Are you looking for an easy, healthy, wow the family kind of meal, that you can make ahead of time and whip out for a weeknight dinner? Then look no further than this delicious, tantalizing Chicken Alfredo Lasagna that will be sure to get you high marks on your culinary skills report card.
Old school cooking merged with modern day convenience, this unique lasagna recipe includes the tried-and-true perfection of grandma’s, traditional Italian cuisine, with today’s easy to prepare, mouthwatering ingredients. Perfectly marrying the past with the present, this one dish family dinner, contains all of the stellar food groups; carbohydrates, protein, dairy and vegetables. And the best part, you can prepare it far in advance, freeze it and it will be ready whenever you are.
Oozing with creamy goodness, the trio of cheeses united with the tender tendrils of spinach and the juiciness of the cooked to perfection chicken, all held together by a bed of lasagna noodles will satisfy even the most discerning of palates. It has it all in one bite. Salty, savory, full bodied tastes that come together perfectly to create a tantalizing entre that will elevate any dinner table, while at the same time keeping preparations simple and sublime. This dish will easily become a family favorite that will help you to create lasting dinner table memories for years to come.
Why Chicken Alfredo Lasagna
The best part about this recipe is its ability to easily be customized to your own unique taste preferences. If you want it to be super cheesy, add more cheese, or sneak in an additional kind of cheese. Or if making it “healthier” is your goal, cut back on the fat percentages in the cheeses, and/or add more vegetables to the mix. Make it your own unique creation, using the base recipe as your guide. Remember, our grandmothers and great grandmothers didn’t have recipe books or google. They just cooked by taste and memory.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 cup onion finely chopped
- 10 ounces fresh baby spinach
- 4 cups heavy cream
- 1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan cheese
- 15 ounces ricotta cheese whole milk preferred
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper freshly ground
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 3 cups shredded rotisserie chicken skin removed
- 15 lasagna noodles cooked al dente
- 3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
How to Make Chicken Alfredo Lasagna
Step 1: Begin by preheating your oven to 350°F. This ensures your lasagna will cook evenly.
Step 2: Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the minced garlic and chopped onion, cooking until the onion is soft (3-5 minutes).
Step 3: Add the fresh baby spinach to the skillet, stirring until it wilts down.
Step 4: Pour in the heavy cream, and stir in the grated Parmesan cheese, ricotta cheese, black pepper, and salt. Add the shredded chicken last. Let the mixture come to a simmer, then remove from heat.
Step 5: In a 9×13 inch deep baking dish, spread a spoonful of the Alfredo mixture on the bottom. Place about 5 lasagna noodles over the sauce, slightly overlapping.
Step 6: Spoon a generous amount of the chicken Alfredo mixture over the noodles, spreading it evenly. Sprinkle a third of the shredded mozzarella cheese on top.
Step 7: Continue layering with noodles, Alfredo mixture, and mozzarella cheese until all ingredients are used, finishing with a layer of cheese on top for the crust.
Step 8: Cover with foil and bake for about 35 minutes.
Step 9: Remove the foil and broil for an additional 2-3 minutes.
Step 10: Let the lasagna sit for about 10 minutes before slicing.
FAQs & Tips
The beauty of this particular dish is how easy it is to make ahead and store. All you have to do is follow the directions through step number six, then cover with aluminum foil. It will stay in a refrigerator up to 24 hours. Or it can be constructed in a disposable aluminum baking dish, covered with aluminum foil and frozen for up to three months.
Be careful to add the milk and cream, just a little at a time, whisk constantly. Then add in the cheese and keep whisking until there are no lumps and the cheese is fully melted.
Lightly salt the lasagna noodles while they are boiling. Cook the noodles until they are al dente (firm when bitten without being hard or chalky). After assembling all the ingredients together and cooking the dish in the oven, allow the finished lasagna to “rest,” uncovered, for at least 20 to 40 minutes to cool down, to avoid a soggy bottom or a soupy mess. This “resting” period will allow the ingredients to set and firm up as it cools.
Instead of lasagna use this recipe to make tasty Chicken Alfredo Lasagna Rollups. These cheesy, creamy delights are fun, easy to eat and easy to make. All you have to do is snuggle up the ingredients in a 9×13 dish and cook each in its own blanket of lasagna noodles, instead of using the layering technique.
Serving Suggestions
Although this recipe will awe your family and dinner guests all by itself, you can elevate the eating experience by pairing it with some appetizing garlic breadsticks or cheddar bay biscuits. If you are looking for something on the lighter side, perhaps try a simple side salad made of greens and vegetables, or some hearty roasted garlic drizzled with just a hint of butter. The choice is yours! Enjoy!
Chicken Alfredo Lasagna
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 cup onion finely chopped
- 10 ounces fresh baby spinach
- 4 cups heavy cream
- 1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan cheese
- 15 ounces ricotta cheese whole milk preferred
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper freshly ground
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 3 cups shredded rotisserie chicken skin removed
- 15 lasagna noodles cooked al dente
- 3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Begin by preheating your oven to 350°F. This ensures your lasagna will cook evenly.
- Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the minced garlic and chopped onion, cooking until the onion is soft (3-5 minutes).
- Add the fresh baby spinach to the skillet, stirring until it wilts down.
- Pour in the heavy cream, and stir in the grated Parmesan cheese, ricotta cheese, black pepper, and salt. Add the shredded chicken last. Let the mixture come to a simmer, then remove from heat.
- In a 9×13 inch deep baking dish, spread a spoonful of the Alfredo mixture on the bottom. Place about 5 lasagna noodles over the sauce, slightly overlapping.
- Spoon a generous amount of the chicken Alfredo mixture over the noodles, spreading it evenly. Sprinkle a third of the shredded mozzarella cheese on top.
- Continue layering with noodles, Alfredo mixture, and mozzarella cheese until all ingredients are used, finishing with a layer of cheese on top for the crust.
- Cover with foil and bake for about 35 minutes.
- Remove the foil and broil for an additional 2-3 minutes.
- Let the lasagna sit for about 10 minutes before slicing.