Thyme is on My Side Lasagna (or Chicken Lasagna with Asparagus and Thyme)

After playing around with a recipe I found in my Hobby Farms Home I came up with a lighter springy alternative to heavy wintry red sauced lasagna. I’ve been using thyme (dried and fresh) with chicken a lot lately and thyme really does something for the bird. I really like the two together. Good buddies. So, you’ll find a nice scoop of thyme in this recipe (and don’t leave it out; methinks* it makes the dish!)Sorry about no photo for the actual lasagna itself. I just could not capture a nice photo of the conglomeration of cheese and cooked asparagus and noodles and sauce. It looked like a pile of mush. But it tasted divine. I promise!
Ingredients:

• 1.5 pounds asparagus (choose the thick over the thin, then trim the stems, cut into one-inch chunks on the diagonal)
• 1.5 pounds chicken (cut into small strips)
• 2 leeks (chopped thin, use only white parts)
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1.5 cups heavy whipping cream
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese
• 1 cup parmesan cheese
• 1 packet no boil lasagna noodles
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. In a heavy skillet melt 1 T butter and saute the leek until transclucent. Remove from pan and transfer into a bowl.
2. Add the remaining T butter to the skillet and add the chicken, brown until cooked through. Add to the leeks in the bowl.
3. Add asparagus to the skillet, saute until slightly tender. Add to the bowl. Mix the three up nicely and set aside.
4. Into the same skillet pour the broth and the cream. Add the bay leaf. Bring to a steady boil. Remove 1/2 c and stir it with the flour in a separate bowl, then return it to the pan whisking the sauce as you do. Let sauce thicken a little (it won’t thicken a lot).
5. Assemble your lasagna: Coat a 9X13 inch baking dish with butter or non-stick spray. Ladle a thin layer of the sauce on the bottom, top with the noodles, one third of the veggie/chicken mixture, a layer of sauce, 1/2 c of parmesan cheese and 1/2 c of mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers twice more. Tent dish with tin foil, bake for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake another 5 minutes.

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