfredo sauce. I am making it again today for the neighbor…she LOVES pesto, and is not a fan of tomato sauce….I am sure it will be a hit with her!!
I love pesto and cream sauce! I guess that’s why I like it so much. Thanks for the feedback Michelle!
This was so good. Definitely a good Sunday meal as you should take you time. I plan to make it again!
That’s great Chelai! I’m glad you liked it! I think it’s a perfect weekend meal too, when you’ve got some time. Thanks for the feedback!!
Switch out the Star Wars posters with Lord of the Rings and I know exactly what you’re talking about. 😉
You have so many wonderful things going on in this lasagna. Putting in the Greek yogurt sounds so good. And pesto! Yum!
Hubba hubba! This lasagna looks phenomenal! Cannot wait to have this for Sunday dinner one night. Speaking of phenomenal, I assume that painting is up in your house now, right?? :D
OOOOH this looks sooo good. I haven’t had a white lasagna and I need to fix that now!! I had to laugh about the kid art being randomly placed up on the wall because that is so our house too and yes you go blind to it being there until you have company over and they point it out!!
OOOOH this looks sooo good!! I haven’t had a white lasagna and I need to fix that now!! I had to laugh about the kid art being left up randomly on the wall because that is totally our house too and yes you just go blind to it and forget it is there until company comes over to point it out!
Gah white lasagna is sooooo good!! I love that you have greek yogurt and the pesto in here!! And now I really need to go eat some lunch…
How cheesy, gooey, and delicious! I like the tree stump and heart picture! :)
I feel like we live parallel lives. My husband has covered our master bathroom in Star Wars posters. And my youngest hangs up pictures she’s drawn all over the house with tape and I forget they’re there for months. Years. Seriously, there is a hand drawn picture of Jesus taped up over the piano for the last 18 months because Eden claims it helps her practice better.
Also? This recipe looks delicious. Pesto makes everything better.
Bahahah!!!! I laughed so hard when I read this Ami. You crack me up. I’m just counting my blessings now that I don’t have Obi-Wan staring me down while I’m on the toilet. And hey, Eden is probably right. Jesus totally helps. Haha!
This lasagna look INCREDIBLE! I’m a pesto fanatic but I’ve never had it in lasagna. I must try this!
This lasagna is on my to-cook-as-soon-as-possible list now! Have never thought of spinach layer. Yummy idea!
Oh my gosh I love white lasagna more than I ever knew but yours looks even better than the one I had! I love the layers of spinach and chicken and lots of ricotta please!
Huger pains ensue….My gosh.
This is just stunning! Such awesome flavors- and I love your baking dish!
Thanks Medha! I love this dish too, it was a gift. Definitely my favorite thing to bake casseroles in!
Wow, this take on white lasagna is SPECTACULAR! This is definitely going on my list of meals to make next time all my family is home.
Thank you Danielle, you are so sweet! Yes definitely make it for your family, it is a total crowd pleaser :)