When I posted about making Sloppy Joes for the first time last month, I mentioned my Chicken Lasagna and said I would post the recipe later that week. I never did, so I am posting it now. But I have another reason for posting it. A friend of mine commented on my blog's Facebook page that she is not adventurous in the kitchen at all. She follows recipes to a "T" and does not experiment or try to create with what she has on hand. She doesn't think she would be good at it and worries her family won't like what she makes. Well, I want to address her and others out there with some "baby steps" to being more adventurous in the kitchen, and the lasagna I made last month is a great example. So here we go!
My friend, Julia, who is always sharing great recipes, provided me with the following Chicken Lasagna recipe:
Lasagna noodles
2 cups chopped, cooked chicken
8 oz sour cream
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 packet of Good Seasons dry Italian dressing mix
Shredded cheddar cheese
Cook lasagna noodles. Mix chicken, sour cream, creamed soup and dry dressing mix. In a 13"x9" pan, put a small amount of sauce on bottom followed by a layer of noodles, a layer of sauce and a layer of shredded cheddar cheese. Repeat until you have 3 layers. Bake at 375 for 35-45 minutes.
It's very good and is a great dish to give someone for new baby in the house, recovering from injury, etc. But 4 years ago, I was inspired by Jessica Seinfeld's Deceptively Delicious to reduce or eliminate the creamed soup, and I was successful. I substitute pureed vegetables for 1 or both cans of creamed soup. I've used yellow squash, carrots and pumpkin but the most popular, and the one I used most often, is butternut squash. I tried it with the canned stuff once, out of curiosity, and it was awful! Roasting and pureeing whatever vegetable you decide to use yourself is best. Here's what I do.
