Chicken Lasagna

Tonight I made a version of Emeril's chicken lasagna. I halved it, used ground chicken instead of shredded chicken, and used cornstarch instead following his directions to use lots of butter for a roux.

It turned out very well, though I am not quite sure if I think lasagna in general is worth all of the effort. It makes for a pretty presentation, but I think it is easier and just as yummy to use rigatoni or something and just toss it all together and bake it.

Yield: 6-8 servings

Ingredients

1 tablespoon butter

1/2 lb mushrooms

1/2 cup yellow onion, finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon wet garlic

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

3 1/2 cups milk

2 tablespoons cornstarch (may need 3, depending on how/if it thickens)

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 lb spinach, stemmed, washed, blanched, and roughly chopped

1 1/2cup Parmesan, grated

1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for coating dish

1 lb ground skinless chicken

1/2 tablespoon Essence

1/2 box of oven-ready lasagna sheets (I needed 8 whole grain sheets)

Directions

Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring often until the mushrooms are browned and most of the liquid has evaporated, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add the onions and garlic to the pan and saute until soft and translucent, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the flour and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon about 2 minutes. Whisking constantly, slowly add the milk and then the cornstarch and continue to cook, stirring occasionally until thickened, 5 minutes. Add the salt, pepper, nutmeg, spinach and half of the Parmesan and cook, stirring, until thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the bechamel sauce until ready to assemble the lasagna.

Set a large, 12-inch saute pan over medium heat and add the olive oil. Season the chicken with the Essence and place in the hot pan. Stir and break up the chicken until golden brown and cooked through, about 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate to cool and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Coat a 11x7 casserole with olive oil, and spread about 2/3 cup of the bechamel sauce on the bottom of the dish. Lay 2 sheets of pasta across the bottom of the dish and spread 1 cup of the bechamel sauce over the pasta. Sprinkle 1/3 of the chicken over the bechamel sauce, then sprinkle with 1/8 cup or so of the remaining Parmesan. Lay another 2 sheets of pasta over the chicken. Repeat one more time with the remaining bechamel sauce, chicken, Parmesan, and pasta, ending with a layer of pasta covered with bechamel sauce. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of Parmesan over the bechamel sauce. Place the casserole on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and bake, uncovered, until bubbly and well browned, about 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.

Note: You may be able to fit more than 2 pieces of pasta in each layer, depending. The pasta can be broken into smaller pieces to fill in the gaps.

Emeril's ESSENCE Creole Seasoning (also referred to as Bayou Blast):

2 1/2 teaspoons paprika

1 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons garlic powder

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried thyme

Directions

Combine all ingredients thoroughly.