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one portion of white lasagna with distinct pasta layers, fine cooked ground-chicken crumbles, soft pale leek pieces, green peas, pale béchamel and a moist softly melted pale Gruyère top on an ordinary plate, with no browned or blistered cheese, crisp pasta edges, tomato sauce or garnish
Andre Lewis

Crockpot White Chicken Lasagna

Ground chicken makes a fine, even filling for this white lasagna, with leeks and peas providing small vegetable pieces that fit between the sheets. Cook the leeks until soft before layering, since their firmer outer pieces won’t disappear just because the pot is covered. The béchamel starts fairly loose so the noodles have liquid to absorb. Gruyère brings enough flavor that the sauce doesn’t need to be loaded with garlic or another strong cheese. Give the cooked lasagna its rest with the lid off, which lets the layers settle instead of collecting more condensation on top.
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Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours 5 minutes
Total Time 4 hours 50 minutes
Servings: 8
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 medium leeks white and light-green parts thinly sliced and washed
  • 1 lb ground chicken
  • 1/2 tsp fine salt divided
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 1 cup frozen peas
  • 4 tbsp unsalted butter for sauce
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 4 cups whole milk
  • 1 cup unsalted chicken broth
  • 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1 tsp butter for the cooker
  • 9 oz dry oven-ready no-boil lasagna sheets
  • 6 oz Gruyère cheese shredded
  • 1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan

Method
 

  1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat and soften leeks for 7 minutes. Add ground chicken, 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, breaking the meat finely, until 165°F; fold in frozen peas off heat.
  2. Melt sauce butter in a saucepan and stir in flour for 1 minute. Gradually whisk in milk and broth, add remaining salt and nutmeg and simmer for 5 to 6 minutes until lightly thickened.
  3. Butter a 6-quart slow cooker and spread 3/4 cup white sauce over the bottom. Divide dry noodles into three groups, breaking sheets to fit with minimal overlap.
  4. Layer one group of noodles, one-third of the chicken mixture, one-third of the remaining white sauce and one-third of the Gruyère. Repeat twice and finish with Parmesan, making sure sauce covers every noodle edge.
  5. Cover and cook on low for 3 to 3 1/2 hours, checking at 2 1/2 hours, until the center noodles are tender and the filling reaches 165°F.
  6. Switch off, uncover and rest for 25 minutes. Divide into eight portions with a wide spatula, keeping the white sauce and chicken layers together.