This dish was inspired by my Great-Great Aunt Olive’s "Stuffed Shells" recipe. I never met her, but I used to make her stuffed shells all the time. Then when we switched to whole foods I quickly learned that it’s nearly impossible to find whole-wheat jumbo pasta shells for some reason. So here is her recipe, re-invented into an even quicker and easier lasagna version. I hope your family enjoys it as much as mine does, and here’s a tip…make this dish in advance and either freeze or refrigerate the casserole prior to the baking step for an easy dinner!
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White Chicken Lasagna
So here is her recipe, re-invented into an even quicker and easier lasagna version. I hope your family enjoys it as much as mine does, and here's a tip...
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Servings: 4 people
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Ingredients
The Sauce
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons whole-wheat flour
- 3 cups milk
The Filling (and Noodles)
- 8 oz whole-wheat lasagna
- 2 cups chicken (cooked, and diced or shredded)
- 4 cups spinach (sliced)
- 6 ounces cream cheese (softened and cut into 1" chunks)
- ½ cup whole-wheat breadcrumbs
- 1 teaspoon salt
- pepper (to taste)
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- ½ cup parsley (chopped)
- 1 cup parmesan cheese (grated, and divided)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Boil the lasagna noodles according to package directions. When done, drain and set aside.
- In a medium sauce pan over medium heat melt the butter for the sauce. Whisk in the flour and as soon as it browns (about 1 to 2 minutes) whisk in the milk. Bring the milk to a very light boil and whisk occasionally until it thickens, about 10 to 15 minutes.
- While your noodles and sauce are cooking go ahead and work on the filling. In a large bowl mix together the chicken, spinach, cream cheese, breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, nutmeg, garlic, parsley and ½ cup of the parmesan cheese. Use your hands if you need to in order to make sure it's mixed thoroughly.
- In a rectangular casserole dish layer the ingredients in this order sauce, noodles, sauce, chicken mixture, noodles, sauce, chicken mixture, noodles, and then sauce. Any noodles on the top that don't get covered in sauce could get crispy so be careful about even coverage. Top the whole thing off with the other ½ cup of parmesan cheese. Since I sometimes get confused about the order to layer lasagna ingredients I made you a little chart for this recipe (see the notes section).
- Bake at 400 degrees until brown on top, about 15 to 20 minutes. If your casserole was cold when you started (either from the fridge or defrosted completely from the freezer) then you'll need to increase the baking time.
Notes
We recommend organic ingredients when feasible.
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition Facts
White Chicken Lasagna
Amount Per Serving
Calories 787
Calories from Fat 405
% Daily Value*
Fat 45g69%
Saturated Fat 25g156%
Cholesterol 138mg46%
Sodium 1402mg61%
Potassium 714mg20%
Carbohydrates 70g23%
Fiber 3g13%
Sugar 12g13%
Protein 34g68%
Vitamin A 4915IU98%
Vitamin C 22mg27%
Calcium 598mg60%
Iron 5.1mg28%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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Meg says
Saw this recipe and wondered if kale could be subbed for spinach (my daughter can't eat spinach)
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Meg. Sure, kale will work great. ~Amy
Kim says
Do you suggest a 9x13" pan for this or something smaller? Thanks!
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Kim. That size will work fine. ~Amy
Rachel says
Very good recipe. I'm always looking for good recipes that I can use leftover chicken. I might try it next time with bow tie pasta as someone else said they did. I will definitely make this again.
Erin says
Made this today. Everyone ate it! It was great. I added a little nutmeg and parmesan to the sauce. Might increase the sauce more next time, but it was super!
Ashley Hegmans says
I made this for dinner tonight... I'm still in the process of using up the reg pasta I have in the cupboard. I'm switching to whole wheat but I am dutch and too cheap to throw stuff away! Also, I didn't have any spinach so I used asparagus. Anyways, this lasagna was a big hit! My super fussy 6 year old said it was "stupendous," my 9 year old said it was "awesome," and when I asked my 7 year old if she liked it, she said, "no questions, the answer is YES!". And hubby liked it too. I personally thought the cream cheese was a little overpowering. I think next time I'll do half cream cheese, half cottage cheese.
