Chicken Lasagna Ruffles are an amazing make-ahead dish that will delight young and old. Cooked lasagna noodles are filled with an awesome chicken, spinach and three-cheese mixture. Once made, the Chicken Lasagna Ruffles are baked to perfection on a bed of marinara sauce and topped with melted mozzarella cheese. What's not prepared for dinner can be frozen for later use.
As you probably know, traditional lasagna is a layered dish with cheese filling and meat filling nestled between lasagna noodles and topped with melted cheese. For this variation, I combined the cheese and meat fillings. Then, I spread the filling on single lasagna noodles and rolled the noodles up jelly roll style.
This produced individual servings of this amazing dish!
Ingredients for Chicken Lasagna Ruffles
As you might imagine, I used lasagna noodles and chicken. I used chicken breasts that I "ground" in my food processor. You could also use purchased ground chicken or ground turkey in this dish.
For the meat mixture, I also used spinach, onions, garlic and spices.
For the three-cheese mixture, I used homemade Ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese and mozzarella cheese. You could also use store-bought ricotta cheese, but the homemade variety is so much better and so easy to make.
Preparing the Lasagna Noodles
I cooked the lasagna noodles in boiling salted water until it was al dente, 10 to 12 minutes. Then, I drained the lasagna noodles and rinsed them well in cold water.
To keep the cooked noodles separated, I draped them on the colander.
Preparing the Three-Cheese Mixture
To prepare the three-cheese mixture for the Chicken Lasagna Ruffles, I added the ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, mozzarella cheese and eggs in a mixing bowl. Then, I combined the ingredients with a wooden spoon until they were well incorporated.
Preparing the Chicken Mixture
I started by sautéing the onions in some olive oil over medium heat until the onions were soft (Photo 1). This took 6 to 7 minutes. Then, I added the garlic and cooked the mixture for 30 seconds or until the garlic was fragrant (Photo 2).
Next, I added the chicken, Creole seasoning, basil, oregano and salt (Photo 3). I stirred to combine everything and cooked the mixture until the chicken was no longer pink. This took 7 to 8 minutes. Finally, I added the spinach and stirred the mixture to evenly incorporate the spinach (Photo 4).
I cooked the mixture for about three minutes. Then, I tasted it to see if it needed any more salt. It was perfect for my taste!
Preparing the Chicken Lasagna Ruffles
Once the chicken mixture was cooked, I removed it from the heat and let it stand for about 10 minutes. Then, I added it to the three-cheese mixture and stirred to combine everything.
I placed several of the cooked lasagna noodles on a piece of parchment paper. Then, I spooned about ½ cup of the chicken/cheese mixture evenly over the cooked noodles.
Next, I rolled up the lasagna noodles, jelly roll fashion, starting at narrow end.
I cut each of the lasagna rolls in half, crosswise using a sharp knife and placed them cut side down on the parchment paper. I repeated the process with the remaining noodles.
The lasagna rolls can be prepared in advance up to this point. Since there are just two of us, I used four of the Chicken Lasagna Ruffles for dinner.
Then, I placed the remaining Chicken Lasagna Ruffles, cut side down on a parchment lined baking sheet and froze them. Once they were frozen, I placed the lasagna ruffles in a Ziploc bag in the freezer until I was ready to use them.
Baking the Chicken Lasagna Ruffles
I spread some marinara sauce in the bottom of an oven-proof dish that I had sprayed with non-stick spray. Then, I placed the lasagna ruffles cut side down on top of the marinara sauce.
I covered the dish with aluminum foil and placed it into a preheated 350°F oven for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, I removed the aluminum foil and sprinkled the top of the lasagna ruffles with mozzarella cheese. Then, I returned to dish, uncovered to the oven for about 5 minutes, until the cheese was nicely melted.
I served the Chicken Lasagna Rolls with additional marinara sauce on the side, along with a salad, crusty French bread and a chilled Chardonnay. Yum!
Chula's Expert Tips
- Homemade ricotta cheese is so much better than the store-bought variety, and is amazingly easy to make. Once you try homemade ricotta cheese, you'll never go back to the store-bought brand.
- I used a pound of skinless, boneless chicken breasts that I "ground" in my food processor fitted with a steel blade. All it took was 8 or 9 pulses and the chicken was the perfect texture.
- I used homemade marinara sauce, but you could also use a purchased marinara sauce.
- If you plan on freezing the lasagna rolls, place them cut side down on a parchment or wax paper lined baking sheet. When frozen, place lasagna rolls in a Ziploc bag and place in freezer until ready to use.
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Recipe
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Chicken Lasagna Ruffles
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons Kosher salt, divided
- 8 dried lasagna noodles
- 12 ounces ricotta cheese, preferably homemade (See Tip 1)
- 1 cup (4 ounces) grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
- 2 large eggs
- 1 ½ cups chopped onion (1 large onion)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 pound ground chicken or turkey (See Tip 2)
- 10 ounce package chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
- 1 teaspoon Creole seasoning
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 3 cups Marinara Sauce, divided (See Tip 3)
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 1 teaspoon salt and the lasagna noodles. Cook until al dente, about 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally with a long-handled spoon to prevent the noodles from sticking together. Drain and rinse under cold running water. Drain well; separate and set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, 1 cup of mozzarella cheese and eggs. Set aside.
- In a large skillet, heat 2 teaspoons olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions; sauté 6 to 7 minutes, until very soft. Add garlic; cook 30 seconds or until fragrant. Add the ground chicken, Creole seasoning, basil, oregano, pepper and remaining 1 teaspoon of salt. Cook until chicken is no long pink, 7 to 8 minutes. Add the squeezed spinach; cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Remove from heat; allow to cool for 10 minutes.
- Add the chicken mixture to the three-cheese mixture. Mix well.
- Lay cooked lasagna noodle on a piece of parchment or wax paper. Spoon about ½ cup of the chicken/cheese mixture evenly over the cooked noodle. Roll up, jelly roll fashion, starting at narrow end. Cut in half, crosswise, using a sharp knife. Repeat with remaining noodles. The lasagna rolls can be made in advance and frozen at this point. (See Tip 4)
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Pour half of marinara sauce into a lightly greased 13x9x2 inch baking dish. Place lasagna rolls, cut side down, over sauce in dish. Cover with aluminum foil and bake until bubbly, about 30 minutes. Remove aluminum foil; sprinkle top with remaining 1 cup of mozzarella cheese. Return to oven for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted. Remove from oven let rest for 5 minutes before serving. Serve with additional marinara sauce on the side.
- Yield: 8 servings.
Tips/Notes
- Homemade ricotta cheese is so much better than the store-bought variety, and is amazingly easy to make. Once you try homemade ricotta cheese, you'll never go back to the store-bought brand.
- I used a pound of skinless, boneless chicken breasts that I "ground" in my food processor fitted with a steel blade. All it took was 8 or 9 pulses and the chicken was a perfect texture.
- I used homemade marinara sauce, but you could also use a purchased marinara sauce.
- If you plan on freezing the lasagna rolls, place them cut side down on a parchment or wax paper lined baking sheet. When frozen, place lasagna rolls in Ziploc bag, and place in freezer until ready to use.
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