The end of the school year is upon us, at least in Michigan. I know a lot of schools are already out, but we don't get out until mid-June. This is the time of year the parents are forcing tired and worn out kids to go to school and keep trying, and teachers are trying to keep the kids focused just a little longer. With the idea that we will be starting before labor day in the coming years and still going to this time at the end of the year I can only imagine this will get worse. There is something to be said about quality over quantity of school days. The state keeps adding days... that's not going to fix the gap between low and high achieving students, nor is it probably best for students in general, but what do I know, I am just a teacher with 10 years of experience, not a law maker with none aside from their own schooling.
This is also the time of the year I am running out of dinner ideas. I am sick of every thing and prepping ahead is getting more daunting. I have been watching Molly Yeh, among others, on the Food Network and she made a dish similar to this I thought I would try. Charlie doesn't eat noodles so I thought this would be a great idea for her, and I was correct, she ate four helpings the first night. It was also a big hit with the rest of the family as well. Since Passover just ended it is also a great way to find matzo sheets on sale, or use up any leftovers. I couldn't find sheets at my local grocery store, probably because I didn't know where to look and shopping with kids is incredibly distracting, but my best friend Rena's mom came to the rescue with an extra box she had from Passover... yay! This dish could easily be made vegetarian like Molly did, just leave out the chicken.
Matzo Chicken White Lasagna
Sauce:
1/4 Cup (4 Tbsp) Unsalted Butter
1/4 Cup All-purpose Flour
2 Leeks, chopped and rinsed
4-6 Green Onions (scallions), chopped
4 Garlic Cloves, minced
3 Cups Milk
1 Cup Chicken (or vegetable) Stock
1/2 Cup Peas, frozen is fine
1 tsp Onion Powder
2 Chicken Breasts, cooked and chopped
Salt and Pepper
In a large sauce pan, melt the butter over medium high heat. Add the onions and leeks with a pinch of salt. Saute until very soft- 5-7 min.
Add the garlic and onion powder and cook another 1 min. Add the flour and whisk until the mixture is thick and clumpy- about 1 more min. Add the milk and stock slowly, whisking constantly. Continue to stir until the mixture thickens. Stir in the peas, chicken
and a few cranks of fresh pepper. Taste for salt and pepper. Add more to taste. Set the sauce aside.
Filling:
- 1 Egg
- 1 15-oz Container Part Skim Ricotta
- 1 10-oz Container Frozen, Chopped Spinach, thawed and squeezed
- 1 Cup Shredded Parmesan Cheese
- 2 Cups Shredded Mozarella
- Salt and Pepper
9+ Sheets of Matzo (plain or lightly salted)
To make the filling, mix the egg through salt and pepper in a bowl. Reserve some of the cheese for the topping! About 1/2 cup of each kind.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
In a lightly sprayed 9x13 glass baking dish, spread 1/2 cup of the sauce.
Next, start the layers...
2 Sheets of Matzo
1/3 Filling
1-2 Cups of Sauce
....
another 2 Sheets of Matzo
1/3 Filling
1-2 Cups of Sauce
....
2 Sheets of Matzo
The rest of the Filling
The rest of the Sauce
Crumble the remaining sheets of matzo and combine with the cheese you saved. Sprinkle over the top. Cover with foil and bake 45 min. Remove the foil and bake uncovered for another 15 until bubbly.
You can also freeze this or make it in advance and bake it the next day! Bake, covered, for 1 hr 15-30min and another 15 uncovered if this is the case. My first attempt wasn't beautiful as you can see, but it was delicious! Enjoy!
