Chicken Pesto Goat Cheese Lasagna


This is a luxurious Lasagna for special occasions. You not only have 4 food groups: grain, meat dairy and vegetables in the mix but a classic comfort food like lasagne that includes goat cheese and pesto for what your taste-buds crave. You will likely become spoiled and never go back to the old way you used to make Lasagna.

4-Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
1 Tbl Italian Herbs
2 cups grated zucchini, keep the green skin on
6 oz. Pesto Sauce, (one container from the dairy case)
1 cup Ricotta Cheese
4 oz. Goat Cheese
1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese
24-oz. Red Pasta Sauce (meatless)
1 bunch thinly sliced green onions (6-8 stalks)
1 box Lasagna Noodles (12 strips for a 9"x13" baking pan)
8 oz. Mozzarella Cheese, grated

Cook Lasagna noodles in salted boiling water per package directions and drain.

Sauté chicken breasts with Italian herbs, salt, and pepper in half olive oil, half butter until fully cooked. Let cool and shred by hand or chop with a sharp knife. Add chicken back into the sauté skillet to soak up cooking juices. Stir into chicken, pesto sauce and grated zucchini.

In a separate bowl combine thoroughly ricotta cheese, goat cheese, Parmesan cheese and thinly sliced green onions.

Assembly:
In a 9"x13" baking pan pour 2 Tbl. pasta sauce in the bottom and swirl to coat bottom so lasagne noodles do to stick to pan. Layer 4 lasagne noodles to evenly cover the entire bottom of the baking pan. Pour all chicken, pesto mixture over lasagne noodle layer and spread evenly. Layer four more lasagne noodles evenly to form the base for second layer. Pour half the red pasta sauce of the noodles spreading evenly over the noodles. Spread over lasagne noodles the ricotta, goat cheese, zucchini mixture evenly. Lay final four pasta noodles over the ricotta cheese mixture and pour remaining half of red pasta sauce over the noodles being careful to cover all noodles so they do not dry or burn during baking. Sprinkle on top the final layer of mozzarella cheese over the red sauce. Clean any spilled edges of the baking pan so not to burn during baking.

Bake at 350-degree oven for 25 minutes uncovered, allow to settle 10 minutes before slicing. Makes 6 dinner-sized servings.

Optional:
Use large curd cottage cheese instead of ricotta.
If you prefer to omit goat cheese, increase ricotta or cottage cheese to 1 1/2 cups