Chicken Spinach Lasagna
2 tbsp. Olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
2 cups baby bella mushrooms, chopped
2 lbs. ground chicken, white and dark meat
2 tbsps. tomato paste
5 cups raw fresh spinach, rinsed and drained
1 bay leaf
16 oz. cottage cheese
1 egg, beaten
1 tbsp. Dried parsley
16 oz. mozzarella cheese, shredded
32 oz. marinara sauce
15 lasagna noodles
Salt and pepper, to taste
Bring a large pot of water to a boil over medium-high heat. While water is heating, add two tablespoons of olive oil to a large pan over medium heat. Add in the chopped onion and cook 3-4 minutes, or until tender, stirring occasionally. Add minced garlic and cook another 1-2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add in the chopped bell peppers 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 5-6 minutes. Once the chicken is almost cooked, add the spinach and cook until it has shrunk in size and is tender, about 5 minutes. Add marinara sauce and stir well. Add bay leaf. Reduce heat to low and let simmer 20-30 minutes. Turn off heat.
To the boiling water, add some salt and the lasagna noodles. Cook according to package directions. Once cooked, transfer the lasagna sheets to a colander, and rinse with cold water. Dry on paper towels.
In a medium bowl, mix together cottage cheese, egg and dried parsley, stir to combine.
Preheat oven to 400-degrees F. Coat a 9 x 13” baking dish with cooking spray. Ladle about 1 cup meat sauce over the bottom of the pan, spread out evenly. Lay 5 lasagna noodles, overlapping if necessary, over the sauce and top it with half the chicken mixture, ½ of the cottage cheese mixture, and 1 ½ cups of mozzarella cheese. Repeat this for the second layer of lasagna noodles, chicken mixture, cottage cheese and mozzarella cheese. Top with the final layer of lasagna noodles and cover remaining mozzarella cheese.
Bake, uncovered, at 400-degrees F for 45-50 minutes, or until bubbly. Remove from oven and let rest 15-20 minutes before serving, which will help cut easily. Garnish with fresh or dried parsley and serve.
