Baking Banquet: SLOW COOKER WHITE CHEESE CHICKEN LASAGNA

INGREDIENTS:

9 – 12 lasagna noodles or 6 – 8 square lasagna noodles (I use oven ready)	1 teaspoon fresh basil, chopped
½ cup butter, cubed	¼ teaspoon ground black pepper, to taste
½ onion, chopped	¼ teaspoon ground white pepper, to taste
3 or 4 cloves garlic, minced	2 cups low fat ricotta cheese
½ cup all purpose flour	2 cups low fat cottage cheese
1 teaspoon salt	2 cups (4 chicken breasts) cooked chicken breast, cubed
2 cups Swanson low sodium chicken broth	4 tablespoons (or 1 bunch) chopped fresh parsley
1 ½ cups low fat milk	¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese for topping
4 - 5 cups low fat shredded mozzarella cheese, divided	Parsley for topping
2 cups grated parmesan, divided	(1 (10 oz. package) frozen spinach, optional)
¼ teaspoon Garlic Herb Mrs. Dash

Preparations Needed: Cube butter, chop onion, peel garlic, mince garlic, wash, cut and chop basil and parsley. Cube chicken, Cook and season chicken.

Prep your slow cooker with a slow cooker liner.

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook lasagna noodles in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes. Drain. Rinse with cold water. (if using oven ready noodles, omit boiling them and going through this step.

To Make the Ricotta/Cottage Cheese Mixture: In a medium mixing bowl, pour in the ricotta, and the cottage cheese. Add 2 cups mozzarella and ½ cup Parmesan. Mix well. Add ¾ of the prepared parsley and mix well.

Cube and season your chicken with the Garlic Herb Mrs. Dash. Fry in a sauteuse pan just until cooked through (so it is still tender and juicy). Set aside.

To make the Cheese Sauce: Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook the onion and garlic in the butter until tender, stirring frequently. Stir in the flour and salt, and simmer until bubbly. Mix in the broth and milk, and boil, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Stir in 2 cups mozzarella cheese and ¼ cup Parmesan cheese. Season with the basil, ground pepper and white pepper. Remove from heat, and set aside.

To Assemble the Lasagna:

Layers from BOTTOM to top:

1. Cheese sauce

2. Noodles

3. Ricotta/Cottage Cheese Mixture

4. Cubed chicken

5. Noodles

6. Cheese sauce

7. Spinach (optional) or Cubed Chicken

8. Mozzarella/Parmesan

9. Noodles

10. Cheese Sauce
11. Noodles

12. Parsley

13. Parmesan Cheese and mozzarella

Turn your slow cooker on low and cook for 4 – 6 hours. About 30 minutes before serving, turn off slow cooker and remove lid part way to help the layers firm up. Serve with your favorite veggie. (I use steamed broccoli seasoned with sea salt)