I love this Veggie Loaded White Chicken Lasagna recipe because it is packed with healthy ingredients and layered with the most delicious white sauce.
About Veggie Loaded White Chicken Lasagna
Is this lasagna healthy?
Yes! This recipe includes 4 cups of green vegetables that are hidden in the filling. It also includes a relatively small amount of cheese compared to more traditional lasagna recipes and the white sauce doesn’t use any cream!
Do I have to use a food processor to make the filling?
Nope! I have used a food processor and an immersion blender to make the filling. A blender would work as well. You make just need to blend up the filling in a few batches!
Lasagna Tips
Can I make lasagna ahead of time?
Yes! You can make the lasagna a couple days in advanced and keep it covered in the fridge until showtime. Then just pop it in the oven at 350 for 45 minutes covered with tinfoil, plus an additional 10 minutes uncovered.
What should I serve with lasagna?
Personally, I like to keep it easy and serve it with a simple salad. However, if you’re looking to really go all out, I would recommend vegetable sides like Spinach Mashed Potatoes, Whole Roasted Cauliflower or Roasted Brussel’s Sprouts to balance the rich cheesy goodness of the lasagna!
How many layers should lasagna have?
At least three which is what this recipe has in the instructions. However, there are no rules. Add as many layers as your little heart desires as long as it fits within your baking dish!
Do you put lasagne noodles down first?
No, put down a layer of sauce first, then the first layer of lasagne noodles. This will keep the noodles from sticking to the bottom of the baking dish and/or becoming dry and rubbery.
Do lasagne noodles have to be cooked before baking?
Depends! You have three options for lasagne noodles.
- No-boil Lasagne Noodles – These DO NOT need to be cooked before baking and can be found in the pasta aisle right next to normal lasagne noodles. Just look for a package that says “no-boil” or “oven-ready”.
- Fresh Lasagne Noodles – These DO NOT need to be cooked before baking and can be found in either the deli or refrigerator section. However, I have noticed fresh pasta is getting harder and harder to find!
- Standard Lasagne Noodles – These DO need to be cooked before baking and are your standard lasagne noodles that can be found in the pasta aisle. Simply cook them according to package instructions prior to using them in the recipe!
Can you make lasagna without boiling the noodles?
Yes! Use fresh lasagne noodles (refrigerator or deli section) or no-boil/oven-ready lasagna noodles (dried pasta aisle).
Is lasagna good leftover?
Absolutely! In fact, I primarily make lasagna for that specific purpose. After the lasagna is done cooking and has cooled, I cut it up into pieces and store them in individual containers for my husband and me to grab for lunch or dinner throughout the week!
How to Make Chicken Lasagna
Veggie Loaded White Chicken Lasagna
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 55 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
- Yield: 12 1x
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Pin RecipeDescription
This Veggie Loaded White Chicken Lasagna recipe is packed with healthy ingredients and layered with the most delicious white sauce.
Ingredients
Filling Ingredients:
- 2 cups frozen peas (thawed)
- 2 cups fresh spinach
- 2 cups ricotta cheese (one container)
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. pepper
- 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp. onion powder
Sauce Ingredients:
- 3 Tbsp. butter
- 1 onion
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1/4 cup flour
- 4 cups milk
- 4 oz. cream cheese
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. pepper
- 2 Tbsp. lemon juice
Other Ingredients:
- 9 oz No-boil lasagna noodles*
- 2 cups shredded chicken**
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
Filling Instructions:
- Blend: Put all filling ingredients in a food processor and blend until well combined. Blend less for a chunkier filling. Blend more for a smoother filling.
Sauce Instructions (makes 4 cups of sauce):
- Prep Veggies: Peal and dice the onion. Peal and mince the garlic or use a garlic press to save time.
- Cook Onion: Put the butter and onion in a large deep pan over medium heat. Cook and stir until the onion has softened and becomes translucent (about 5 minutes).
- Add Garlic: Add the garlic to the pan and cook for 30-60 seconds. It will smell divine!
- Add Flour: Add the flour to the pan and stir to combine. Cook for 1-2 minutes. The flour will stick to the onion and garlic and appear sticky/pasty.
- Add Milk: Switch to a whisk if you aren’t using one already. Add the milk about one cup at a time while whisking until all the milk has been added.
- Thicken Sauce: Bump up the heat to medium/high for about 5-7 minutes. Be sure to whisk the sauce every minute or so. The goal is to heat up the sauce enough to see a little movement with a few bubbles. You will know the sauce is done when you can draw a line through the sauce on the back of a wooden spoon (see how-to video about at 45 seconds).
- Add Remaining: Remove the sauce from the heat and add the cream cheese, salt, pepper and lemon juice to the sauce. Stir until the cream cheese has melted.
Assembly Instructions:
- Preheat: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Assemble: Spread a thin layer of the sauce in the bottom of a 13×9 baking dish. Add a layer of lasagna noodles, filling, shredded chicken, sauce and mozzarella cheese. Repeat with two more layers. Top off the lasagna with a final later of lasagna noodles and the remaining sauce and mozzarella cheese.
- Cook: Put the lasagna in a 350 degree preheated oven for 45 minutes covered + an additional 10 minutes uncovered (55 minutes total).
- Enjoy!
Notes
*No-boil lasagne noodles can be found in the same aisle as normal dried lasagne noodles. Look for packaging that says “no-boil” or “oven-ready”. These noodles do not need to be pre-boiled and can be used in the recipe as is. If you do not have no-boil lasagna noodles, normal lasagna noodles will work just fine! Simply cook them according to package instructions prior to using them in Step 2 of Assembly Instructions.
**About a 1 lb. package of boneless skinless chicken breasts makes about 2 cups of shredded chicken.
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 piece
- Calories: 345
- Sugar: 7
- Sodium: 682
- Fat: 12
- Carbohydrates: 30
- Fiber: 4
- Protein: 27
Keywords: Healthy White Chicken Lasagna, Chicken lasagna recipe, Lasagna white sauce, How to make chicken lasagna
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