An alternative to Regular Lasagna

White Cheese Chicken Lasagna

9 lasagna noodles (I ended up using 13 in a 9x13 pan)
1/2 cup butter
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced (used 2-3 cloves)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cups milk
4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 cups ricotta cheese (ended up using a little more)
2 cups cubed, cooked chicken meat (I sauteed my chicken with a little olive oil, salt & pepper, Italian seasoning and garlic powder)
2 (10 ounce) packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained (used the majority of this, but not the whole amount--it's too much)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese for topping

This would be delicious if you added bacon or sauteed mushrooms, or both!

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook lasagna noodles in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes. Drain, and rinse with cold water. (I like to use a caterer's trick and put the noodles in very hot tap water while you prepare the rest of the dish, they become soft enough to always turn out great after cooking.)

Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook the onion and garlic in the butter until tender, stirring frequently. Stir in the flour and salt, and simmer until bubbly. Mix in the broth and milk, and boil, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Stir in 2 cups mozzarella cheese and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Season with the basil, oregano, and ground black pepper. Remove from heat, and set aside.

Spread 1/3 of the sauce mixture in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Layer with 1/3 of the noodles, the ricotta, and the chicken. Arrange 1/3 of the noodles over the chicken, and layer with 1/3 of the sauce mixture, spinach, and the remaining 2 cups mozzarella cheese and 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese. Arrange remaining noodles over cheese, and spread remaining sauce evenly over noodles. Sprinkle with parsley and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. (I combined the ricotta mixture with my spinach and chicken so it was quicker to assemble, rather then having to layer them separately.)

(I ended up with 2 full layers of sauce, noodles, chicken mixture, cheese, then noodles, sauce and both cheeses on top (mozzarella and Parmesan) then the parsley.)

Bake 35 to 40 minutes in the preheated oven