Chicken Squash Lasanga

Don't be fooled by the name it's actually really good. My husband is not big on vegetables but loves the idea of having them pureed and put into various dishes. We had some leftover pureed squash and decided to throw into the sauce. We also didn't have any ground beef on hand and thought chicken might be a nice variation. It turned out amazing!

I based this off of Emeril's 1-2-3 Lasagna.

You, of course, can alter the recipe for how many you are serving.

2 large chicken breasts

1 (15-ounce) container ricotta cheese

2 large eggs

1 cup grated Parmesan

1 pound grated Mozzarella

1 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano (I always end up using way more cheese)

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley

1 teaspoon dried basil

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

12 dried (uncooked) lasagna noodles

Sauce

1/2 cup pureed squash

2 (28-ounce) cans whole peeled tomatoes

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onions (1 medium yellow onion)

1 teaspoon minced garlic (about 2 cloves garlic)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 (15-ounce) cans tomato sauce 3 tablespoons tomato paste

2 cups water

1 teaspoon sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

2. In a large sauce pan boil chicken with salt pepper and Italian seasonings.

3. Once chicken is cooked you can either shred or run it through the food proccesor, which we did.

4. In large pan add the tomato sauce, chicken and squash; simmer for 10 minutes.

5. In a large bowl fold together the ricotta cheese, eggs, 1/2 cup grated Parmesan, 1/2 cup grated mozzarella, salt, parsley, basil, and black pepper.

6. Spread 1 cup of the tomato sauce in the bottom of a 3-quart (13 by 9 by 2-inch) casserole.

7. Lay 3 lasagna noodles lengthwise down the dish. The noodles should not touch one another.

8. Spoon 3/4 cup of the ricotta mixture over the noodles, and spread evenly with a rubber spatula.

9. Sprinkle 1 cup of the mozzarella evenly over the ricotta.

10. Repeat with the remaining ingredients, for a total of 4 layers of noodles.

11.Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup of mozzarella over the top layer of tomato sauce, and top with the remaining 1/2 cup of Parmesan.

12. Cover the casserole tightly with aluminum foil, and bake, covered, for 1 hour.

13. Remove the casserole from the oven, and remove the aluminum foil.

Return to the oven and bake, uncovered, for 10 minutes.

Remove from the oven and let sit for 10 minutes before serving.