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I don’t know about you, but during quarantine, pastas are bringing me comfort even in the summer 😉. Tonight’s pasta is Spinach Artichoke Chicken Lasagna, which has all the deliciousness of the dip in between sheets of pasta 😋, I mean doesn’t that sound heavenly!
I was inspired to make this dish because I had ricotta cheese and lasagna noodles I wanted to use and since it’s summer, I wanted a lighter version from my traditional lasagna or the Chorizo Lasagna I made earlier in the year. Spinach & Artichoke struck me because I have quarantine frozen spinach and pantry marinated artichoke hearts. I thought the added creaminess of a bechamel sauce would make for the ultimate comfort and boy did it deliver 👍!
If you love the dip, this recipe is for you! I hope you enjoy and cheers 🥂.
Some Notes
- Casserole Size – I made this in a 7 1/2 x 9 1/2 oval casserole because I didn’t want a lot of leftovers. I find this is the perfect size for 6 servings. If you’d prefer to use a larger lasagna sized dish, I would double everything except the spinach and use 16-20 lasagna sheets.
- Preparing the Lasagna Noodles – I prefer boil lasagna noodles versus the no boil because they have more texture and they’re easier to work with. Prepare your noodles as directed and cut the cooked noodles a bit longer than the casserole dish because that will allow for crispy noodle ends. However, if you don’t like those crispy noodle ends, cut to size 👍.
- Ricotta Cheese Filling – I combined the ricotta with the spinach, artichoke, garlic and parmesan. I used whole milk ricotta, which is unusual for me and I will tell you this lasaga held its shape. I’m not sure if that’s because of the whole milk ricotta or the fact that I forgot an egg. Regardless, the lasagna held its shape and was delicious.
- Chicken Preparation – I cooked my chicken thighs in EVOO and salt and pepper. You could use chicken breast, I just prefer thighs. Regardless of the chicken you use, remove the chicken fond from the from the frying pan because that’s flavor (Note: The fond is those brown bits that develop during cooking). Cut your chicken into strips because that helps with assembly.
- Lasagna Assembly – I always grease my casserole dish with butter because I don’t want those noodles sticking.
- First, bechamel sauce because this too helps prevent sticking.
- Lasagna noodles, two large spoonfuls of the ricotta cheese filling, three shallow spoonfuls of the bechamel sauce and a sprinkle of mozzarella and parmesan.
- The same layers as layer 2 with chicken in between the ricotta and bechamel.
- Repeat, lasagna noodles, two large spoonfuls of the ricotta cheese filling, three shallow spoonfuls of the bechamel sauce and a sprinkle of mozzarella and parmesan.
- Finish with lasagna noodles and the remaining bechamel, mozzarella and parmesan.
Layer 2 
Layer 3 
Layer 5
- Preparing the Lasagna in Advance – This lasagna can be prepared a few hours before or a day or two before. If you’re preparing from the refrigerator, I would suggest removing the lasagna 1 hour before you plan to bake to remove the chill. I would also add another 15 minutes to the bake time.
- Allow the Lasagna to Set Before Serving – Once you remove the lasagna from the oven, allow it to set for 15 minutes before cutting. Fifteen minutes will prevent you from scorching your mouth and will allow the lasagna to set before serving.
- Spinach Artichoke Chicken Lasagna Leftovers – I recently discovered Trader Joe’s Italian Bomba Hot Pepper Sauce and it made for the most delicious warmed up leftovers. If you Calabrian Chili Peppers or TJ’s Italian Bomba Hot Sauce, I would suggest adding a teaspoon or two, based on the level of heat you like, and it takes this dish to a whole new deliciousness level, yum 😋.
Spinach Artichoke Chicken Lasagna
All the deliciousness of the dip in between sheets of pasta 😋
Servings 6 servings
Ingredients
- 12 lasagna noodles
- 2 boneless chicken thighs, cooked
- EVOO
- salt & pepper, for seasoning
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese, grated
- ½ cup parmesan cheese, grated
Ricotta Cheese Filling
- 16 oz ricotta cheese, whole milk
- 10 oz frozen spinach, defrosted and excess liquid squeezed out
- 6 oz marinated artichoke hearts, oil drained
- 2 cloves garlic, smashed and chopped
- ½ cup parmesan cheese, grated
- salt & pepper, for seasoning
Bechamel Sauce
- 3 TBSP butter
- 3 TBSP all purpose flour
- 1½ cups milk, 2%
- salt & pepper, for seasoning
Instructions
- Cooking the Chicken – Begin by warming EVOO in a frying pan. Once the EVOO is heated, add the chicken thighs which you should season with salt & pepper. Once the chicken has cooked, remove from the heat and set aside until you're ready for assembly.
- Preparing the Lasagna Noodles – Cook as directed. Once the noodles are cooked, add to an ice bath to prevent further cooking of the noodles.
- Ricotta Cheese Filling – In a medium mixing bowl, combine the ricotta, spinach, artichoke hearts, garlic, parmesan cheese and season with salt & pepper. Mix until well combined.
- Bechamel Sauce – In a medium saucepan, melt 3 TBSP of butter on medium high heat. Once melted, add the flour and whisk together. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Once you have a blonde roux, begin by introducing a small amount of milk, continuing to whisk. As the sauce thickens, slowly add additional milk. You want a bechamel that can coat a spoon. Season the sauce with salt & pepper and set aside until you're ready for assembly.
- Lasagna Assembly – Prepare your work space with the greased casserole dish, prepared chicken, noodles, ricotta cheese filling, bechamel sauce, mozzarella and parmesan.
- Add a couple shallow spoonfuls of the bechamel sauce to the bottom of the casserole dish.
- Add lasagna noodles layering the ridges on top of one another. Now, add two large spoonfuls of the ricotta cheese filling and spread evenly across the noodles. Now, three shallow spoonfuls of the bechamel sauce and again spread evenly across the ricotta cheese mixture. Finish with a sprinkle of mozzarella and parmesan.
- Following the same steps as above, add the sliced chicken in between the ricotta cheese mixture and the bechamel sauce.
- Add another layer of noodles, ricotta cheese filling, bechamel, mozzarella and parmesan.
- Finish with another layer of lasagna noodles, the remaining bechamel, mozzarella and parmesan.
- Cooking the Lasagna – Preheat the oven to 375. Once heated, cover the lasagna with foil and cook for 45 minutes. At the 45 minute point, remove the foil and brown the top under the boiler.
- Serving the Lasagna – Allow the lasagna to set for 15 minutes. Cut into individual squares and serve warm with a side salad and/or garlic bread. Enjoy and cheers 🥂!
