2 in 1: Chicken Lasagna with Homemade Marinara

I have been stressed. But don't feel bad for me! I have my kitchen to calm me down :)

I put this picture up twice because...it is just so good

I have always always cooked to relieve stress, and earlier this week I needed to cook something that would be so time consuming and have so many elements that I would think about nothing but cooking for several hours. This recipe totally did that for me. I found this recipe here and edited it to my taste.

Here is my warning to you: it takes awhile to make the lasagna AND the homemade sauce. SO, feel free to substitute with your favorite jar.

Here is what you need...

1 package of whole wheat lasagna noodles*
1 jar of your favorite marinara sauce OR make your own (recipe below)
2 small boneless skinless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded*
1 medium yellow onion, diced
6-8 cloves of garlic, diced
1 cup of frozen spinach
1 cup of part skin ricotta cheese
1 cup of 2% shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup of fresh grated parmesan cheese

*You can buy the no boil noodles or boil them according to the package.

*I boiled my chicken in water for an hour and then shred it. I find it easier to shred this way.

Here is what you do...

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees (I didn't do this until I started building my lasagna).
2. If you need to boil your noodles, make sure you do this. If you need to boil your chicken (or cook it however) and shred it, do this too.
3. In a sautee pan over medium heat, sautee your garlic and onion in 1 tbsp of olive oil for about 5 minutes (until soft).
4. Stir in your frozen spinach until it has defrosted, then stir in your chicken.
5. Let sizzle for about 10-15 minutes stirring occasionally so nothing burns. Then, remove from the heat and put into a bowl.
6. Stir your ricotta cheese into your chicken mixture and set aside.

The chicken mixture - yum!

7. In a relatively large baking dish, start with a layer of noodles. Then, do a layer of the chicken mixture. Then, a layer of marinara sauce. Then, a bit of mozzarella and parmesan. Repeat until you reach the top! Make sure your top layer is sauce then cheese.
8. Cover with foil (make a tent) and bake for 30 minutes. Continue baking an additional 5 minutes uncovered, then remove. Let it sit for about 10 minutes before cutting into it.
9. ENJOY!

I HIGHLY recommend you make your own sauce - it tastes so good. Ina Garten is one of my all time favorites, and this is one of her recipes which you can find here.

For the sauce you need:

1 medium yellow onion, diced
6 garlic cloves, diced
1/2 cup of red wine (I used a $10 chianti)
1 28 oz. can of crushed tomatoes (I used San Marzano)
1 tbsp of fresh chopped parsley
1 and 1/2 tsp of salt
1/2 tsp of pepper

Here is what you do...
1. In 1 tbsp of olive oil, sautee your onion and garlic for about 5 minutes over medium heat.
2. Add your red wine and allow to simmer for about 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Add tomatoes, parsley, salt and pepper. Stir until well mixed.
4. Cover on low heat for about 15 minutes (or as long as you need until your ready to put it on your lasagna).
5. Enjoy!

This sauce is so easy and goes really well with a lot of things, so even if you don't make lasagna with it, make it for something else!