Dr.SunShine.504: By popular demand: Spinach, Chicken and Tofu lasagna/bake

Strawberry shortcake

Spinach, chicken and tofu bake

Closed-face lasagna/bake

Last week I didn't know what to cook so I decided I'd try something different... Alfredo Lasagna. I didn't know if a recipe existed for it online nor did I have the time to look it up since I was already in route to the grocery store. I decided to go for what I knew...The concept of lasagna + Alfredo pasta= winging it! Well the results were great. The consistency didn't end up being as solid as my ideal lasagna so I guess it's more accurate to just call it a bake. The dish ended up being finger licking good. Any time the neighbors question what you are cooking because the aroma smells good, then you know you have a good dish on you hands.

Here's what I used.

1 bag of fresh spinach, shredded
1/2 pk of extra firm tofu, cubed
1 pk of Daisy Low Fat cottage cheese, small curd
1 egg
1/2 yellow onion, diced
About 1/2 cup green onion, diced
1/2 bell pepper, diced
Tony Chachere Creole Seasoning
Garlic powder
Onion Powder
2-3 tablespoons of minced garlic
1 pk shredded mozzarella
1/2 pack of white mushrooms
2 bottles of Alfredo sauce of your choice (I used Bertolli's garlic Alfredo sauce)
1 pk of chicken breasts, cubed (It's actually easier to buy the chicken breast tenders since they are already in strips and only have to be cubed.)

Prep work: Preheat oven between 350-375 degrees. Dice all veggied, shred spinach, and cube tofu and chicken. I like organization so this must be done before anything starts to cook.

Total cook time: about 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes.

1. In a skillet that has been greased with Pam Olive Oil spray, add diced mushrooms, onions and bell pepper. Begin cooking on medium heat until tender.

2. On chopping board or in bowl, season cubed chicken breast and tofu with Tony's and garlic and onion powder. Add to skillet of veggies and cook until browned. Add Alfredo sauce and adjust seasoning as needed. Add fresh parsley if desired.

3. In a separate pot, boil lasagna noodles with a dash of oil in pot until the stage just before al dente. Since everything has to be baked I don't like to overcook or completely cook my noodles.

4. In another skillet, lightly spray with Pam Olive Oil Spray and cook fresh shredded spinach. Season with Tony's and garlic powder. Drain and set aside.

5. In a bowl, mix spinach, cottage cheese, about 1/4-1/2 pack of mozzarella, 2-3 tablespoons of minced garlic and egg.

6. Drain noodles. Spray lasagna pan(s) with Pam. (Moment of honesty: I don't know what the hell happened with my noodles. I've cooked noodles time and time again but never had this happen before. They were broken and stuck together, so I literally had to piece together noodles for this dish. Lol. Perhaps I went a little beyond my ideal al dente phase.)

Layer in the following order: Alfredo sauce (w/o chicken or tofu), noodles, chicken/tofu Alfredo sauce, cheese and spinach mix, mozzarella, noodles, chicken/tofu Alfredo sauce, cheese and spinach mix, noodles, etc. I did two small pans which seemed to be 9x9 in size.

On one the final layer was the noodles then cheese and spinach mix (closed-face). On the other I ran out of noodles so the chicken/tofu Alfredo and cheese and spinach mix were the last layer (open face). Garnish with fresh Parsley.

7. Wrap pans in foil. Place in oven and let back for 30-45 minutes. I checked mine a few times and decided to take it out after 30 minutes, remove foil and let bake for another 10 minutes.

I was starving so I served mine immediately, but I recommend letting the dish sit for a couple of minutes.

Where I potentially went wrong: I probably could have and should have drained the chicken, tofu and veggie mix before adding the Alfredo sauce. I can't believe I forgot to do this since it's the most crucial step in making any lasagna. You have to drain the excess oil and water from your meat or else you may end up with a runny mess. Luckily chicken and tofu aren't as greasy as ground beef or Italian sausage. Since Tofu is water based, I'm sure I shouldn't have had the expectation of having a solid lasagna. Needless to say my beau loved the dish and so did I. I also had every intention on adding shrimp but just failed to do so due to time and hunger constraints. Next time I'm going to give it a try. Yup, I'm the type of person who isn't ashamed nor too cheap to put a million meats in one dish, i.e. my Italian sausage, ground beef and shrimp spaghetti.

I can't successfully eat pasta without some form of bread. So I tried the Texas Toast garlic bread twists. It was a success. The beau usually does a salad but we decided to skip it this time. I topped the meal off with some strawberry shortcake for dessert. Not from scratch though. It was simply just some Hostess shortcakes, strawberries and strawberry glaze. The only thing I was missing from this meal was a glass of wine but my fast doesn't allow it.

If you are reading this and decide to make it, let me know how it comes out or what alterations you make.

Disclaimer: I'm a Southern Belle who likes spice and am a believer that Tony Chachere Creole Seasoning can heal all woes. I literally use it in just about every dish I make. Feel free to use whatever seasonings you desire. An alternative to Tony's since my mom sometimes finds it too spicy is Seasoned Salt and optional cayenne. I also recognize that the best Alfredo sauce may very well be a homemade one...but when you work from 9a-6p 6 days a week with a 40 minute commute, you don't have the time nor the care to make your own Alfredo sauce. Lol. You are lucky if meals ever reach this form of complexity PERIOD!