Chicken lasagna

Ingredients (for 9-12 servings)

– 9-12 lasagna noodles
-Chicken Sauce
-2 tablespoons of olive oil
-1 large onion
-2 carrots, finely chopped
-2 celery sticks, finely chopped
-2 garlic cloves, minced or cut into small pieces
-1 pound (500g) of ground chicken
-28 oz (800g) tomato puree
-1/4 cup (50g) tomato paste
-3 teaspoons of sugar
-1 teaspoon of oregano
-4-5 chopped fresh basil leaves (or 1 tsp dried basil)
-3/4 cup (200 ml) of white wine
-Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Bechamel sauce:

-Half a stick (60g) of butter
-1/3 cup (40g) flour
-2 1/4 cups (560ml) of milk
-1/2 tsp nutmeg
-Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Deck:

– 1 cup (100g) Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

Method of preparation:

1. Prepare the chicken sauce. In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium high heat. Cook onion, garlic, carrot, and celery over medium heat until softened, stirring constantly.

2. Add chicken and cook until it changes color. Shred any clumps of chicken with a fork.

3. Add tomato paste, tomato puree, wine, sugar, oregano, basil, salt, and pepper to taste. Cover, and when it boils, lower the heat and simmer for about 1 1/2 hours. book. You can also make the sauce a day ahead, and refrigerate it after it cools. Before assembling the lasagna, heat the sauce as it has to be a little hot.

4. Prepare the Bechamel sauce. In a medium skillet, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add the flour and stir until smooth, about 1 minute, until bubbly. Remove from the heat and gradually add the milk, until the mixture is homogeneous.

5. Return to heat and stir constantly until sauce boils and begins to thicken. Add the nutmeg, salt and pepper and reserve until ready to use. Stir occasionally so that a skin does not form on the surface.

6. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease an 8×12-inch (20x30cm) lasagna dish with olive oil or melted butter (a 9×13-inch dish will also work). I used Barilla noodles, since they do not require precooking. If your noodles require precooking, follow the manufacturer’s instructions and drain well before using.

7. Assemble the lasagna. Spread a layer of chicken sauce (about 1/3 the sauce) over the bottom of the baking dish. Spread a thin layer of Bechamel (About 1/2 cups of Bechamel sauce). Place just one layer of noodles on top and press gently. 3-4 noodles can be used per layer, depending on the size of the noodles.
Spread half of the remaining chicken sauce over the noodles again. Spread 1/2 cup of Bechamel sauce. Add a new layer of noodles, pressing down gently. Spread the rest of the chicken sauce, another 1/2 cup of the bechamel and add the last layer of noodles.

8. Top the last layer of noodles with the remaining Bechamel sauce and sprinkle freshly grated Parmesan cheese on top. Cover with aluminum foil, making sure it doesn’t touch the surface.

9. Cook for about 25 minutes covered with aluminum foil, and another 25 minutes without it. If necessary, bake for a few minutes until the cheese is the desired golden brown appearance.

10. Rest for about 15 minutes before serving. Serve alongside some fresh salad, or even some toast. It’s delicious.