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A recipe developer hides beef meat for a common leftover in her easy cream lasagna with a pan – a smart way to make a comfortable midweek meal
Fall is an ideal season for entertaining comfort food, whipping up straightforward but satisfying meals that require little effort but are packed with flavor. Cooking from scratch on weeknights can feel like a chore, but one recipe developer recommends making the most of weekend leftovers to put together a whole new dish that the whole family will love.
Recipe developer and social media creator Amy Sheppard recently shared how she puts together a warming lasagna without all the “faff” of making one from scratch. To further simplify the process, Amy substitutes ground beef for a great ingredient that cuts down on time and keeps the dish just as delicious.
In a recent video, Amy said: “Do you ever have nights when you just crave lasagna but can’t be bothered with all the fuss of making one?
“Well, this creamy one pan lasagna, with leftover roast chicken is about to become your new favorite midweek dinner.”
Rather than relying on beef or pork to fill the layers of a lasagna, leftover chicken can be used instead. If you prepared a roast chicken for Sunday dinner and did not use it all, any leftover meat can serve as a protein element of the dish.
The same principle works equally well with leftover roast beef, pork or lamb. Using leftovers is a brilliant way to reduce food waste while extending your meals further by transforming them into something truly delicious.
Simply cut the chicken and stir directly into the creamy béchamel sauce. Amy’s video has already reached more than 100,400 views, 5,904 likes and 35 comments.
One viewer wrote: “That looks soooo nice.” Jill said, “This looks beautiful, can’t wait to try it.”
Niamh commented: “This looks incredible! Going to recreate this and hope it still works the same with veggie chicken,” while Shell agreed, “Omg looks amazing.”
So if you’re looking for an easy midweek meal that makes good use of your leftovers, here’s how to recreate Amy’s recipe in your own kitchen.
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One pan creamy chicken lasagna
Ingredients (serves four)
- Oil for frying
- One onion, finely chopped
- Five cavolo nero leaves (tough stem removed), finely chopped
- Two cloves of garlic finely chopped
- 50 g of butter
- 40 g plain flour
- 400 ml chicken stock
- 500 ml of milk
- One teaspoon of Dijon mustard
- One tsp dried oregano
- 220 g shredded chicken
- Four sheets of fresh pasta
- 200g garlic & herb soft cheese
- 40 g of milk
- 80 g grated cheddar cheese
- Salt and ground black pepper
Method
Pour a drop of oil into a large non-stick pan suitable for hob and grill. Add the onion and chopped kale and fry for four minutes until soft.
Stir in the garlic during the last minute of frying, then remove the vegetables from the pan and set aside. Melt the butter in the pan before stirring in the flour and heating for a minute.
Slowly add the broth, a little at a time, waiting until it reaches a boil before adding more. Stir continuously.
Once the stock is fully incorporated, stir in the milk, mustard, oregano and shredded chicken, then return the cabbage and onion to the pan. Stir thoroughly, season with salt and pepper, and bring to a gentle boil.
Cut the fresh pasta lengthwise into strips of about 3 cm. Add the pasta to the sauce, tossing it through the heat until thoroughly coated.
Simmer for about three to five minutes, until the noodles are tender and the chicken is hot. Heat the grill.
Meanwhile, combine the soft cheese and milk, with salt and pepper to taste. Remove the pasta and the sauce from the heat. Press any noodles that stick out from the top.
Evenly spread the soft cheese sauce over the surface and finish with a generous layer of grated cheese. Grill on medium heat for five minutes, or until the cheese turns golden brown.
