Ingredients (for 9-12 servings)
-9-12 lasagna noodles -Chicken
Sauce
-2 tbsp 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) ground chicken
-28 oz (800g) tomato puree
-1/4 cup (50g) tomato paste
-3
tsp sugar -1 tsp oregano
-4-5 fresh chopped basil leaves (or 1 tsp dried basil)
-3/4 cup (200 ml) white wine
-Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Bechamel sauce:
-Half stick (60g) of butter
-1/3 cup (40g) of flour
-2 1/4 cups (560ml) of milk
-1/2 tsp of nutmeg
-Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Topping:
1 cup (100g) Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
Preparation method:
1. Make 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 the chicken and cook until its color changes. Shred any lumps of chicken with a fork.
3. Add the tomato paste, tomato puree, wine, sugar, oregano, basil, salt and pepper to taste. Cover, and when boiling lower the heat and simmer for about 1 hour and a half. Reserve. You can also make the sauce the day before, and refrigerate it after it cools. Before assembling the lasagna, heat the sauce as it needs to be a little hot.
4. Prepare the Bechamel sauce. In a medium skillet, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add flour and stir until smooth, about 1 minute, until bubbly. Remove from heat and add the milk little by little, until the mixture is homogeneous.
5. Return to heat and stir constantly until sauce comes to a boil 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 the oven to 350 ° F (180 ° C). Grease an 8 × 12-inch (20x30cm) lasagna plate with olive oil or melted butter (a 9 × 13-inch plate will work too). I used Barilla noodles, as they do not require pre-cooking. 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 a 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 back over the noodles. Spread 1/2 cup of Bechamel sauce. Add a new layer of noodles, pressing gently. Spread the rest of the chicken sauce, another 1/2 cup of the béchamel sauce and add the last layer of noodles.
8. Top the last layer of noodles with the remaining bechamel sauce and sprinkle the freshly grated Parmesan cheese on top. Cover with aluminum foil and make sure it does not 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.