Chicken, Mushroom & Spinach Alfredo Lasagna

This recipe is courtesy of Emeril Lagasse....thanks Mr. L! It takes a bit of work, but such a yummy twist on lasagna that maybe even Garfield would approve....or not! :)

8 TBLS (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 lb. button mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 cup finely chopped yellow onion
3 TBLS minced garlic
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
7 cups milk
2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp freshly groung black pepper
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg (I just used dried)
1 lb. spinach, stemmed, washed, blanched & roughtly chopped
3 cups grated Parmesan
2 TBLS olive oil, plus more for coating casserole dish
2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into pieces
1 TBLS Essence, recipe follows
1 lb. oven ready lasagna sheets
1 TBLS butter, cut into 8 pieces

I make this and put it in a container to season my chicken in almost any recipe! Yummy!

Emeril's Essence Creole Seasoning

2-1/2 TBLS paprika

2 TBLS salt

2 TBLS garlic powder

1 TBLS black pepper

1 TBLS onion powder

1 TBLS cayenne pepper

1 TBLS dried oregano

1 TBLS dried thyme

Combine all ingredients thoroughly. Yeild: 2/3 cup.

Directions for Lasagna:

Set a large, 12-inch saute pan over medium heat and add the olive oil. Season the chicken with the Essence and add a 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt and place in the hot pan. Sear the chicken, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and cooked throughout, about 4-5 minutes. Remove pan from heat and let chicken cool until ready to assemble lasagna.

Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring often until the mushrooms are browned and most of the liquid has evaporated, about 5-7 minutes. Add the onions and garlic to the pan and saute until soft and translucent, 3-4 minutes. Add the flour and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, to make a light roux, about 2 minutes. Whisking constantly, slowly add the milk and continue to cook, stirring occasionally until thickened, 5 minutes. Add 1-1/2 tsp of salt, pepper, nutmeg, spinach and 1-1/2 cups of the Parmesan and cook, stirring until thickened about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Coat a 9 by 13 by 3-inch casserole with olive oil, and spread about 1/2 cup of the beshemel sauce on the bottom of the dish. Lay sheets of pasta across the bottom of the dish, breaking into pieces if necessary to fill in the gaps, and spread 3/4 cup of the bechamel sauce over the pasta. Sprinkle 1/4 of the chicken over the bechamel sauce, then sprinkle with 1/4 cup of the remaining Parmesan. Lay more sheets of pasta over the chicken. Repeat 2 additional times with the remaining bechamel sauce. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup of Parmesan over the becheamel sauce and scatter the butter pieces over the top. Place the casserole on a baking sheet and bake uncovered until bubbly and well browned, about 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for at least 20 minutes before serving.