There are few weeknight dinners more satisfying than a lasagna that baked itself while you did nothing — and that is exactly what this Chicken Florentine Lasagna delivers. You put in the work on the previous day, assembling layer after layer of whole wheat noodles, creamy nutmeg-scented bechamel, fluffy ricotta mixed with Parmesan and herbs, an entire bag of wilted baby spinach squeezed completely dry, and shredded rotisserie chicken. You cover it tightly and slide it into the refrigerator overnight. The next day, you remove the foil, replace it with fresh foil, and put the dish in a cold oven. An hour later you pull out a golden, bubbly, perfectly set lasagna that slices clean and tastes like it came from an Italian grandmother’s kitchen. The overnight rest is not just a convenience trick — the flavors genuinely deepen and the layers bind together more beautifully than a same-day bake. The single most important step in the entire recipe is squeezing the spinach until it is nearly dry before it goes into the dish. Skip that step and the lasagna turns watery. Do it right and this becomes one of the best things you have made all month.
Ingredients
- Barilla Whole Wheat lasagna noodles — 1 box (9oz), cooked al dente
- Rotisserie chicken, all white meat shredded, no skin — 1 whole bird
- Baby spinach — 10–12 oz
- Olive oil — 1 tsp (for wilting spinach)
- Garlic cloves — 3 (for wilting spinach)
- Unsalted butter — 1 tbsp (for bechamel)
- All-purpose flour — 3 tbsp (for bechamel)
- Skim milk — 2 cups (for bechamel)
- Ground nutmeg — pinch
- Salt and white pepper — to taste
- Part-skim ricotta cheese — 15oz
- Egg (large) — 1
- Parmesan (freshly grated) — ¼ cup plus extra for topping
- Italian seasoning — 1 tsp
- Reduced-fat shredded mozzarella — 1 cup (for the top layer)
- Light cooking spray
Preparation
- COOK THE NOODLES: Cook Barilla WW lasagna noodles al dente according to package directions. Lay flat on a lightly oiled baking sheet to prevent sticking. Do not stack them — they will tear when you try to separate them later.
- MAKE THE BECHAMEL: Melt 1 tbsp unsalted butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in 3 tbsp all-purpose flour and stir constantly for 1 minute to cook off the raw flour taste. Add 2 cups skim milk slowly, whisking continuously until smooth. Stir constantly until the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 5 minutes. Season with a pinch of nutmeg, salt, and white pepper. Remove from heat and set aside.
- WILT AND SQUEEZE THE SPINACH: Heat 1 tsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add 3 cloves minced garlic and cook 30 seconds until fragrant. Add baby spinach in batches and stir until completely wilted. Transfer to a clean kitchen towel or several layers of paper towels and squeeze out every drop of moisture you possibly can. The spinach should feel nearly dry when you are done. This is the single most important step — excess moisture is the number one cause of a watery lasagna.
- MAKE THE RICOTTA MIX: In a large bowl, combine 15oz part-skim ricotta, 1 egg, 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan, 1 tsp Italian seasoning, and a pinch of salt. Stir until fully combined and smooth.
- ASSEMBLE: Spray a 9×13 baking dish with light cooking spray. Spread a thin layer of bechamel across the bottom of the dish. Add a single layer of noodles. Spread the entire ricotta mixture evenly over the noodles. Top with the wilted squeezed-dry spinach and all of the shredded rotisserie chicken spread evenly across. Ladle bechamel over the chicken and spinach layer. Add a second layer of noodles. Ladle more bechamel over the noodles. Finish with a final layer of noodles, the remaining bechamel, 1 cup reduced-fat shredded mozzarella spread evenly, and a light dusting of Parmesan. Cover tightly with aluminum foil. Refrigerate overnight, or up to 48 hours. The lasagna bakes itself Monday with zero prep required.
- NEXT DAY BAKE: Remove the foil and replace with a fresh sheet of foil. Place the cold lasagna directly into a cold oven, then set the oven to 375°F. Bake covered for 50 minutes. Remove foil and bake 15 minutes more until the cheese is golden and bubbly and the edges are pulling away from the dish slightly. Rest 10 minutes before cutting — this rest is essential for clean slices. Cut into 8 equal pieces using the 3:3:2 ratio. Reserve 3 pieces (1 each) for Tuesday lunch before sitting down to eat.
- BABY ARUGULA SIDE SALAD: Toss baby arugula with cherry tomatoes and torn fresh mozzarella. Drizzle 1.5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil and 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice per person. Finish with cracked black pepper. No additional seasoning needed.
Notes
Portions: Her: 2 pieces of lasagna (2/8 of pan) + baby arugula salad. Him: 3 pieces of lasagna (3/8 of pan) + baby arugula salad
