White Lasagna

I've been wanting and looking for a White Lasagna recipe for quit some time, but couldn't find anything that matched what I had in mind. You know how there's chili and while chile? One is with beef and red sauce and the other is with chicken and well, a greenish white sauce but still....it's a big enough and nice enough difference, if you follow what I'm saying. I just wanted a lasagna with a white, non tomato sauce, that wasn't too rich.

We had a potluck at work on Monday and I had nooooo idea what I was going to make. I did a search on the internet for potluck casseroles and stumbled across what was called Artichoke Spinach Lasagna on the Taste of Home website. After reading the ingredients I KNEW that it satisfied 2 cravings....1. was my desire for a truly White Lasagna that did not include tomato sauce and 2. my need for a potluck recipe.

I did alter the recipe.... added some stuff, left out some stuff. The results were exactly what I imagined they should be in a White Lasagna. (don't you just LOVE when that happens?)

I didn't start cooking this until about 10:00 p.m. cuz I was busy making and eating dinner for Father's Day (our make shift Salubrious Sunday Dinner for the week). So I put the lasagna together that night and then popped it in the oven early the next morning before I took it to work.

• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 14 oz chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper (I probably used more...have you ever tried measuring fresh ground pepper? LOL)
• 1 can (14 ounces) water-packed artichoke hearts, rinsed, drained and quartered (I recommend splurging here and getting the priceyer can. I find the cheaper cans contain tougher hearts..if that makes sense)
• 10 oz fresh baby spinach
• 1/2 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
• 2 cooked chicken breast halves, chopped or shredded
• 1 package of Knorr Garlic and Herb Seasoning
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 box no-cook lasagna noodles
• 3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (or more if you're a cheese hound like I am)
• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon italian seasoning
• Desired amount of parmesan cheese, shredded

In a large pot, saute onions and garlic in olive oil until tender. Stir in the chicken broth, rosemary, nutmeg and pepper....

Add the ricotta cheese...stirring a bit to get rid of the lumps.....

Bring to a boil. Add the spinach and stir for a minute until it reduces down a bit...

Add the artichoke hearts, mushrooms and chicken.....

Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the Knorr Garlic & Herb Sauce as directed on the package. Whisking together 1 1/2 cups of milk with the seasoning...

Add 1 tablespoon of butter. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce the heat to simmer stirring occasionally until thickened, about 3 minutes.

Add the Knorr sauce to the veggie & chicken sauce. Hmm...I may have added this before I added the veggies but it doesn't really matter.

Now it's time for the assembly. Spray the bottom of a 13 x 9 casserole dish. Spread some of the sauce in the bottom.....

Cover it with the no-bake lasagna noodles and cover those with 1/3 of the mozzarella cheese...

Repeat the layers 2 more times....then top with the Italian seasoning and garlic and desired amount of parmesan cheese.....

Ya...guess what I did again? What the hell is my problem? I forgot to include the parmesan cheese in the picture of ingredients!! (poor parmesan cheese is going to start getting a complex)

Ok...Now cover and bake at 350' F for 40 minutes. Remove the cover and continue baking for another 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let set for 10 minutes before cutting.

I really liked this dish and it wasn't too rich like a lot of the other recipes seemed they would be with alfredo sauce. My daughters are bummed that they didn't get any. So I'll be making this again soon.

I thought....if you want the sauce to be thicker (especially if you're going to be cooking it the same night you're making it and not giving it a chance to get all absorbed) you might consider reducing the milk thats added to the Knorr packet to about 1 cup.