Chicken-Vegetable Lasagna

Is there anything more comforting that baked pasta oozing with cheese?

My friend Stacey came over for dinner last night and since she's so great about trying my creations I decided to come up with something new. I didn't have a recipe for this but just thought about the flavors I wanted and went from there. Here is my recipe for Chicken-Vegetable Lasagna.

Ingredients

• 12-15 lasagna noodles (I use the ones that have to be boiled before assembling the lasagna)
• 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• Salt, pepper, dried thyme, dried rosemary, dried oregano
• 16 oz ricotta cheese
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 c chopped fresh parsley
• 1/2 sm onion, chopped (for sauce)
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped (for sauce)
• Pinch of red pepper flakes
• 24 oz light or heavy cream
• 1/2 c tomato sauce (optional, I used this for color and flavor in my sauce)
• Shredded Parmesan and mozzarella cheese
• Finely chopped veggies: 1/2 green pepper, 1/2 red pepper, 1 stalk celery, 1 carrot (sliced thin rounds), 1 c frozen broccoli cut into tiny florets, 1/2 red onion, 2 cloves garlic

Directions

• Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper; add thyme, just a touch of rosemary, and a touch of oregano. I didn't fully coat the chicken, but used enough herbs to give it flavor. Cook chicken in a pan over medium-high heat until cooked through. Let slightly cool and then dice. Set aside.
• Mix ricotta, eggs, parsley, and some salt and pepper.
• Sauce: Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a pot. Add onions and garlic for sauce as well as red pepper flakes; saute. Add cream and bring to a simmer. Add tomato sauce and stir, gently simmering. Season with salt and pepper. Mix in a small handful each of the Parmesan and mozzarella. Keep this on low heat, stirring occasionally, if you are not yet ready to assemble.
• Cook veggies: Heat olive oil in a pan. Add red onion, garlic, celery, peppers, carrots and saute for 3 min. Add broccoli and saute for 1-2 more minutes.
• Assemble lasagna: coat the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish with some of the sauce. Add 3 lasagna noodles. Top with ricotta mixture. Add a thin layer of chicken and a thin layer of veggies. Sprinkle with some cheese and top with sauce. Repeat - noodles, ricotta, chicken, veggies, cheese, sauce...ending with noodles, sauce, cheese.
• Bake on 350 for 40 minutes covered, 10 minutes uncovered. Let sit for 15 minutes before slicing so it sets.

We all (even Jon) loved the flavor in this lasagna!! I think the herbs on the chicken added a lot of flavor, and using a tomato cream sauce instead of just a white or red sauce added color, creaminess, and flavor. Don't be shy with the sauce - I could have used just a touch more on each layer to keep it moister.

I was happy with this and will definitely make it again. Although it's a lot of work to get everything ready to assemble, each step is easy. And what's the best part? Leftovers!!