This chicken and spinach lasagna is layered with chicken, spinach, a rich and creamy white sauce, and a three cheese blend of Parmesan, ricotta, and mozzarella. It's comfort food at it's finest!
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Why this recipe works
This white chicken and spinach lasagna is a delicious comforting dish that makes a perfect elegant meal for guests or a cozy family meal. As with most lasagna recipes there is a bit of effort involved but the results are totally worth it. Plus, since we use a bechamel sauce, you can easily make a large batch and freeze the extras, but if your house is anything like mine there will not be any leftovers!
Ingredients for Chicken and Spinach Lasagna
For this chicken lasagna recipe I use a garlic parmesan cream sauce that is similar in flavor to an alfredo sauce. But, since it's thickened with a roux, it will not break as easily as alfredo does. If you prefer to make a chicken alfredo lasagna you can substitute my easy alfredo sauce recipe for the cream sauce.
- Cooked Chicken - Shredded chicken works best for this recipe. You can make your own or a rotisserie chicken works great too.
- Spinach - I use frozen spinach for this dish but fresh will work too. If using frozen spinach be sure to drain it very well by adding to a clean dish towel and wringing out as much water as possible. If using fresh spinach wilt around 6-8 cups of spinach in 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil let cool and drain to remove any excess moisture.
- Cheese, Cheese, Cheese - That's the best part of any pasta dish right? For this recipe I use a three cheese blend. You'll need a block of low-moisture mozzarella, ricotta, and Parmesan cheeses.
- Eggs
- Lasagna Noodles - I used standard lasagna noodles in this recipe, but homemade lasagna noodles will make it even more delicious. You can make them using my fresh pasta recipe.
- Chicken broth
- Heavy Cream
- Roux - For the roux you'll need equal parts butter and flour
- Onion
- Garlic
How to prepare the lasagna
To make the chicken and spinach lasagna you'll start by cooking the noodles according to the package directions and set aside.
While the noodles cook, make the béchamel sauce. Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a saucepan and cook chopped onion until softened. Then add the garlic and cook for around 30-45 seconds until fragrant.
Next make a roux by adding the butter to the pan and melting it then add the flour. Whisk constantly until the mixture turns a very light golden brown. You don't want too dark of a roux for this recipe to keep the sauce white.
Then add the cream and chicken broth and whisk vigorously for around a minute. Add salt and pepper, then bring to a low simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, for another 2-3 minutes until slightly thickened. Then add ¼ cup of parmesan cheese and the parsley and stir to combine.
Make the filling by combining the ricotta, ¼ cup parmesan, eggs, salt, and pepper. Stir in the spinach and chicken. In a separate bowl mix the remaining parmesan and mozzarella cheese.
How to assemble the Chicken Spinach Lasagna
- Start by adding about ½ a cup of the cream sauce to a baking dish and spread it evenly.
- Next add 3 of the lasagna noodles.
- Top the noodles with about ⅓ of the chicken and spinach mixture.
- Next sprinkle on ¼ of the mozzarella and parmesan cheeses. Then add around ½ cup of the sauce and spread evenly.
Repeat the noodles, sauce, cheese steps two more times. You should have 3 layers of filling. Next top with the last 3 noodles, the remaining sauce, then the remaining mozzarella and parmesan cheese.
Cooking your lasagna
To cook the lasagna you'll cover the dish with foil then add it to a 350 degree oven and cook for around 25 minutes. Remove the foil and cook for an additional 15 to 20 minutes until bubbly and the top is browned.
Remove from the oven and let cool for about 5 -10 minutes. This will allow the lasagna to set up so you can get nice thick layers without the filling oozing out.
Vegetarian white lasagna
This recipe can easily be converted to a vegetarian lasagna. For the sauce swap in vegetable broth for the chicken broth. Then choose your substitute for the chicken:
- Spinach and mushroom lasagna - Simply substitute sauteed mushrooms for the chicken and .
- Spinach artichoke lasagna - Artichoke hearts are another great substitution for the chicken. Just think spinach artichoke dip in lasagna form!
Can I make this lasagna in advance?
This chicken lasagna recipe is perfect for a make ahead lasagna. Using a white sauce thickened with a roux will help the sauce hold together. You can make it all the way through the assembly then cover and refrigerate for 1 day.
When you are ready to cook it, remove the dish from the refrigerator for around 30 minutes prior to cooking to take the chill off. Then bake as directed but add about 10 minutes longer to the covered cooking time.
More tasty pasta recipes to try!
- Creamy Tuscan Chicken Pasta
- Homemade Fresh Pasta
- Alfredo Sauce
- Cajun Shrimp Pasta
- Roasted Butternut Squash Pasta
- Oven Baked Mac and Cheese
📖 Recipe
Chicken and Spinach Lasagna
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Sauce:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ cup diced onion
- 2 cloves minced garlic
- 4 tablespoons butter
- ¼ cup flour
- 1½ cup chicken broth
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ½ cup parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley or 2 tsp dried
For the Lasagna:
- 12 lasagna noodles
- 32 ounces ricotta cheese
- ¾ cup parmesan cheese finely shredded, divided
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 8 ounces frozen spinach thawed and drained
- 3 cups shredded cooked chicken
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Cook noodles to al dente according to package instructions.
- Heat olive oil in large saucepan over medium heat.
- Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add garlic and cook for about 30 seconds, stirring frequently to avoid burning.
- Add butter to the pan and melt then add flour and whisk constantly for 2-3 minutes until lightly golden brown.
- Add chicken broth and cream and whisk constantly for a minute or so then add salt and pepper and bring to a low simmer whisking occasionally for 2-3 minutes until thickened.
- Add parmesan and parsley and stir to combine.
- Mix together the ricotta, ¼ cup parmesan, eggs, salt, and pepper. Stir in the spinach and chicken.
- Mix remaining ½ cup of parmesan and the mozzarella cheese in a small bowl.
- To assemble, spread ½ cup of sauce in baking dish then top with 3 lasagna noodles. Spread ⅓ of the chicken spinach mixture over noodles then top ½ cup of the sauce then with ¼ of the mozzarella and parmesan mixture. Repeat with two more layers of noodles, chicken mixture, cheese, and sauce. for final layer add noodles, sauce, and cheese.
- Cover and cook in oven for around 25 minutes, then remove foil and cook for an additional 15-20 minutes until bubbly and browned on top.
- Remove from oven and let cool for 5-10 minutes before serving.
Nutrition Facts
* All nutrition information we provide are estimates based on third party calculators. We encourage you to calculate these on your own for accurate results.
Marion Mulcahy
What happens if I forgot to mix mozzarella into my ricotta mixture before I baked it.
Scott
Shouldn't be a problem. You still have the cheese layer on top of the ricotta layer to give it that melty cheese in between the noodles.