Recipe: Healthy Chicken and Ricotta Lasagna

A quick note for us: Whilst Jesse may wish we were at home eating this lasagna, we're still in beautiful New Zealand! Be sure to follow us on Instagram or Facebook to check out what we've been up to!

Lasagna is one of those recipes that always seems to be a family favourite. For years, it was one of my favourites too, however, first I found out I couldn't eat tomatoes - and then I found out I had coeliac disease and gluten was off the cards.

For years I simply went without lasagna - until I realised that lasagna didn't have to be made with tomatoes - and it certainly didn't have to be made with gluten either. 

This recipe isn't pretty and it isn't fancy - but it is one of our favourites. It's the dinner Jesse asks for week after week, month after month and one that never ceases to satisfy. In fact, Jesse's already told me it's what we have to have for dinner as soon as we're back from NZ on Saturday.

It's quick and easy to make - especially if you use fresh pasta sheets! We used to make these with dried lasagna sheets (just par-boiling them beforehand), however, when Latina Fresh launched their GF lasagna sheets we started using them and haven't looked back since! 

This recipe is also super adaptable. We change it up each time we make it - adding in sliced mushrooms to our chicken layer or adding thin slices of zucchini on top of each of the pasta layers for something different! 

So let me share the recipe with you >> 

Healthy Chicken & Ricotta Lasagna Recipe 

serves one, easily multiplied

low fat, gluten free, high protein, clean eating friendly

~80g (3-4 sheets) fresh gluten free lasagna sheets 

1/4 cup (20-25g) grated reduced fat mozzarella 

For the chicken layer;

1/2 cup sliced chicken breast

2 tbsp (40g) reduced fat cream cheese

Salt and pepper, to taste

Optional: sliced mushrooms/herbs of your choice 

For the ricotta layer; 

1/2 cup (120g) reduced fat ricotta 

1 tbsp (10g) parmesan cheese 

Freshly chopped basil and parsley, to taste

1/4 tsp garlic 

Salt and pepper, to taste

• Preheat your oven to 180C/355F 
• Set out a single serve baking dish and set aside (one cup ramekins will be too small - we use ones that are around 5 1/2-6" wide and 2 1/2" deep). If you want to serve the lasagna out of the baking dish, lightly grease it with butter or oil. 
• In a small saucepan, cook your chicken breast (and mushrooms, if using) until cooked through. 
• Add your cream cheese and a dash of water, stirring over a medium heat until your cream cheese is melted and mixed through and seasoning the mix to taste. 
• Remove your chicken layer mix from the heat and set aside.
• In a small mixing bowl, combined your ricotta, parmesan, basil, parsley, garlic and salt and pepper with 1-2 tbsp of water. 
• Add about 1/2 tbsp of your ricotta mix to the bottom of your baking dish.
• Add one layer of pasta, cutting the sheets to size to fit your dish. 
• Add a layer of ricotta, followed by another layer of pasta. 
• Add your chicken layer, followed by another layer of pasta. 
• Add another layer of ricotta, followed by another layer of pasta. 
• Top your final pasta layer with a layer of ricotta and sprinkle your lasagna with your mozzarella cheese. 
• Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until your cheese is golden and bubbly and your lasagna is set.
• Serve and enjoy! We usually serve ours with salad or steamed veggies. 

But tell me, what's one dinner that you will never tire of? 

And what's your current favourite meal?

This lasagna is definitely a recipe we don't seem to be tiring of anytime soon! We also love any kind of taco/burrito/quesadilla or any kind of quinoa!