Pasta-free Chicken Lasagna

Preparation Time

Around 20 minutes preparation and 45 minutes cooking but, as we all know, ovens vary.

Ingredients

• 500g Chicken mince (or any mince)
• 3 Tablespoons of pasta sauce. We used Leggos Napoletana but you can choose whatever you like
• 375g of ricotta cheese. We used smooth, but any will work
• 1 Egg
• As much spinach as you want. We used half a prepared bag
• 1 x Punnet of mushrooms, sliced. Quantity based on nice, even layers
• 2 x Zucchini, sliced length-ways in half-centimetre slices
• Grated cheese. We used lactose-free, as much as you need to cover the top

Method

Preheat the oven to 180° celcius (350° fahrenheit). Brown the mince in a frying pan. Add the pasta sauce and simmer for a minute. Set aside for later.

Combine the ricotta cheese and egg in a bowl. Slice the zucchini. Use a third of the chicken mince to create a layer in an oven-proof dish. Add a layer of zucchini slices, and then half the remaining mince. Then add a thin layer of the ricotta mix. Add an even layer of spinach, followed by an even layer of mushrooms. Add the remaining meat, then more ricotta mix and a final layer of zucchini. Bake for 25 minutes.

Remove the dish from the oven and add a layer of grated cheese. Bake for a further 20 minutes, or until the lasagna is heated through and the cheese is browned.

Serve and enjoy! We paired the lasagna with home-made garlic bread.

What worked?

The chicken mince was tasty without overpowering the other ingredients.

What didn’t work?

Nothing.

Any surprises?

We accidentally bought smooth ricotta instead of firmer varieties (oops). So, the lasagna was amazingly moist, in fact juicy after baking. The taste was still excellent!

Cost?

About $15 for 6 generous serves.