Chicken Lasagna

This creamy, cheesy, chicken lasagna was a huge hit with my family. They couldn't get enough! I found this recipe on Better Than Burgers, a blog with tons of yummy recipes cooked up by a pretty mother-daughter team, Julie and Dayna. I knew that my family would eat this, because there's not one thing in here that they don't like, but I had no idea how much they would enjoy it.

It was really simple to make too! I started by melting a couple of tablespoons of butter in a skillet. Then I added a pound of so of cut up boneless, skinless chicken breast and 2-3 cloves of minced garlic. I cooked the chicken just until it was no longer pink and removed it from the skillet.



Then I combined 2 cans of cream of chicken soup, a block of light cream cheese, 2 cups of light sour cream, and skim milk in the skillet. Because I only had oven ready (no boil) noodles, I also stirred in around a cup of water to soften up those noodles. Stir the ingredients together and bring them to a boil. Then, reduce to a simmer and stir the chicken back in to the mixture.



I built the lasagna by spreading some sauce on the bottom of a 9 X 13 inch baking dish, followed by noodles, then cheese. I repeated until the sauce was gone and the pan was full, ending with sauce and then cheese. If you're using "regular" lasagna noodles for this recipe, just cook them according to the package directions before using. Put the baking dish into a 350 degree oven and bake it for 20-25 minutes (a little longer if you're using oven ready noodles) until it's all hot and bubbly and melty. : )



As I said above, this dinner was a huge hit! I sprinkled some Italian spices over the top for garnish. I kept thinking that I wanted to add veggies...spinach and mushrooms or zucchini or something...but that's just me. If you want a "sure thing" that your family will eat, make it just like I did here. Still, next time I will experiment with some veggies. I can't help myself.



Chicken Lasagna adapted from Better Than Burgers

2-3 cloves minced garlic
2 T. butter (use the real stuff)
1 to 1- 1/2 lbs. chicken breast, cubed into small pieces
2 cans cream chicken soup
1-8 oz light cream cheese
2 c. light sour cream
1 c. skim milk
1 box lasagna noodles prepared according to package instructions
3-4 c. grated Monterrey Jack cheese
1-2 c. shredded Swiss cheese
Italian spice or dipping spices, for sprinkling over the top (optional)

In a large frying pan saute chicken and garlic in melted butter until the chicken is no longer pink. Removed chicken and keep warm.

Add cream soup, cream cheese, sour cream, and milk, to the skillet. Stir until ingredients melt and thicken slightly. Add chicken and continue to stir. Turn heat down and simmer for 2-3 minutes.

Spread a thin layer of sauce in a 9x13 baking dish. Then layer noodles, then cream sauce with chicken, then cheese. Continue to repeat until your pan is full, ending with cheese on top. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

Notes: I used oven ready lasagna noodles for this recipe for the first time ever. I read up about them and discovered that you need to add a little extra liquid (in this case either broth or water) and cook the dish a little longer. I think I cooked mine about 10-15 minutes longer. I was pleased with the result and would use oven ready lasagna noodles again.

You could make this a day ahead or even make it and freeze it for a quick dinner later. Give it a try!


Enjoy!

Skillet Lasagna

This being the third lasagna recipe that I've posted on Krista's Kitchen, it's clear that I enjoy the big-noodled dish. Even when I was a little girl, my mom's lasagna was almost always my birthday dinner request. This lasagna is different from the previously posted American Lasagna and the Crock Pot Lasagna recipes because 1)It's made right in a skillet on your stove top and 2)It's meatless.

When I read the word "skillet" in the title of a recipe, I tend to think that it'll come together fast. Quick cooking, if you will. Well, not this time. There is a lot of chopping involved. And blending. And layering (Of course, it IS lasagna! Duh, Krista.) The fact that I started dinner much later than I intended and then burned the garlic and had to start over again, made the prep time on this seem especially long. I'm not telling you this to discourage you from making skillet lasagna...by all means, make it! It was completely delicious and cheesy and wonderful. Just plan this meal for a night when you've got an hour to spare in the kitchen.