Kari says
Fantastic meal! My whole family loved it. My 3 year old had two helpings for dinner and requested it for lunch the next day. This will be on the top of my recipe list!
Casie says
This was soooo good!
Stacy says
I made this lasagna last night and it was amazing! Who knew real food could taste so good!
Elisabethe says
I made this only in roll up form, because my kids love lasagna that way. It was delicious. I wouldn't change a thing about the sauce or filling.
MK says
Made this over the weekend. I forgot the breadcrumbs, but it was still delicious!! My 3YO even ate it. My garlic was really strong, so I should have only used one clove and next time I think i will use less milk. I may also add some toasted pine nuts or something for a little more texture. I think I have found my new go-to recipe when taking dinner to someone! Yummy!!!!
Colleen says
This was so yummy. My family really enjoyed it. Thanks!
michelle says
I made this last night and the family loved it. I made a few changes, I didnt use breadcrumbs or nutmeg and I used bow tie pasta instead of lasagna noodles. This is a great recipe.
Emma says
Just made this lasagne tonight, and everyone loved it!! My five year old daughter had 4 helpings! My nine month old little boy even tried a few bites and kept wanting more. Good for all ages :) Followed the recipe exactly and I wouldn't change a thing.
Carolyn says
I made this for dinner on Sunday and it is amazing! Thanks for sharing your recipes. I try to make a new one every week.
Judith Janse van Rensburg says
I have been avoiding wheat products and substituting gluten free for a while now. Where does this stand as far as "whole" foods are concerned?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hello Judith. The Leakes have no sensitivities to gluten or wheat. They enjoy a variety of 100% whole grains and believe them to be an important part of their real food diets. The choice to avoid gluten and wheat products is up to individuals, as each decides what works best for them. ~Amy
Misty says
We made a version of this for dinner this evening and LOVE it. I changed a few things about it to accommodate what I had on hand, but it came out phenomenal! I was out of Parmesan and have a really hard time finding whole wheat lasagna noodles, so instead I cooked some penne, and mixed all of the ingredients together to have a little more of a casserole effect. Then we topped it with the cheese. Since I was out of Parmesan I used mozzarella and then topped it with a mix of mozzarella and asiago. The only other thing I did different was add in sauteed mushrooms and onions and I think that sent it over the top! Thanks for the wonderful inspiration!
Stephanie says
I am NOT the type to write reviews, but I had to let you know how much we enjoyed this recipe. So nice to have a healthy casserole that is actually yummy! The only change I made was using kale instead of spinach, because that is what I had on hand. My church has a casserole club, where once a month, we donate casseroles to a men's shelter. I will be taking this this month. I feel so much better taking a non-processed meal. Would also be a good meal to take to someone who needs food - a new mom, etc. Thanks again, it was delicious.
Christy says
Followed this recipe to a T and it was perfect!! So yummy! Keeper recipe for sure! Thank you so much!!!!
Terri says
Hi, sounds great....watching cholesterol - butter an whole fats a little worrisome...
Elizabeth says
I made this yesterday and loved it. My kids did not like it but that is no surprise as they are picky about new foods, but my husband and I loved it and it heated up great for lunch today. I will add more salt next time, but other than that, it was wonderful! Thanks for the great inspiration!!
Lauren says
This sounds delicious. I can't wait to try it. I can't find a lot of organic cheese in my area. Just the shredded horizon cheddar, a block of raw cheddar cheese and american cheese. Where is a good place to find organic cheeses???
Sally says
Not sure where you are but try looking for a food co-op in your area http://www.coopdirectory.org/ or use http://www.localharvest.org to find a local supplier. Both sites have helped me find real food sources in my area (Upstate NY)
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Also, look in stores like Whole Foods, Trader Joes, and Earth Fare. :)
John says
I'm pretty excited to try this. I've never had lasagna with chicken, but since I'm trying to eat more leans meats and less beef (especially greasy ground beef) I'm for sure going to try this. It really looks tasty.
