Creamy Chicken Florentine Lasagna

Ingredients

• Creamy Garlic Sauce (recipe below)
• 12 lasagna noodles, cooked
• 1 pound chicken tenderloins (about 8-10 tenderloins), cooked and diced
• 3 cups shredded parmesan cheese
• 4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 (6 oz) bag baby spinach, raw
• 12 strips bacon, cooked crispy
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley

Creamy Garlic Sauce Ingredients

• 8 cups (1/2 gallon) 1% low-fat milk
• 2 tablespoons natural chicken base (
• 4 ounces (8 tablespoons) butter
• 4 cloves garlic, pressed through garlic press
• 4 ounces flour (about 12 tablespoons)
• Pinch or two salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• Pinch ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350�, and lightly grease a 12 x 9 x 2 1/2" (roughly) baking dish.
2. To assemble your lasagna, add a thin layer of the Creamy Sauce to the bottom of the baking dish, and spread evenly.
3. Add 4 lasagna noodles over the sauce, and add in another, more generous, layer of the sauce.
4. Next, sprinkle over about half of the diced chicken, followed by about 1 cup of the shredded parmesan and 1 cup of the shredded mozzarella.
5. Next, sprinkle over about half of the bag of baby spinach, followed by about 1/3 of the chopped bacon.
6. Repeat with another layer of 4 lasagna noodles, more sauce, the rest of the chicken, another cup of parmesan and mozzarella cheese, the remainder of the baby spinach, and another 1/3 of the chopped bacon; then, cover with the last layer of four lasagna noodles.
7. Finish by topping the noodles with sauce, then sprinkle over the last cup of parmesan cheese, the last 2 cups of mozzarella cheeses, and the teaspoon of Italian seasoning; bake for about 20-25minutes, or until golden and bubbly.
8. Garnish with the remainder of the chopped bacon and the chopped parsley, and serve.

Creamy Garlic Sauce

1. Add the milk and the chicken base to a large saucepan or medium pot, whisk to combine, and bring to the simmer; then, turn off the heat.
2. While the milk heats, add the butter to another large saucepan or medium pot, along with the garlic, and place over medium heat; allow to melt together, and stir the garlic into the butter to soften.
3. Sprinkle the flour into the melted butter/garlic, and stir to combine; stir for about 1-2 minutes to cook out the raw taste of the flour.
4. Next, slowly add the hot milk into the butter/garlic/flour mixture, whisking constantly to avoid lumps form forming, and allow the sauce to simmer for a few moments until thickened.
5. Once thickened, turn off the heat and finish by whisking in a pinch or two of salt, the black pepper, the nutmeg, the Italian seasoning, and the parmesan cheese; keep warm, or allow to completely cool and keep in fridge to use later.