Let's see what we'll need to create lasagna in a skillet: olive oil, garlic, tomatoes, basil, ricotta cheese, an egg, grated parmesan, lasagna noodles, a carrot, a zucchini, some baby spinach, and not pictured(because I was in a hurry and already knew that dinner would be late): fresh mozzarella, salt and pepper.



First, let's make the sauce. Heat 1/4 cup of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook for about a minute until golden. Helpful hint: this is not a good time to finish slicing the zucchini or to unload the last few cups from the top of your dishwasher. Attempting to multi-task is where I went astray and burned my garlic in the hot olive oil. Burned garlic is never good. Not. Ever. I had to peel and mince more garlic and start over. Finally I was ready to add the tomatoes, basil, salt, and pepper. You want to cook until saucy, about 5 minutes. Then transfer to a blender and puree. Here is where an immersion blender would really come in handy. Boy would I love to have one of those. No need to take your blender apart and wash each little piece. Nope. Just stick a Cuisinart CSB-76 Smart Stick Hand Blenderin there and you're just one little whirrrrr away from perfect, less-mess sauce. Since I don't own an immersion blender or even a regular blender since mine made it's exit in a blaze of glory sometime in the spring of 2008 AND my food processor was dirty AND I didn't feel like washing it...you know what I did? I took out my handheld mixer. Some of you know what's coming and you just smacked the heel of your hand to your forehead and said, "Krista, Krista, Krista. What are you doing!?" I moved the sauce to a bowl, flipped on my mixer and proceeded to splatter tomato all over my wall, toaster, and coffee maker. Stand back folks, I'm a professional! NOT!

Before we proceed, let's take inventory. Burned garlic? Check! Tomato splattered walls and appliances? Check! Hungry family? Check!



With no choice but to press on in the hopes that my family would actually eat dinner sometime before midnight, I carried on to the next step. Actually, I did have a choice and I feel that I exercised supreme self-control by not pouring a glass of wine and sneaking out to the deck with the cordless phone to hide from the hungry family and dial Dominoes for delivery. Nope, instead I combined the ricotta, the egg, parmesan, and the remaining 3 tablespoons of basil, with salt and pepper to taste in a bowl.



I also used my vegetable peeler to slice the carrot and zucchini into ribbons.



With all of the slicing,dicing, and mixing behind, I'm finally ready to build a lasagna! Put a cup of the sauce in the bottom of a large skillet and place 2 noodles on top. Now, the recipe called for no-bake lasagna noodles, which is a little confusing to me. I've seen "oven ready" lasagna noodles that you don't have to boil ahead, but I've never seen "no bake". Did they mean fresh pasta? Hmm. I ended up just using regular lasagna noodles and cooking them according to the package directions. I cut the lasagna noodles in half, because they fit better in the skillet that way. So, that's four noodle halves per layer, for anyone taking notes.



Layer half of the carrot and zucchini on top; drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.



Cover with half of the spinach.



Now, drop half of the ricotta mixture evenly over the spinach. Top with a few pieces of mozzarella and drizzle with 2 to 3 tablespoons of the reserved tomato sauce.



Repeat the layers, ending with noodles. Top with the remaining sauce and mozzarella. Cover and simmer until the lasagna is cooked and the cheese melts, 20 to 25 minutes.



Let the skillet rest off of the burner for a few minutes before slicing. Garnish with more parmesan and fresh herbs. Once we all sat down and tasted how good this lasagna turned out, my lingering crankiness over the challenges encountered while rushing to make dinner faded away. I was beginning to feel like I'd never seen the inside of a kitchen before! The highlight of my evening: I watched my picky kid shovelling this lasagna laden with tomato, carrot, zucchini, and spinach into her little mouth. "Mmmm, mommy! Good lasagna!" She didn't even stop to pick through the layers and complain about the veggies. She must have been really hungry...or this lasagna is just that good!



Skillet Lasagna
Recipe courtesy Food Network Magazine
Prep Time: 15 min Inactive Prep Time: hr min Cook Time: 30 min Level: Easy
Serves: 4 servings

Ingredients
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
4 cloves garlic, sliced
1 1/2 pounds ripe tomatoes, diced
4 tablespoons chopped fresh basil and/or parsley, plus more for garnish
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 large egg
2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish
6 sheets no-bake lasagna noodles
1 carrot, peeled into ribbons
1 zucchini, peeled into ribbons
3 1/2 cups baby spinach
1/3 pound mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced

Directions
Heat the 1/4 cup olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic; cook until golden, 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, 1 tablespoon herbs, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste; cook until saucy, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a blender and puree. Return 1 cup of the sauce to the skillet and reduce the heat to low; reserve the remaining sauce.

