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Vegetable, Chicken and Ricotta Lasagne

Creamy ricotta, plenty of vegetables and chicken that proves lasagne doesn’t need stick be traditional to be worth making.
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Prep Time:1 hour
Cook Time:40 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: chicken lasagne, lasaagne, make ahead dinner, no beef lasagne, ricotta lasagne, vegetable lasagne
Servings: 12 servings

Ingredients

Ricotta and Spinach Filling

  • 750 grams fresh ricotta
  • 1 Tb chopped fresh basil
  • 1 large egg
  • 250 grams fresh spinach
  • 1 shallot finely chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic finely chopped
  • 1/2 tsp lemon juice
  • 150 grams freshly grated Parmesan or pecorino
  • 1 Tb olive oil

Chicken and Vegetable Sauce

  • 500 grams chicken mince
  • 2 gloves garlic finely chopped
  • 1 shallot finely chopped
  • 3 400g tomato sugo or pasta sauce jars I use Mutti. Can also use tinned tomatoes (or fresh) however I find the sauce adds a touch more flavour
  • 1 Tb fresh basil chopped
  • 1/2 fennel bulb finely sliced (base only/stalk removed)
  • 400 grams carrots grated
  • 300 grams Zucchini grated squeeze out excess water after grating
  • 350 grams button mushrooms chopped
  • 1 Tb olive oil
  • 400 grams lasagne sheets I use dried lasagne sheets however fresh if you have the time and energy would also work very well
  • 75 grams grated parmesan or pecorino
  • 200 grams fresh mozzarella

Instructions

Ricotta and Spinach Filling

  1. Heat oil in saute pan and add chopped garlic and shallot, season with salt and pepper and cook on medium heat until starting to soften
  2. Add spinach and cook stirring until spinach is fully wilted and cooked, add lemon juice
  3. Remove spinach from heat, allow to cool to room temperature and drain as much excess liquid out as possible.
  4. Add ricotta, egg, chopped fresh basil and Parmesan to a mixing bowl and stir until combined. Season with salt and pepper and add cooled drained spinach.

Chicken and Vegetable Sauce

  1. Heat olive oil in large saute/sauce pan and add chopped garlic and shallot, cook until lightly softened and starting to brown
  2. Add chicken mince and cook over medium heat until cooked through, breaking up into small chunks as it cooks
  3. Add fennel, mushrooms, carrot and zucchini cooking until vegetables are cooked through and softened. Season with salt and pepper
  4. Add tomato sugo (or sauce) and bring to a simmer. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed
  5. While sauce is simmering, cook lasagne sheets according to package instructions and set aside. To ensure the sheets don’t stick together prior to assembling, brush lightly with a little olive oil.
  6. Remove sauce from heat and stir in fresh basil

Assemble Lasagne

  1. Preheat oven to 180C
  2. Spread a thin layer of the sauce into baking dish (33 by 23 cm) until bottom of pan completely covered, then cover with a layer of lasagne sheets - these may need to be cut to fit the pan.
  3. Add a layer of the ricotta and spinach mixture then repeat with layers starting with sauce again until the sauce and ricotta mixture are finished. Finish with sauce layer and top with the fresh mozzarella (torn into pieces) and Parmesan.
    4. If you like the lasagne more ‘cheesy’ add a thin layer of grated mozzarella or mild cheddar on top of the ricotta layers.