Chicken Florentine Faux Lasagne (Gluten Free)

by Ellen Davis (Pooka of the North)
(Kakabeka Falls, Ontario Canada)

Posted from "What's for Dinner"

Gluten Free Meal Plans with recipes: GLUTEN FREE WITH ATTITUDE!

Monday, February 7, 2011

I used to use no cook noodles for my lasagne, but haven’t found a local source for a gluten-free variety. I hate cooking lasagne noodles especially the rice variety, they either stick together, I burn my fingers and rip them trying to separate them, or I cook them to long and they fall apart while I’m working with them. This recipe made with very simple crepes does the trick.

Serves 8

18 gluten-free crepes (see recipe below)
2 cups heavy cream
4 cups white sauce
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 large onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, sliced
5 mushrooms, diced
2 chicken breast, diced
salt and ground black pepper to taste
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 bunch fresh spinach, rinsed
3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Pasta Crepes

This crepe is a great faux lasagne or manicotti noodle.

The following recipe can easily be altered to personal taste; so long as you stick to the simple formula of using 1/4 cup flour = 1/2 cup milk = 1 egg / per serving, you can add sugar and flavourings to taste and either decrease or increase the number of servings.

6 large eggs
1 1/2 cup brown rice flour
2 teaspoons xanthen gum
3 cups milk
1 pinch of salt
6 tablespoons of butter

Prepare crepes: In a mixing bowl eggs, water, salt and flour, stir without beating untill it comes together (don't worry to much about small lumps they will hydrate as it sits) then let batter rest for at least 30 minutes. In a hot skillet add 2 tablespoons butter and ladle in crepe mixture. When crepes are done remove from pan and continue until you have 18 crepes. Set aside until needed.

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).

Prepare filling: In a saucepan over low heat, mix together cream, white sauce, Parmesan cheese, and butter. Simmer, stirring frequently, until thickened then remove from heat add ricotta and spinach then let cool.

Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook and stir the onion in olive oil until tender, then add garlic and mushrooms. Mix in the chicken, and and ricotta cheese, cook until heated through, season with salt and pepper.

Lightly coat the bottom of a 4 qt casserole dish with enough of the cream sauce mixture to coat. Layer with 6 crepes, 1/2 the chicken mixture, and 1 cup mozzarella. Top with 1/2 the cream sauce mixture, and repeat the layers. Place the remaining crepes on top, and spread with remaining sauce.

Bake 1 hour in the preheated oven or until brown and bubbly. Top with the remaining mozzarella, and continue baking until cheese is melted and lightly browned. Let set 30 minutes before serving for ease of cutting and serving.

Note from Ashley, World of Crepes: Ellen, thank you for sharing this delicious recipe! It reminds us how crepes can be a excellent and healthier substitute for pasta.