Florentine Lasagna ; a slightly healthier version

I’m back, and I’ve got a whole lot of rotisserie chicken to use up. I buy them 2 at a time at the warehouse club. An oversized chicken pre-cooked, under $5.00 – I can’t deny the frugality! Sure, I could freeze the meat like usual – but I’ve got blog posts to put up!

Now that I’ve stripped them of the meat and made stock out of the bones, let’s do up one of my favorites. Chicken Lasagna Florentine. Well, that’s how its listed in the Southern Living Cookbook. I re-named it because I simply cannot make their’s – overly salty, calorie laden, cheese smothered gut buster. And after all that they cover it with a ‘butter pecan topping’. Wait, isn’t that an ice cream? Not this one, but it may as well be, there’s nearly as many fat grams. Sorry, no can do. 

So go and get some rotisserie chicken and follow along. 

Florentine Lasagna – Michelle Style

Wait - what's that lemon doing in there ?! (photo bomb)
Wait – what’s that lemon doing in there ? Photo bomb!

Step 1

Gather up the ingredients: Preheat that oven – 350 deg please.

6 no-Boil Lasagna noodles (or regular, if you’re into extra steps)

1 Cup Mozzarella Cheese, shredded

4 Slices Provolone Cheese

1/4 Cup Parmesan Cheese, grated

1/2 a bag (5-6 cups) Spinach or leafy green mix (kale/shard/spinach)

1 can Cream of Chicken or Mushroom Soup (fat-free)

1 Cup Reduced Fat Sour Cream

1/3 Cup Mayonnaise (reduced fat is ok)

1 Tbl Soy Sauce

1/4 tsp Nutmeg

1 Tbl Corn Starch

1/4 tsp Black Pepper

1 Medium Onion, chopped fine

2 Cups Rotisserie Chicken, shredded

Step 2
Step 2

Step 2

Combine the nutmeg, and pepper with the corn starch and set aside. Also set aside the Mozzarella and Provolone cheeses, and noodles. Take everything else and get into a huge bowl and combine.

Why, no that’s NOT spinach. It’s a ‘Power Mix’ I got at the warehouse club – an awesome mix of kale, spinach and swiss chard. All super good for you and easy to cook with beyond a salad.

Step 3
Step 3

Step 3

In your lasagna dish, lay out the noodles with space for expansion. then top with 1/2 of the chicken mixture.

Step 4
Step 4

Step 4

Divide the cheese and sprinkle half over the mixture and lay on another set of noodles. Top them with the remaining chicken mixture and cheeses. Cover with foil tightly and get it in the hot box for about 55 minutes. 

Then remove the foil and if you like, put it under the broiler for a minute or two to brown up the cheesy top. (Caramelized cheese is right up there with chocolate fondue on my faves list!) If you’re going to eat cheese make it worth it! A little bit of full fat Provy is so much better than 2 cups of garbage-fat-free-melted-plastic-type-substance. 

Step 5
Step 5

Step 5 

So good – oh, you can’t smell that – too bad. You’ll just have to make some yourself!

Finale
Finale

Finale:

So good ! And even you can have a piece. Add a salad and some refreshing water – you’re set. This isn’t one of those piled high lasagna dishes, but you could pump it up with the addition of a low fat cottage cheese and an extra layer of noodles. But that’s another blog.

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