What’s for Dinner: Garlic Chicken Parmesan Lasagna Bake

In my house, lasagna is the perfect meal for any occasion. It’s easy enough to make for a weeknight dinner but impressive enough to serve to party guests. Lately, I’ve been playing around with recipes and trying more creative versions of lasagna and came up with this Garlic Chicken Parmesan Lasagna. A homemade white sauce in lieu of classic red sauce makes this recipe special, but that doesn’t mean it’s more difficult to make! (In fact, it can be assembled ahead of time and baked in the oven the next day, if you’re pressed for time.) 

First, heat the oven to 375°F and grease a 13x9-inch pan with cooking spray. Gather your ingredients.

Prepare the sauce first. To do this, melt the butter over medium heat, then add the garlic, cooking a couple of minutes or until the garlic is fragrant. Whisk the flour in and cook for another minute. Next, add the stock and milk, one cup at a time, whisking and cooking after each addition until the mixture starts to thicken. Remove from the heat and whisk in the Italian seasoning. Pour one cup of the mixture into the bottom of the baking dish.

Top with three of the lasagna noodles, 1/3 of the chicken and 1/3 of the spinach.

In a small bowl, stir together the ricotta and egg. Spoon 1/3 of the ricotta mixture on top of the chicken and spinach, followed by three more lasagna noodles. Repeat this layering process two more times, starting with one cup of the milk mixture, the chicken, spinach and ricotta mixture followed by the lasagna noodles until all the ingredients are used. Finish with the last three lasagna noodles and the remaining milk mixture. Sprinkle the top with mozzarella cheese.

Pour 3/4 cup water on top of the lasagna (this will help cook the noodles but won’t make the lasagna watery!) and cover the baking dish with aluminum foil. Bake covered for 45 minutes. Then, remove the foil and top with bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese. Bake for an additional 10 to 15 minutes more. Cool slightly before cutting into pieces and serving.