Lasagne Princess!

Today, the music department at church sponsored its first annual Lasagne Throwdown. I entered a couple of pans, and lo and behold, I won a prize! I am now the proud holder of the “Take Two Servings and Call Me in the Morning” ribbon for Healthiest Lasagne. Once you read this recipe, you won’t find it particularly healthy. Any sauce that begins with the directions “melt two sticks of butter” can’t claim health. Maybe the chicken and spinach fooled ’em. At any rate, here is today’s prizewinning recipe for:

1 lb. boneless chicken breasts
1 T minced garlic
2 T olive oil
1/4 C marsala
1 lb. lasagne
2 sticks butter
1/4 C flour
2 cans evaporated milk
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup with roasted garlic
1/4 t cayenne pepper
1 lb. ricotta
2 eggs
2 oz. grated parmesan cheese
1/4 t salt
1/4 t nutmeg
2 C shredded six-cheese Italian blend
4 oz. fresh baby spinach, rinsed and dried

Slice chicken breast into strips. Heat olive oil in a large skillet and add garlic. Sauté chicken in olive oil mixture over medium heat. Halfway through cooking, add marsala, cooking until liquid evaporates. Remove chicken from heat and chop; set aside.

Cook lasagne noodles according to package directions. While pasta is cooking, melt butter over medium heat in large skillet. Mix in flour until smooth. Slowly incorporate evaporated milk to create a white sauce. Add soups and stir to combine. Season with cayenne pepper. Add chopped chicken and stir; set aside. Combine ricotta, eggs, parmesan, salt, and nutmeg in a separate bowl.

Heat oven to 375°. While oven is heating, assemble lasagne in this order: one-third of the sauce, noodles, ricotta mixture, spinach, cheese blend. Repeat layers and top with sauce. Bake lasagne for 30 minutes until heated through and bubbly. Let stand 15 minutes before serving.

Mangia!