You can easily freeze this lasagna before you bake it, too. So if you make it just once, you can make a double batch and have two great meals from the effort of preparing one. That is real economy of effort! You can also have the lasagna cooked and assembled the night before, so when you are ready to eat, just take it out of your fridge and pop it into your oven for 30 minutes. Dinner is done!

If you like, you can use frozen spinach (3-4 cups). Let it thaw completely. Then squeeze it with your hands to wring out all of the water before adding it into the pan with the other ingredients.

 

INGREDIENTS

5 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion chopped

1 garlic head 9-10 cloves, minced

1 bell pepper chopped

2 cups baby portabella mushrooms sliced

1 lb. ground chicken

1 tablespoon tomato paste

5 cups raw fresh spinach

16 oz. (4 cups) mozzarella cheese grated

15 oz. marinara sauce

16 lasagna noodles

Salt and pepper

 

INSTRUCTIONS

Follow package instructions for cooking lasagna noodles. Drain and rinse in cold water, set aside.

While the noodles are cooking, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to large pan over medium heat. Add in onion and cook until tender, then add the garlic and cook until fragrant. Add chopped bell pepper and mushrooms and cook for another 4-5 minutes. Then add the tomato paste and ground chicken. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Stir well to combine and cook an additional 4-5 minutes. When the chicken is almost done, add the spinach and allow it to cook until wilted, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Now grease a 9×13-inch pan with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and start assembling the lasagna, trimming the noodles to fit your pan. Start with a few spoonsful of marinara sauce. This will help keep your noodles from sticking to the pan. Then put a layer of noodles, followed by half the chicken mixture, then 5 oz. of marinara sauce, followed by 1½ cups mozzarella cheese. Repeat these layers, ending with a layer of noodles. Top with remaining marinara sauce (5 oz.) and the remaining 1 cup of cheese.

At this point you could keep the lasagna in your fridge for 24 hours before baking it, or bake immediately for 30-40 minutes. If desired, you can broil the top for 4-5 minutes, but you will need to watch it closely so the cheese doesn’t burn. Allow it to cool for 15-20 minutes after baking to ensure it doesn’t fall apart when cutting it.

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Quick Tip:  Want an extra punch of flavor? Add some crushed red pepper flakes to the chicken mixture!

Recipe and image courtesy of Catalina at Sweet and Savory Meals