Healthy Yet Yummy: Chicken and Spinach Pesto Lasagna

I spotted this recipe and tweaked it a bit to fit my budget (cottage cheese instead of ricotta, for one thing; omitting the chicken is another option). Not only is it a keeper, it is often requested for birthday dinners around my house. And with ten kids, that’s a lot of birthdays!

12 uncooked lasagna noodles
3 tbsp olive oil
1 c onions
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 12 oz packages frozen chopped spinach
3 c cooked, diced chicken
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 tsp pepper
2 c cottage cheese
1 large egg
1 1/2 cups prepared pesto sauce, plus 2 tbsp (I like Classico brand)
3/4 c grated Parmesan cheese
2 c shredded mozzarella

Preheat oven to 350. Spray 13 x 9 inch pan with nonstick cooking oil. Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions (not all brands require cooking). Heat oil in large skillet and cook onions and garlic until transparent. Add spinach and chicken and cook for five minutes. Season with salt and pepper. In a large bowl mix together cottage cheese, egg, pesto and Parmesan cheese until thoroughly blended. Add chicken and spinach mixture and stir to combine. Spread 2 tbsp pesto in bottom of prepared pan. Layer 4 or 5 lasagna noodles, slightly overlapping. Top with one third of spinach mixture and one third of mozzarella . Repeat layers two more times. Bake 35 to 40 minutes until hot and bubbly. Serves 8.

Keeping the faith (and the funny) in life with ten kids.