Rich Chicken Pesto Lasagna Recipe

I was cleaning and organizing the fridge and freezer on Friday. Good times at House Shaw! I realized I had the makings of lasagna, but I wanted to make it a little different using a different sauce. So, I ended up with this super delicious chicken pesto lasagna recipe.

This pasta turned out beautifully. The pesto was a pleasant surprise, but I loved how every bite was really enjoyable. Every layer was so sinfully good. No worries, you can use other options for the ingredients to make the recipe healthier.

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Rich Chicken Pesto Lasagna Recipe

Gretel Shaw

This chicken pesto lasagna is a new way to enjoy your favourite pasta dish. The combination of flavours in this recipe is unexpectedly divine and I you should try it at home.

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 2 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr

Total Time 1 hour hr 2 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Servings 8

Calories 794 kcal

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

Sauce Ingredients

• ½ kilogram ground chicken (minced chicken)
• 25 ml olive oil
• 8 small mushrooms - sliced
• 200 ml red wine
• 500 ml Marinara sauce (tomatoes, garlic, herbs, and onions – pasta sauce in southern hemisphere for Italian seafood dish)
• 750 ml ketchup (tomato sauce Australia and UK)
• 414 ml passata or crushed tomatoes (tomato puree with seeds removed)
• 2 teaspoons basil
• 2 teaspoons oregano

Filling Ingredients

• 250 ml pesto
• 330 ml ricotta cheese
•  
  150 grams jalapeno Havarti cheese - cut into cubes

Noodle Ingredients

• 1 package lasagna sheets

Topping Ingredients

• 200 grams mozzarella cheese - grated
• 100 grams parmesan cheese - grated

Instructions

 

• In a deep frying pan, heat the olive oil. Cook the ground chicken in the oil, and separate any big clumps of meat with your wooden spoon. The goal is evenly-sized crumbles of chicken. Add the sliced mushrooms when the chicken has been in the pan for about 5 minutes or so. Continue to fry the meat and mushrooms until they are thoroughly cooked.
• Deglaze the frying pan with the red wine.
• Add the pasta sauce with veggies (if using), the commercial tomato sauce, and the canned tomatoes. Stir well.
• Add the herbs and garlic. Stir well
• Allow simmering over low heat, uncovered, for 2 hours.
• While the sauce is simmering, prepare the cheese filling. Start by spooning the ricotta cheese into a mixing bowl.
• Add the pesto sauce, and mix well.
• Stir in the cubes of Havarti. Set aside.
• When the sauce has reduced (after about 2 hours), taste and correct the seasoning if necessary.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Start lasagna construction by ladling some sauce into the bottom of a large rectangular Pyrex baking dish. Then, spread it evenly over the bottom of the baking dish, so your noodles don’t stick to the pan.
• Add a layer of the uncooked “oven-ready” lasagna noodles.
• Add a layer of sauce.
• Add a layer of noodles.
• Dollop the ricotta cheese-pesto mixture over the noodles so that it is more or less evenly distributed across the noodle surface
• Add a layer of noodles.
• Add a layer of sauce.
• Add a layer of noodles.
• Add a thick layer of sauce.
• Sprinkle on the grated Mozza and parmesan.
• Cover the dish with tinfoil.
• Bake the pesto lasagna at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 40 minutes.
• After 40 minutes, remove the tinfoil and bake another ten minutes (this browns the cheese on top).
• Remove the cooked lasagna from oven and allow to rest for 10 to 15 minutes before you slice into it.

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Nutrition

Calories: 794kcalCarbohydrates: 61gProtein: 42gFat: 41gSaturated Fat: 16gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 123mgSodium: 1720mgPotassium: 1246mgFiber: 6gSugar: 11gVitamin A: 2091IUVitamin C: 17mgCalcium: 596mgIron: 4mg

How did this recipe turn out for you?We’re eager to hear your thoughts!