Creamy Chicken Florentine Lasagna with Two Cheeses, Baby Spinach and Crispy Bacon

Creamy Chicken Florentine Lasagna with Two Cheeses, Baby Spinach and Crispy Bacon
by Ingrid Beer

Yield: Serves about 8-10

Ingredients:

• Creamy Garlic Sauce (recipe below)
• 12 lasagna noodles, cooked
• 1 pound chicken tenderloins (about 8-10 tenderloins), cooked and diced
• 3 cups shredded parmesan cheese
• 4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 (6 oz) bag baby spinach, raw
• 12 strips bacon, cooked crispy
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley

Preparation:

-Preheat the oven to 350°, and lightly grease a 12 x 9 x 2 ½” (roughly) baking dish.

-To assemble your lasagna, add a thin layer of the Creamy Sauce to the bottom of the baking dish, and spread evenly.

-Add 4 lasagna noodles over the sauce, and add in another, more generous, layer of the sauce.

-Next, sprinkle over about half of the diced chicken, followed by about 1 cup of the shredded parmesan and 1 cup of the shredded mozzarella.

-Next, sprinkle over about half of the bag of baby spinach, followed by about 1/3 of the chopped bacon.

-Repeat with another layer of 4 lasagna noodles, more sauce, the rest of the chicken, another cup of parmesan and mozzarella cheese, the remainder of the baby spinach, and another 1/3 of the chopped bacon; then, cover with the last layer of four lasagna noodles.

-Finish by topping the noodles with sauce, then sprinkle over the last cup of parmesan cheese, the last 2 cups of mozzarella cheeses, and the teaspoon of Italian seasoning; bake for about 20-25minutes, or until golden and bubbly.

-Garnish with the remainder of the chopped bacon and the chopped parsley, and serve.

Creamy Garlic Sauce Ingredients:

• 8 cups (½ gallon) 1% low-fat milk
• 2 tablespoons natural chicken base (I use “Better Than Bouillon” brand)
• 4 ounces (8 tablespoons) butter
• 4 cloves garlic, pressed through garlic press
• 4 ounces flour (about 12 tablespoons)
• Pinch or two salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• Pinch ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese

Preparation:

-Add the milk and the chicken base to a large saucepan or medium pot, whisk to combine, and bring to the simmer; then, turn off the heat.

-While the milk heats, add the butter to another large saucepan or medium pot, along with the garlic, and place over medium heat; allow to melt together, and stir the garlic into the butter to soften.

-Sprinkle the flour into the melted butter/garlic, and stir to combine; stir for about 1-2 minutes to cook out the raw taste of the flour.

-Next, slowly add the hot milk into the butter/garlic/flour mixture, whisking constantly to avoid lumps form forming, and allow the sauce to simmer for a few moments until thickened.

-Once thickened, turn off the heat and finish by whisking in a pinch or two of salt, the black pepper, the nutmeg, the Italian seasoning, and the parmesan cheese; keep warm, or allow to completely cool and keep in fridge to use later.