White Chicken Zucchini Spinach Lasagna

This is a take on the first meal I ever made for my husband! I was no cook when we first met. However, I knew how to make this, and I tricked him into thinking I could cook…and so he married me. Ha! Not really, but he did like this meal! Even after we were married, I had maybe two meals that I knew how to make well, so we ate this fairly regularly! One note about this recipe, I use Romano cheese. If you have never used Romano, it stinks. Sort of like Parmesan stinks. Not foul, but definitely a strong smell. My kids always complain when I use it, but they get over it because it tastes really good! I used to make this lasagna with only Mozzarella and Parmesan, but the Romano adds so much creaminess and flavor that I now always use it!

Zucchini

This time of year, I will put zucchini in anything and everything. It is still growing well, and it’s nutritious, so I sneak it into nearly every dish I make. It’s just one of those vegetables that is very adaptable. I used to make this lasagna with only spinach, now I add zucchini and it’s even yummier! I have always used oven ready lasagna noodles. Honestly, I have never cooked the ones that you have to boil first. However, not all oven ready noodles are created equal. The ones in the picture were not our favorite. They were just straight and flat, and kind of small. Check at your grocery store for a brand that has the long noodles with the ruffled edge. They just make a better lasagna. The layers stay in place better, rather than just sliding off.

Jarred or Homemade Sauce

This is entirely up to you. I usually use a jarred sauce when I make this, but will include a made from scratch alfredo sauce recipe just in case you don’t like to use a pre-made sauce.

Chicken

I always use whole chickens. We raise our own meat, so that is what I have on hand. I cook a whole frozen chicken in the Instant Pot whenever I need chicken for a dish like this or for a casserole. For a frozen chicken in the Instant Pot, I cook it 10 minutes per pound on the poultry setting. I then de-bone it when it is done. For this recipe, I used about three cups of chicken, and saved the rest for another meal. Alternatively, you could bake or boil a few chicken breasts for this meal.