Chicken And Spinach Pesto Lasagna - cooking recipe

Ingredients

Pesto:
1/4 cup pine nuts
3 cups fresh basil leaves
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup olive oil
4 cloves garlic
Lasagna:
12 lasagna noodles
cooking spray
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 (12 ounce) packages frozen chopped spinach
3 cups diced cooked chicken breast
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 cups ricotta cheese
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Preparation

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add pine nuts and cook, stirring occasionally, until toasted and fragrant, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a food processor.
Place basil leaves, 3/4 cup Parmesan cheese, 1/2 cup olive oil, and 4 cloves garlic in the food processor with the pine nuts. Blend pesto into a smooth paste, about 3 minutes.
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook lasagna noodles in the boiling water, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Drain.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spray a 9x13-inch casserole dish with cooking spray.
Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and 3 cloves garlic; cook and stir until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add spinach; cook and stir until heated through, about 5 minutes. Stir in chicken; cook until heated through, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and black pepper.
Mix ricotta cheese, 3/4 cup Parmesan cheese, and egg together in a large bowl. Stir in 1 1/2 cup pesto. Add spinach and chicken mixture; stir to combine.
Spread remaining 1/2 cup pesto in the casserole dish. Arrange 4 lasagna noodles, slightly overlapping, in the bottom of the dish. Top with 1/3 of the ricotta spinach mixture and 1/3 of the mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers twice, ending with mozzarella cheese.
Bake in the preheated oven until bubbly and golden, 35 to 40 minutes.