Three-Cheese Chicken Lasagna

Rich and gooey from three types of cheese, but at the same time well-balanced with the addition of spinach and fresh sweet basil for the “greens”. I used canned traditional pasta sauce. But you can also use marinara or, for a more spicy kick, arrabbiata.

Clockwise from top left: lasagna sheets, fresh sweet basil leaves, mozzarella, parmesan, spinach, olive oil, smoked paprika, salt, ricotta cheese, pasta sauce, minced chicken and black pepper.

INGREDIENTS

1 tbsp olive oil
300g minced chicken
2 cans (300g each) traditional pasta sauce
½ tsp smoked paprika
½ tsp black pepper
salt to taste
250g ricotta cheese
150g parmesan cheese
10g fresh basil leaves — cut or tear into smaller pieces
150g spinach — thawed from frozen
250g lasagna sheets (see notes below)
450g grated mozzarella cheese

METHOD:

Get ready a pie dish or baking pan. The one I use is rectangular, about 33cm X 27cm (13 inch X 10.6 inch ). For this size of pan, I get a 2-layer lasagna. A smaller pan can probably give you three layers.
Heat olive oil in pan to medium high and add the minced chicken, smoked paprika, pepper and salt. Fry the chicken until just cooked. Check for seasoning and add more salt if required.
Pour in pasta sauce. Mix thoroughly and continue cooking until sauce reduces slightly. Dish out and set aside.
In a bowl, stir together ricotta cheese, parmesan, sweet basil leaves and spinach. Set aside.
If you are using regular lasagna sheets, see additional notes below. If you are using precooked or instant lasagna sheets, proceed to the next step.
Spoon half the sauce onto the base of the pan and spread it evenly.
Layer with half the lasagna sheets.
Spoon ½ the ricotta mixture, followed by ½ the mozzarella cheese.
Next, add second layer of lasagna sheets, followed by the sauce.
Carefully spread the ricotta mixture over, then sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese.
Bake in the oven for at least 30 minutes.
Let cool for a least 10 minutes, preferably by placing the whole baking dish on a wire rack.
You can serve this lasagna while still warm, or wait until it cools to get neater slices. Enjoy!

Cook the sauce

Mix the ricotta and parmesan cheeses, spinach and basil leaves in a bowl.

First half: Lasagna sheets, sauce, ricotta mixture, parmesan cheese.

Another layer of lasagna sheets.

Spread the remaining sauce.

Add the rest of the ricotta mixture and finish with the remaining mozzarella cheese.

Gooey from the mozzarella cheese.

NOTES:

Lasagna sheets come in different sizes. You can try out laying them out in the pan to see how many sheets you need per layer, or how many layers you can get in your pan.
Instant lasagna sheets are the easier to use, or use fresh lasagna noodles if you can get them. I’ve never tried using the latter though.
Regular dry non-instant lasagna sheets can be very tricky to use. After boiling, the sheets can easily get stuck together unless you add oil, but that will only make the whole lasagna more greasy.
What I did — I cooked the lasagna noodles one sheet at a time by putting it in boiling water for only about 2 minutes. Then I arranged each sheet in the pie dish straight away (see following images). It was a bit time consuming, but at least the noodles did not get stuck together.

If you are using instant lasagna, it’s a good idea to soak the sheets in some warm water for a couple of minutes beforehand, for added moisture. Then proceed with the layering as usual. If there is not enough moisture, the lasagna noodles can become a bit crunchy while baking.
The different types of cheeses have different functions. Ricotta as the base sauce. Parmesan to add savouriness. Mozzarella for the gooey factor.
Instead of using chicken, you can also use other meats like beef, or even mushrooms to make this dish meat-free.