Author Notes
After playing around with a recipe I found in my Hobby Farms Home I came up with a lighter springy alternative to heavy wintry red sauced lasagna. I've been using thyme (dried and fresh) with chicken a lot lately and thyme really does something for the bird. I really like the two together. Good buddies. So, you'll find a nice scoop of thyme in this recipe (and don't leave it out; methinks* it makes the dish!)
Sorry about no photo for the actual lasagna itself. I just could not capture a nice photo of the conglomeration of cheese and cooked asparagus and noodles and sauce. It looked like a pile of mush. But it tasted divine. I promise! —Mountain Mama
Ingredients
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1.5 pounds
Asparagus (choose the thick over the thin, then trim the stems, cut into one-inch chunks on the diagonal)
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1.5 pounds
Chicken (cut into small strips)
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2
Leeks (chopped thin, use only white parts)
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2 tablespoons
Butter
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1 teaspoon
Dried Thyme
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1.5 cups
Heavy Whipping Cream
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3 cups
Chicken Broth
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1
Bay Leaf
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2 tablespoons
All-Purpose Flour
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1 cup
Mozzarella Cheese
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1 cup
Parmesan Cheese
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1 packet
No Boil Lasagna Noodles
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Salt and Pepper to Taste
Directions
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In a heavy skillet melt 1 T butter and saute the leek until transclucent. Remove from pan and transfer into a bowl.
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Add the remaining T butter to the skillet and add the chicken, brown until cooked through. Add to the leeks in the bowl.
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Add asparagus to the skillet, saute until slightly tender. Add to the bowl. Mix the three up nicely and set aside.
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Into the same skillet pour the broth and the cream. Add the bay leaf. Bring to a steady boil. Remove 1/2 c and stir it with the flour in a separate bowl, then return it to the pan whisking the sauce as you do. Let sauce thicken a little (it won't thicken a lot).
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Assemble your lasagna: Coat a 9X13 inch baking dish with butter or non-stick spray. Ladle a thin layer of the sauce on the bottom, top with the noodles, one third of the veggie/chicken mixture, a layer of sauce, 1/2 c of parmesan cheese and 1/2 c of mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers twice more. Tent dish with tin foil, bake for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake another 5 minutes.
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