Creamy chicken and mushroom lasagne

It’s creamy and cheesy – what’s not the like about this version of lasagne! Instead of using beef mince, this delicious dish layers chicken mince, mushrooms, spinach and, of course, the same addictive bechamel sauce that everyone loves in a classic version of the dish.

There’s nothing better than putting this on the dinner table with the family and watching everyone dig in!

Ingredients

• 3 bunches spinach, stems trimmed, washed, chopped
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 brown onion, finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• 2 x 200g punnet button swiss brown mushrooms, sliced
• 500g chicken mince
• 1 tablespoon plain flour
• 250ml (1 cup) pouring cream
• 8-9 dried lasagne sheets
• Finely chopped fresh continental parsley, to sprinkle
• Cheese sauce
• 50g butter
• 40g (1/4 cup) plain flour
• 500ml (2 cups) milk
• 250g cream cheese, chopped
• 150g (1 1/2 cups) coarsely grated mozzarella cheese

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180C. Grease a 3L-capacity baking dish. Heat a large non-stick frying pan over high heat. Add spinach. Cook for 2-3 minutes until wilted. Transfer to colander. Press down to remove excess water. Set aside.
2. Heat oil in frying pan over high heat. Add onion. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until golden. Add mushroom. Cook for 6-7 minutes or until tender. Add garlic. Cook for 1 minute. Transfer mixture to bowl. Add chicken mince to frying pan. Cook for 5 minutes. Break mince up with wooden spoon as it cooks. Stir in flour. Cook for 1 minute. Add cream and cook for 1-2 minutes to thicken mixture. Pour in mushroom mixture. Add spinach. Stir well. Season to taste. Set aside.
3. For cheese sauce, heat butter in saucepan over medium heat until foaming. Add flour. Cook for 1 minute until bubbling. Stir mixture constantly. Gradually stir in milk. Cook for 2 minutes until mixture comes to the boil. Gradually add cream cheese. Stir well after each chopped piece is added.Stir in 100g of mozzarella. Cook until smooth. Season. Set aside.
4. Spread one third of the chicken mixture over the base of prepared dish. Pour 125ml of the cheese sauce evenly over chicken mixture. Cover with layer of lasagne sheet. Repeat for two more layers, finishing with lasagne sheet. Top with remaining cheese. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes until top is golden and bubbling. Set aside for 10 minutes to cool. Top with parsley. Serve.