Easy Chicken Alfredo Lasagna

Over Christmas, I wanted an easy recipe that I could put together in advance and later pop in the oven to take home to my family.  This is my twist on a "white" lasagna made the easy way using jarred Alfredo sauce.  I was so happy with how it turned out that I've made it twice!

I am going to give you the recipe in "layers."  It would be very easy to customize what you put in each layer, so I will tell you what I used and then give some other suggestions of things to try.

SAUCE LAYER

2 jars of Alfredo sauce

(For my first lasagna, I used sauce from Trader Joes.  It was mild and creamy - comfort food. It thought maybe a bit more salt or spice might be needed, so the second time I added more salt and Italian herbs and a pinch of red pepper flakes.  Second try I used the Classico brand - I tried a Four Cheese and a Asiago style.  Both were very good.  Your favorite red sauce could be used to make a more traditional lasagna.)

NOODLE LAYER

A package of lasagna noodles

(I used Trader Joes no boil noodles.  So easy!  I didn't need the entire box to make 3 layers of noodles.)

Here you can see how I laid the noodles in the pan.

RICOTTA LAYER

1 container of ricotta cheese  (I used a lower fat version)

1 cup grated romano or parmesan cheese (I used a Trader Joes brand that is a blend of both.)

1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese (again, from Trader Joes)

1 egg

1 teaspoon salt

freshly graded black pepper

2 teaspoons dried Italian herbs  (fresh chopped parley might work as well)

Blend all the ingredients together in a medium bowl.

VEGETABLE LAYER

1/2 package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained, and liquid pressed out

1 red pepper chopped

1 small onion chopped

2 teaspoons chopped garlic

salt to taste

olive oil
red pepper flakes, if desired

Saute the chopped onion and red pepper in a bit of olive oil. Add chopped garlic, spinach, and salt.

(I think you could add your choice of vegetables here - maybe mushrooms, olives, squash, arugula.  Next time I think I will try fresh baby spinach, chopped fine.)

MEAT LAYER

Chopped chicken (I used one package of grilled chicken from Trader Joes, chopped in bite sized pieces.  Use any cooked and seasoned chicken.  I think you could also try cooked sausage, bacon,  or seafood.  Or omit the meat completely to make a vegetarian version.)

CHEESE TOPPING

I used a mix of grated mozzarella and parmesan, didn't measure, just enough to generously cover the top.

INSTRUCTIONS:

Gather all ingredients for each layer and prepare in advance.

Use a 9 x 13 pan.  Spray with cooking spray.

Begin layering your lasagna:

1.  Spread 1/3 of a bottle sauce on the bottom of your pan.

2.  Cover with noodles.  Break the noodles to fit or overlap.  (I used 5 noodles for each layer.)

3.  Spread 1/2 of the ricotta mix.

4.  Sprinkle 1/2 of the vegetable mix.

5.  Sprinkle 1/2 of the meat mix.

6.  Spread 2/3 of the bottle sauce.

7.  Repeat layers 2 - 6. 

8.  Top with noodles and then cover with the remaining 1/3 sauce.

9.  Cover with the cheese topping.

At this point, cover with foil and refrigerate.  (It will hold for several days.)

Remove from refrigerator for about 10 minutes before baking (while preheating the oven).

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Bake covered with foil for about 45 minutes.  During the last 10 - 15 minutes, remove the foil and let the cheese topping brown.

Let the lasagna set for about 10 -15 minutes before cutting and serving.

Serves 8.