Chicken Pesto Lasagna
This easy and delicious white Chicken Pesto Lasagna is layered with shredded chicken, a creamy pesto béchamel sauce, and mozzarella cheese.
Servings: 6 people
Ingredients
Pesto Béchamel
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 5 cups half and half
- 2 cups homemade or storebought pesto
- Kosher salt
- Freshly cracked black pepper
Lasagna
- 9 ounces lasagna noodles
- 3 ½ cups shredded chicken about 1.5 lbs
- 2 cups shredded low moisture mozzarella
- ½ cup grated parmesan
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 °F and place the baking rack on the middle shelf. Spray a 9x13 deep lasagna pan with cooking spray.
- (Skip this entire step if using "no-boil" lasagna noodles). Bring a large pot of water to a boil with a generous pinch of salt. Add the pasta and cook according to package instructions . Drain the noodles and lay them out on a sheet pan drizzled with a little olive oil to keep them from sticking together.
- Meanwhile, make the pesto béchamel. Heat a large pot on medium heat. Add the butter and cook until melted. Stir in the flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, until a thick sauce forms. Continually stir and cook the sauce until the sauce smells nutty and no longer smells like raw flour, about 2 minutes. Slowly pour in the half and half and bring to a simmer. Continually stir until thickened and you can see the bottom of the pan briefly when your spoon runs along it, about 2 minutes. Turn off the heat, and stir in the pesto. Taste and adjust seasoning, and set aside.
- To the baking pan, add a thin, even layer of the pesto mixture to just cover the bottom of the pan. Then add a single layer of lasagna noodles, then ⅓ of the shredded chicken in an even layer, then more pesto sauce. Repeat for 3-4 layers ending on the pesto sauce. Top with mozzarella and parmesan cheeses.
- Place the baking pan on a sheet pan and bake for 35-55 minutes, or until bubbly and cheese is slightly browned on top, checking halfway and again every 10 minutes. If the top browns too quickly while cooking, loosely cover the pan with foil. (If using no-boil noodles, ensure the pasta is fully cooked before serving). Rest for 5 minutes before slicing and serving.
