Best Chicken Spinach Lasagna
Last updated on August 16th, 2021 at 12:23 pm
Chicken Spinach Lasagna is easy to make, loaded with lean chicken and spinach for a nutritional boost. It is delicious and conveniently made at home, and leftovers taste amazing!
This is one of my all-time favorite dishes. It is flavorful, yet a bit lighter than the traditional version. You can also try my other favorite comfort foods are Instant Pot Meatloaf and Mashed Potatoes, Fried Chicken, and Mac and Cheese.
Best Chicken Spinach Lasagna
Chicken Spinach Lasagna has lots of delicious marinara sauce, cheese, lean ground chicken and loads of spinach. If you make it with whole wheat lasagna sheets and less cheese, you end up with a healthier and hearty dinner. I have been making this lasagna for years, it is one of my signature dishes!
I have fond memories of being a teenager and making the BEST Chicken Spinach Lasagna for family get together and holidays. It always got rave reviews, it makes delicious leftovers and its actually pretty easy to put together.
I like to prepare everything ahead of time. I assemble the lasagna the night before, pop it in the fridge and when we come back from work the next day, all I have to do is put it in the oven for 30 minutes. Since all the ingredients are already cooked, the lasagna doesn’t have to take forever, so dinner is ready in 30 minutes. My toddler loves this Chicken Spinach Lasagna and we are all happy to have a delicious, homemade meal on the table.
Tips to Make the Best Chicken Spinach Lasagna Recipe:
- You can use lean ground chicken or you can substitute it with ground turkey or beef.
- Also, I used a whole garlic head in this recipe, about 8-10 garlic cloves. We love garlic, it’s actually not overpowering in this recipe when combined with the marinara sauce and cheese.
- In addition, I like to use full-fat mozzarella cheese and make sure you use “real” cheese. A lot of the cheap, pre-shredded cheese you see at the grocery store is not “real” cheese, hence it doesn’t melt well or taste good. Using high-quality cheese and marinara sauce is key.
- You can use homemade marinara sauce. I am all about saving some time, and since I didn’t have any homemade sauce on hand, I used store-bought.
- Similarly, use high-quality marinara sauce. Best to spend a few dollars more and get an authentic marinara sauce, that will not taste just like tomato sauce.
- You can also use the marinara sauce in your favorite flavor, garlic or basil, spicy or mild, etc.
- Add some red pepper flakes to the chicken mixture if a spicy kick!
- I recently got this Lasagna / Casserole Pan and I absolutely love it, I highly recommend it!
What pasta is used in Lasagna?
There is really only one type of broad, flat pasta used for baking in the oven and that is lasagna. These sheets are great to maintain the sauce between them when cooked in the oven.
Do you have to cook Lasagna sheets first?
In general yes! Soak the lasagna sheets in a single layer in boiling water for about 5 mins. Drain well before using in lasagna.
How many layers of noodles do you put in Lasagna?
In general, you will need four layers of noodles in total. It is best to start and finish with wider layers to have a perfectly looking lasagna.
Can you freeze Chicken Spinach Lasagna?
Yes, the lasagna freezes well. Layer the lasagna into an aluminum foil pan, after that wrap it tightly with plastic wrap, and then wrap it in aluminum foil and freeze for up to 1 month. To reheat add additional cheese on top and place in the oven at 350F for about 30-40min.
Looking for more easy dinners? Check these out:
- Slow Cooker Garlic Sesame Chicken
- Creamy Parmesan Mushroom Chicken
- Baked Mongolian Chicken
- Cranberry Orange Chicken
- One Pan Italian Chicken
- One Pan Mediterranean Chicken
Chicken Spinach Lasagna
Ingredients
- 5 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion (chopped)
- 1 garlic head (9-10 cloves, minced)
- 1 bell pepper (chopped)
- 2 cups baby bella mushrooms (sliced)
- 1 lb. ground chicken
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 5 cups raw fresh spinach
- 16 oz mozzarella cheese (grated)
- 15 oz marinara sauce
- 16 lasagna sheets
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- In a large saucepan over high-medium heat, bring 2 gallons of water to a boil.
- In the meantime, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to large pan over medium heat.
- Add the chopped onion, cook for 2-3 minutes until tender, stirring occasionally and add the minced garlic, cook for another 2 minutes.
- Add the chopped bell pepper and mushrooms stir and cook for another 4-5 minutes. Add the tomato paste and ground chicken. Season with salt and pepper. Mix well to combine, and cook for about 5 minutes.
- Once the chicken is almost cooked add the spinach and cook until the spinach has shrunk in size and is tender about 5 minutes. Turn off the heat.
- In the meantime, the water must be boiling, add some salt and 2 tablespoons of oil and add the lasagna sheets. Cook based on box instructions, but usually, it takes 7-9 minutes for the sheets to cook. Transfer lasagna sheets to a colander, give them a bath in cold water and drain.
- Preheat oven to 400F.
- Start by greasing a 9x12 baking dish with the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil.
- Lay 5 lasagna sheets on the bottom of the pan, top it with half of the chicken mixture, followed by 5 ounces of marinara sauce, and followed by 1½ cups of grated mozzarella cheese. Repeat this for the second layer of lasagna sheets -> chicken mixture -> marinara sauce -> cheese. Top with the final layer of 6 lasagna sheets (I also added on top the pieces from the trimmed sheets), cover with the remaining 5 ounces of marinara sauce and top with the remaining 1 cup of cheese.
- You can place lasagna in the fridge for 24 hours, or you can bake it immediately for 30 - 40 minutes.
- Let lasagna cool down 15-20 minutes before serving, as this will facilitate cutting it.
- You can turn on the broil for the last 3-4 minutes of baking for a golden brown top, but watch it closely not to burn it.
- Garnish with fresh herbs and serve. Enjoy!
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