Serves 8-10

Mise En Place

Roasted Vegetable Layer

• 2 cups Roasted Vegetables, suggested ½ head cauliflower, 2 sweet potatoes and 4 carrots
• olive oil
• salt and pepper

Seasoned Brown Lentils Layer

• 2 cups brown lentils
• 1 tsp. Cardamom pods
• 2 Stars Anise
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled
• 2 sprigs thyme
• Cheesecloth, butchers twine or mesh tea steeper

Chicken Thigh and Curry Spice Blend for Marinade

• 1 tsp. Tea Masala (cinnamon, ginger, cloves, cardamom and black pepper)
• 1 tbsp. Salt
• 1 tsp. Black Pepper
• 2 tbsp. Coriander (ground)
• 1 tsp. Cumin
• 2 tbsp. Turmeric
• 1 tsp. Paprika (smoked mild)
• 2 tbsp. Parsley Flakes
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• 1lb. Chicken thighs, boneless and skinless, cut into 1-inch pieces
• Large Ziploc® Resealable bag

Ricotta Cheese Filling Layer

• ½ tsp. Black Pepper
• 150 g Boursin® shallot and chives
• 475g Ricotta
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 2 tbsp. Fresh chives, finely chopped

Béchamel Sauce 

• 3 tbsp. Coconut Flour
• 3 tbsp. Coconut oil
• 2 shallots, finely chopped
• 1-398 ml can coconut milk or 3 cups skim milk
• 225g Mozzarella cheese, grated

Tomato Sauce 

• 2 cups or 1 jar San Marzano Strained Tomatoes
• 2 tsp. Coriander, ground
• 1 tsp. Cumin
• 2 tsp. Tea Marsala
• 1 cup chicken stock or water

 

• ¾ cup hard cheese, grated Parmigiana Reggiano or Grand Padano
• 225g Mozzarella Cheese, grated
• 2-360g pkge Fresh Lasagna Sheets
• Lasagna pan 9 ½ x 14 x 3 inch

 

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Lentils

Place cardamom pods, and star anise in a bouquet garni along with the garlic cloves and thyme sprigs. In a large pot, cook the brown lentils according to package instructions with the bouquet garni. When lentils are cooked, strain. Set aside. Remove cooked garlic cloves to use in the tomato sauce.

Curry Chicken Layer

In a large bowl, add the cubed chicken thighs, curry spice blend and vegetable oil. Wearing latex gloves mixture together until all the chicken is evenly coated. Place in a Ziploc® resealable bag and refrigerate for 1 hour or overnight.

In a large nonstick skillet, place all the contents of the Ziploc® bag on medium heat. Cook the chicken until done approximately 8 minutes. Remove chicken and set aside.

In the same skillet, place the 2 cloves of garlic from the cooked lentils, and cumin, tea marsala, ground coriander and toast spices for 2 minutes at low to medium heat. Add the jar of strained San Marzano tomatoes and water or chicken stock. Cook sauce on medium high heat for 10 min.

Ricotta Cheese Layer

In a large bowl, mix together ricotta cheese, salt, pepper and Boursin® cheese with the 2 beaten eggs. Add finely chopped parsley.

Roasting Vegetables

Clean 1 head of cauliflower; peel the sweet potatoes and carrots. Place the sweet potatoes, cauliflower and carrots out in an even layer on an aluminum foil lined baking sheet, toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil, ½ teaspoon salt, and ground black pepper. Roast for 20 minutes, or until tender and just starting to brown.

Bechamel Sauce

While the vegetables are roasting, make the béchamel sauce. In a medium saucepan, cook the coconut oil over medium heat until it is melted, then add the finely chopped shallots until translucent. Add the coconut flour, and whisk to incorporate. Cook the oil and flour mixture, whisking constantly, for 2-3 minutes, making sure it doesn’t brown. Slowly begin adding the coconut milk, half a cup at a time. The mixture will seize up and thicken quite a bit after the first addition, but don’t worry. Keep whisking and adding slowly until the sauce is thickened and coats the back of a wooden spoon. This should take about 10 minutes. When the sauce is cooked, add mozzarella

Once all of the components are ready, it’s time to assemble the dish.

Assemble the Curry Chicken Lasagna

Grease a 9 ½ x 14 x 3 inch loaf pan with cooking spray, then spread a quarter of the tomato sauce in the bottom. Next make one layer of lasagna sheets breaking/cutting them as necessary to fit. Spread a quarter of the béchamel sauce on top of the lasagna sheet. Top the sheet evenly with the roasted vegetable mixture, and place lasagna sheets to cover.

Next add another lasagna sheet on top, then quarter of tomato sauce to cover. Add cooked lentils over the tomato sauce. Press the ingredients down into even layers as you are assembling the lasagna. Add another lasagna sheet, and then add the ricotta cheese filling and sprinkle with quarter of the grated mozzarella cheese. Add another lasagna sheet and add the cooked curry chicken thighs and cover with the tomato sauce. Top with the last layer of pasta, the last quarter of tomato sauce and the last of the mozzarella cheese.

Spray aluminum foil sheet with cooking spray. Cover.

To cook, bake at 375 for 30-35 minutes, or until the top is browned and the lasagna is bubbling. Uncover the lasagna, sprinkle with the grated Parmesan cheese and bake an additional 5-10 minutes until golden. Serve.

Watch My Entry on YouTube for