My version of the Pesto Lasagna

Okay, well, I took the time this morning to go ahead and make the Pesto lasagna that I posted the other night, but I adapted it to use more ingredients from my CSA (I still had chicken to use up).  So, here is the recipe as I adapted it and a picture of the whole lasagna:

Pesto Spinach Chicken Lasagna

Adapted from Better Homes & Garden

• 12 dried regular or whole wheat lasagna noodles
• 1 recipe Lemon-Parsley Pesto (see recipe below) or 1 cup purchased pesto
• 1 egg, slightly beaten
• 1 15-ounce container ricotta cheese
• 1 8-ounce package shredded Italian blend cheese or mozzarella cheese (2 cups)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• Nonstick cooking spray
• 2 cups chopped fresh spinach
• 1/2 of an 8-ounce package fresh mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 2 cups leftover chicken, shredded
• 1 28-ounce can whole Italian-style tomatoes
• Fresh Italian (flat-leaf) parsley leaves (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a 4-quart or larger pot cook noodles according to package directions until just tender. Drain noodles; rinse with cold water. Drain well; set aside.

Prepare Lemon-Parsley Pesto; set aside. In a medium bowl stir together egg, ricotta cheese, 1 cup of the shredded Italian blend cheese, salt, and pepper; set aside.

To assemble lasagna, lightly coat the inside of a 9-inch springform pan or 13x9x2-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Arrange 4 of the cooked noodles in the bottom of the pan, trimming and overlapping as necessary to cover bottom of pan with 1 layer of noodles. Top with spinach. Spoon half of the ricotta cheese mixture over spinach, spreading evenly. Spoon one-third of the pesto over ricotta layer, spreading evenly. Top with another layer of noodles, trimming to fit. Top with mushrooms and chicken. Spread remaining ricotta cheese mixture over mushrooms. Spread half of the remaining pesto over ricotta layer. Top with another layer of noodles and remaining pesto. Drain tomatoes. Slice, quarter, or halve tomatoes and place on top of layers.

Place pan in a foil-lined shallow baking pan. Bake, covered with foil, in a 375 degrees F oven for 40 minutes; uncover and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake, uncovered, 5 minutes more or until cheese is melted and lasagna is heated through. Makes 8 to 10 servings.

Nutrition (8 servings): Calories 513, Fat 26g, Carbs 42g, Fiber 4g, Protein 29g
Weight Watchers PointsPlus Value: 16

Now that we have eaten some, I would make some major changes to this recipe.  The pesto really didn't add anything to the flavor profile.  I think I would choose to just use fresh basil leaves instead.  And there wasn't nearly enough tomatoes.  I would add a layer of tomatoes in the middle too.  But it was very tasty and very hearty.  A good 16 points spent, I believe.