Alicia says
I made this for dinner this evening and it was really good! Everyone enjoyed it!
Janelle says
Just did mine, but set up everything in the dish and will cook tomorrow.
Danielle says
I made this for dinner tonight and my husband, three year old and myself all LOVED it! My three year old has always insisted she doesn't like spinach so I made sure I told her she was eating spinach! Maybe I can get her to eat it in more foods now. This recipe is definitely going in the make again file!
Megan says
I made this for Sunday dinner tonight. I did deviate a bit but loved the inspiration. I threw onion, garlic, parsley, basil, cooked chicken, frozen spinach and kale (I had previously chopped and had in the freezer) into the food processor, then folded in ricotta and shredded asiago. I ran low on the white sauce at the top layer, so I put some regular marinara on top. That said, I really preferred the red sauce flavor over the white and would probably use marinara when I make it the next time (thinking that would cut some calories over the béchamel anyway). My husband, 2 year old and I all loved it!
Jennifer says
Is this a small rectangular pan and not a 9 by 13?
Megan says
I used a 9x13.
Jason Leake with 100 Days of Real Food says
We used a 9x13 rectangular casserole dish. - Jason
Maliha says
I just had to come on here and comment about how delicious this meal is. I just made this tonight (with the Delallo no-boil lasagna) and even my picky first grader loved it! I added about 4 cloves of garlic instead of 2, had to use a little more flour to thicken my sauce, and used 1/2 tsp. of salt instead of 1 tsp. Other than that, I followed the directions exactly. SO, so yummy. And the smell alone is mouth-watering. THANK YOU! :)
Colleen says
What kind of cream cheese do you use? I can't seem to find a "real food" brand. Thank you!
Elizabeth says
I made this today for the first time and subbed goat cheese for the cream cheese and it was delicious.
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Colleen. Whole Foods and Earth Fare carry Nancy's brand. It is a good choice but can be difficult to find in a conventional grocery store. ~Amy
gayle casey says
My co-op carries whole wheat shells. But lasagna is much less time consuming to make!
Kari says
Trying this tonight, but I think I'll use kale (maybe sautéed first) since that's what I have on hand!
Emily says
Kari- how did the kale work? that's all I have too.. organic baby kale. I don't want to go to the store just for spinach!
laramealor.com says
I too love to cook my chicken in the crockpot when using it in recipes. I use rotel tomatoes when I need it spicy and just water when it need to be plain. Just wondering what to put with your chicken when you cook it in the crock pot? soup? water?
http://www.laramealor.com/winning-taps-activate-self-healing-response/
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi there. Have you seen this: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2011/02/25/recipe-the-best-whole-chicken-in-a-crock-pot/? ~Amy
Shannon says
I am totally a shells girl, too. I haven't tried it with cream cheese, though. I've always used cottage cheese blended up with egg. Yum!
moet says
Could I use ricotta cheese instead of cream cheese?
Megan says
I used ricotta and it worked great.
Christina says
Jovial is by far the best pasta out there if your going to consume wheat.
cheryl says
This lasagna would be really good with some roasted butternut squash in it too. I make a white lasagna like this with the roasted squash and onions together, and the spinach too. It is amazing and even my 8 yr old will eat butternut that way.
brian says
The chart is a revelation! So easy to get confused when preparing something like this.
Sally says
I agree! I always end up forgetting what my layering plan is!
andrea says
This looks delish!! I just did your unstuffed pasta one the other day and that one was a hit so maybe this one well join the rest of the top of the list ones that I have made off your site. Thanks for all the GREAT recipes, keep up the great work :)
Kara says
I am so excited about trying this recipe! I was just searching last week for a lasagna recipe that accommodates all of our food sensitivities (no tomatoes, no white pasta, etc. ) and this looks delicious. Thanks!
BethanyL says
Just wanted to know what brand of whole wheat pasta you use? I haven't met one I like yet.
Kelly says
We like the Delallo brand.
http://www.delallo.com/products/imported-organic-whole-wheat-no-boil-lasagna
Jennifer says
I use the Great Value brand from WM. It tastes much better than the name brands and it has only whole durum wheat.