Meanwhile, mix the ricotta, egg, parmesan, the remaining 3 tablespoons herbs, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste in a bowl.

Place 2 lasagna noodles over the sauce in the skillet. Layer half of the carrot and zucchini on top; drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Cover with half of the spinach, half of the ricotta mixture, a few pieces of mozzarella and 2 to 3 tablespoons of the reserved tomato sauce. Repeat the layers, ending with noodles. Top with the remaining sauce and mozzarella. Cover and simmer until the lasagna is cooked and the cheese melts, 20 to 25 minutes.

Let rest for a few minutes before slicing. Garnish with more parmesan and fresh herbs.

American Lasagna

This is my mom’s recipe. It is well-loved by all who taste it, and over the years has become one of the recipes that my friends and family request most.

But why is it called "American Lasagna"? Why not just “Lasagna”? It's a question I've pondered since childhood.

Calling it "American" sounds so patriotic, doesn't it?

Hmmm.

Maybe it’s the use of Swiss cheese instead of mozzarella? But Swiss cheese is well…Swiss…

Maybe it’s the use of cottage cheese instead of ricotta. But cottage cheese isn’t strictly American. It’s made everywhere. It was probably one of the first cheeses.

Hmmm...AMERICAN Lasagna.

Maybe it's because this is a "melting pot" of a recipe: Italian, Swiss, American....

MAYBE...

Oh, well. I guess it will serve as one of my life's mysteries.

Aside from the name, this is a pretty traditional lasagna. Tomato-based meat sauce, Italian cooking spices, lasagna noodles, layering, baking…it’s all there.

I’m not sure why this lasagna is so darn good, but I will testify to the fact that this blend of flavors is amazing.

And now, I will pass along the "Famous" American Lasagna recipe to all of you dear readers.

First, start boiling the water for the noodles. Once ready, you can  should lay them out on parchment paper so that they don't get all "tangly" and cool to the point of being easy to handle.

Then, brown 1 pound of ground beef with 2-4  cloves of chopped garlic.



Now stir in 6 oz. of tomato paste


Next, add canned, whole tomatoes (crushed work too!) and the spices: salt, pepper, oregano, and basil ( The basil is my personal touch. That’s not in my mom’s recipe). Cover the sauce and simmer for 20 minutes. While the sauce is simmering, go ahead and cook your noodles.


It cooks down into this



When the noodles are ready, drain them and lay out flat on a clean surface. Here is my lasagna building station. Sauce, cottage cheese, Swiss cheese, and noodles.


Now construction begins! I start with a little sauce in the bottom of a 13 X 9 baking dish.

Now I lay down 3 noodles. Next,  I spread a little more sauce over the noodles. Then I drop spoonfuls of cottage cheese. Then I top with cheese. Then more noodles. Then more sauce. Then more cottage cheese….you get the picture. Keep repeating layers until all of the ingredients are used. I like to end with sauce and parmesan cheese on top. You don’t want to end with just noodles. They tend to get dry and tough if exposed.

Now just pop it in the oven for 30 minutes.


Mmmm. I sure do wish I had a better "finished" photo. This one definitely doesn't do this amazing lasagna justice!


Here’s the recipe:

American Lasagna

Brown 1 lb of hamburger with 2-4  cloves of garlic.
Drain the fat. Stir in 1-6 oz. can of tomato paste.

Now add:
2 ½ cups canned tomatoes or a large can of crushed tomatoes
1 teaspoon of salt
¾ teaspoon of pepper
1 teaspoon each of oregano and basil

Cover and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Cook 1- 8 oz. package of lasagna noodles according to package directions.

You also need:
12-16 oz. cottage cheese
12 oz. Swiss cheese, grated or sliced

Top with:

Parmesan cheese

Beginning with the sauce; layer sauce, noodles, and cheeses in a 13X9 baking dish.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until bubbly.