Creamy Chicken Lasagna

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 yellow onion, chopped

2 stalks celery, diced

10 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced

1 red bell pepper, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 Tablespoons chopped parsley

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1 cup (2 sticks) butter

1 1/2 cups flour

3 cups chicken stock

1 cup heavy cream

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 teaspoon hot sauce

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon ground pepper

Pinch of ground nutmeg

15 lasagna noodles (about 12 ounces)

1 rotisserie chicken, skinned, deboned, and shredded into bite-sized pieces

3 cups (12 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350, and grease a 9 x 13 inch baking dish.

To make the cream sauce: Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large sauté pan. Cook the onion, celery, mushrooms, red pepper, and garlic until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the parsley, salt, and pepper. Set aside.

In a large saucepan or stockpot, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Whisk in the flour 1/2 cup at a time, whisking after each addition. Add the chicken stock 1 cup at a time, again, whisking until smooth after each addition. Increase the heat to medium, and cook, stirring constantly, until the sauce thickens to the consistency of cream soup. Stir in the cream, Parmesan, salt, pepper, Tabasco, and nutmeg. Heat until the cheese is melted and the sauce is smooth. Stir in the sauteed vegetables and remove from heat.

Cook the lasagna noodles in a large pot of salted water according to the package directions. Drain the noodles and separate them so they don't stick together – place in a bowl of cold water.

Spread a thin layer of cream sauce over the bottom of the baking dish. Layer 5 lasagna noodles on top, and follow with half the chicken, 1 cup of the jack cheese, and 1/3 of the remaining cream sauce. Repeat the layers of noodles-chicken-cheese-sauce. Top with the remaining 5 noodles, and cover with the remaining cream sauce. Mix together the Parmesan cheese and the last cup of jack cheese, and sprinkle evenly over the lasagna.

Bake 30-45 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the lasagna is bubbling. Allow to sit at room temperature 15 minutes before cutting and serving.