Blackened Chicken Pesto Lasagna

By Susan52

Ingredients

• For the Sauce
• 4 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 medium onion, minced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• One third cup all-purpose flour
• 3 1/2 cups whole milk
• For the Lasagna
• 1 pack lasagna noodles
• 15 oz ricotta cheese, divided
• 1/2 cup pesto
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 1/2 cups roasted red peppers
• 16 oz mozzarella cheese, divided
• 4 chicken breasts, blackened, grilled, then cut into 1" cubes

Details

Servings 8
Preparation time 25mins
Adapted from spicedblog.com

Preparation

Step 1

For the Sauce

Melt the butter in a large sauté pan over medium-low heat.

.Add onions and garlic and sauté until transparent and soft, about 5 minutes.

Add flour and stir until well combined. Cook for 2 minutes. (Watch closely to ensure mixture does not burn at this stage!)

Slowly stir in milk and bring sauce to a boil.

Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally.

For the Lasagna

Cook 12 of the lasagna sheets according to the package instructions. Rinse and drain.

Mix half of ricotta with pesto and lemon juice. Set aside. Mix other half of ricotta with roasted red peppers. Set aside.

Spread 1 cup of Sauce on bottom of a 9x13 baking dish. Layer the following on top of the sauce: 4 lasagna sheets, half of grilled chicken, all of pesto ricotta, ¼ of the mozzarella, and 1 cup of sauce.

Top with 4 more lasagna sheets and layer with the following: remaining grilled chicken, all of roasted red pepper ricotta, ¼ of the mozzarella, 1 cup of sauce.

Finish by topping with 4 more lasagna sheets, 1 cup of sauce, and remaining mozzarella.

Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 400 for 30 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking for 10-15 minutes, or until top is browned. (Tip: Use the broiler to help brown the top of the lasagna, but watch closely to prevent burning. 2-3 minutes under the broiler on high should be more than enough time.

Cool slightly (15-20 min) before serving.