For as long as I can remember, I have been known amongst my friends and family for my Chicken Lasagna recipe. I have never shared it before because I don't measure anything and I don't write things down.

When I make a meal when a new baby is born or someone has a surgery, this is my staple meal. I switch things up a lot but the basic bones of the recipe remains the same. A good friend of mine recently had hernia surgery and I of course made... my lasagna. She asked me for the recipe, then today, another friend (who had a baby like two years ago) asked me for the recipe... so, tonight, for dinner we had spaghetti. I made a mental note as I was "creating" what the recipe for my sauce is. A few cardinal rules I have when making anything with red sauce:

• I NEVER USE SAUCE OUT OF A JAR.
• BASIL IS CRITICAL (FRESH IS BETTER).
• AS WITH MOST THINGS IN MY LIFE... LESS IS MORE!
• Cavender’s  Greek Seasoning ROCKS!
  

So I decided today, to share my recipe with the blogosphere... if you like this, please comment!

RED SAUCE RECIPE
About 44oz. Tomato Sauce (one big can one medium can).
1 lb. sausage (I use turkey mostly, but have used regular also).
1- med can diced tomatoes (Italian style or regular is fine).
1/2 can of water
1- ½ onion, diced (or onion flakes)
2 tbls. butter
2 large sections of garlic, diced (or you can use garlic salt and garlic powder to taste)
1 ½ tsp. Cavender’s  Greek Seasoning
1 tsp. basil
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. parsley
½ tsp. fennel seeds
½ tsp. celery seed
I have also added mushrooms, green pepper, carrots, celery all diced

As I mentioned, I don't measure so adjust to your liking! In large pot cook sausage down, depending on how long you cook, I don’t usually drain the fat (with turkey sausage there is’t hardly any, but you can drain the grease if you like). Add in onion, green pepper (or any other veggies) and let them cook down a bit. Add garlic, cook down. Add in sauce and diced tomatoes and butter. Stir evenly. Add seasoning and simmer for at least 1 hour. I have actually let it simmer for 30 minutes and that is okay too. Serve. Usually I do this ½ as big so that I have some for leftovers or at least to have some to start another batch. Kind of like Friendship Dough I have a starter batch. You can do any subs… if you don’t have tomato sauce, you can use a can of paste with a cup of water, fresh herbs or dried. The key (for me) is the Greek seasoning and the basil. Yum! Hope you enjoy!

CHICKEN LASAGNA
1 pkg. lasagna noodles, uncooked
1 sm. ricotta cheese
1 egg
1 tbls. oregano
2 chicken breasts (cooked and diced finely)
1 lb. mozzarella cheese, sliced into thin slices (or you can use shredded but I buy a block and slice)
1 c. parmesan cheese, shredded
5 slices swiss cheese
1 simmering pot of red sauce (recipe above)

Additional Items to Add: Spinach, Italian sausage sliced, other veggies

Preheat oven at 375. Prepare a 9x13 baking dish, and set aside. In a small bowl, mix ricotta, egg and oregano, making sure that egg has mixed completely, set aside. Boil chicken and dice (I use the pampered chef chopper) chicken and set aside. Slice up all cheese (if not already prepared) and set aside.

Setting up in an assembly line fashion, bowl of diced chicken, ricotta mixture, sliced or shredded cheese, pot of sauce and noodles. Using a ladle, pour two ladles full of red sauce on the bottom of the of the prepared pan.

1. Lay down one layer of noodles, uncooked (usually 5 across).
2. With a spatula, spread a thin layer of ricotta down on the uncooked noodles.
3. Gently spread a thin layer of chicken on ricotta (here would be a good place for spinach).
4. Pour 4 heaping scoops of red sauce on top of chicken.
5. Lay one thin layer of mozzarella slices over sauce.

REPEAT steps 1-4 again. This time use a layer of swiss cheese and 1/2 of the parmesan cheese.  After cheese, layer again one more layer of noodles and cover them completely with sauce. Cover the top with mozzarella slices and the rest of the parmesan cheese. Spray one side of the aluminum foil with cooking spray and lay the prepared side down to the lasagna (so it won't stick to all that cheese). Bake in a preheated oven for 40 minutes covered and 15 minutes uncovered. Serve with garlic bread... yummy!

*image from flickr_ apfelbaum