Chicken Lasagne

This lasagne is a low fat twist on the old Italian recipe. Chicken, garlic and vegetables combined with both tomato and béchamel sauces to make a fantastic meal. I joke that making this dish is like having a part time job, but the effort is really worth it.

The following recipe makes two very generous portions or can be split into four smaller servings that are great reheated for lunch.

Ingredients
For the tomato sauce
• 1 x 400g tin of chopped tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon of tomato puree
• 200ml boiling water
• 2 sweeteners
• 1 dash of worcestershire sauce
• ½ teaspoon black pepper

• 1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning

• 1 teaspoon of dried garlic granules

• 2 teaspoons of dried parsley

• 1 bay leaf

• 1 bouquet garni

• 2 medium chicken breasts, cubed
• 4 sprays of Fry Light One Cal Spray oil
• 1 chicken stock cube, crumbled
• 50g mushrooms. Washed/wiped and quartered
• 2 small carrots. Washed, topped, tailed, peeled and roughly chopped

• 2 sticks of celery. Washed, topped, tailed and roughly chopped

• 5g / 1 teaspoon of low fat butter spread
• 1 medium onion. (Red or white onion would work). Peeled and finely chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic. Peeled and finely chopped

Method

1. Add the chopped tomatoes, tomato puree, boiling water, sweeteners and worcestershire sauce to a large pot. Turn the heat to a medium/high and bring the pot to a boil. Once it’s boiled, reduce the heat to medium and add the black pepper, Italian seasoning, garlic granules, dried parsley, bay leaf and bouquet garni.
2. Meanwhile, heat a large frying pan on a high heat and add the 4 sprays of oil. Add the chicken and fry lightly for 10 minutes until it’s lightly browned. Add the chicken stock cube and stir to make sure the chicken is well coated. (You can add a splash of hot water if the pan is dry). Transfer the chicken to the tomato sauce.
3. Reduce the heat to medium and add the mushrooms and fry gently for 5 minutes. The mushrooms should soak up any residue left behind by the chicken. Transfer the mushrooms to the tomato sauce.
4. Next, add the chopped carrots and fry gently for 8-10 minutes until lightly browned. You should lightly season the carrots with salt and pepper. Transfer the carrots to the tomato sauce.
5. Then, add the chopped celery to the pan and fry gently for 5 minutes until lightly browned. Again, you should lightly season the celery with salt and pepper. Transfer to the tomato sauce.
6. Finally, add the butter spread to the pan and add the onions. Stir gently for 3-5 minutes, until lightly coloured. Then add the garlic and continue to fry for a further minute. Add the onion and garlic mixture to the tomato sauce also. Stir to make sure all the additional ingredients are combined. Partially cover the pot with a lid and leave to simmer for approximately 20 minutes while you get on with the rest of the dish.

Ingredients

For the béchamel white sauce
• 25g of low fat butter spread
• 25g of white flour
• ¾ Pint/425ml low fat milk
• ½ vegetable stock cube
• Salt and black pepper

Method

1. Using the same pan you used to fry the vegetables, add the butter, flour and milk and slowly bring to the boil over a medium/high heat, stirring with a whisk until smooth. 
2. Add the vegetable cube and season to taste. Take off the heat and leave to one side. (If it thickens a little, you can add a splash of hot water to the pan).

Ingredients

To complete the lasagne
• 6 sheets of dried pasta (It will probably be white pasta, but we’re on a diet, not in prison!)
• Basil leaves, roughly torn
• 30g grated parmesan cheese
• 1 teaspoon of dried or fresh chopped parsley


Method

1. Turn the oven to 190°C.
2. Take the tomato sauce and remove the bay leaf and bouquet garni. Add approximately ⅓ of the tomato chicken mixture into the base of a large square dish and sprinkle some of the torn basil leaves over it. Place 2 lasagne sheets on top. Next add approximately 4 tablespoons of the white sauce on to the pasta sheets. Spread it out to cover both sheets.
3. Next, add another layer of tomato and basil, another 2 sheets and again top with white sauce.
4. Repeat to form the final layer and cover with the rest of the white sauce.
5. Finally, sprinkle the parmesan cheese over the lasagne and bake in the oven for 35 minutes until it’s bubbling and the top has browned slightly.
6. Carefully remove the lasagne from the oven and sprinkle the parsley over the top. Divide into 4 portions and serve.