You can create a speedy lasagne during the week by ditching beef for a very popular leftover (Image: Getty)
Autumn is the perfect time to indulge in comfort food, making simple and delicious meals that take minimal effort but still deliver on flavour. Making meals from scratch during the week can feel like a drag, but one recipe developer suggests using leftovers from the weekend to create a brand new meal that all the family will enjoy.
Recipe developer and social media creator Amy Sheppard recently revealed how she creates a hearty lasagne without all the “faff” of making one from scratch. To make the process even easier, Amy ditches beef mince for a better ingredient that can save time but still make the dish delicious. In a recent video, Amy said: “Do you ever have nights where you just crave lasagne, but you can’t be bothered with all the faff of making one?
Use leftovers from a roast chicken instead of cooking mince from scratch (Image: Getty)
“Well this creamy one pan lasagne, using leftover roast chicken is about to become your new favourite midweek dinner.”
That’s right, instead of using beef or pork mince to fill layers of a lasagne, you can use leftover roast chicken. If you’ve cooked up a roast chicken for Sunday dinner and you haven’t used it all, you can use any remaining chicken to make the meat component of the lasagne.
The same idea can be applied to leftover roast beef, pork or lamb. Using leftovers can be a great way to reduce food waste, and make food go further by recreating it into scrummy meals.
All you need to do is shred the chicken and add it directly to the creamy bechamel sauce.
Amy’s video has already been viewed over 100,400 times, receiving 5,904 likes and 35 comments. One person wrote: “That looks sooooo gewd.”
Jill said: “This looks lovely, can’t wait to try it.”
Niamh commented, “This looks incredible!! going to recreate this and hoping it still works the same with veggie chicken,” while Shell agreed, “Omg looks amazing.”
So if you’re looking for an easy midweek dinner that can use up your leftovers, here’s how you can recreate Amy’s recipe at home.
One Pan Creamy Chicken Lasagne
Ingredients (serves four)
- Oil for frying
- One onion, finely sliced
- Five cavolo nero leaves (tough stem removed), finely sliced
- Two cloves garlic finely chopped
- 50g butter
- 40g plain flour
- 400ml chicken stock
- 500ml milk
- One tsp dijon mustard
- One tsp dried oregano
- 220g shredded roast chicken
- Four sheets of fresh pasta
- 200g garlic & herb soft cheese
- 40g milk
- 80g grated cheddar cheese
- Salt and ground black pepper
Method
Heat a drizzle of oil in a large non-stick pan that you can use on the hob and under the grill. Add the onion and sliced kale to the pan and fry for four minutes until soft.
Add the garlic for the last minute of frying before removing the veg from the pan and setting aside. Melt butter in the pan, before stirring in the flour on the heating for one minute.
Slowly add the stock a little at a time, only adding more when it comes to the boil. Stir continuously.
When the stock is used up, stir in the milk, mustard, oregano, shredded chicken and return the cabbage and onion to the pan. Give it a good stir, season with salt and pepper and gently bring it to the boil.
Cut the fresh pasta lengthways into roughly 3cm strips.
Place the pasta strips in the sauce, turning it over on the heat until covered. Simmer for around three to five minutes, until the pasta is soft and the chicken is heated through.Heat the grill.
In the meantime, mix the soft cheese and milk together and season with salt and pepper. Take the pasta and sauce off the heat. Push down any pasta that’s poking out the top.
Spread the soft cheese sauce evenly over the top and finish with a layer of grated cheese. Grill on a medium heat for five minutes, or until the cheese is golden brown.