Ingredients:

1 3-lb chicken
2 chicken bouillon cubes
1 cup Uncle Ben’s rice
2 cups water
1 onion, chopped
1/2 cup margarine
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 (2 oz) jar pimientos
1 (4 oz) can green chillies
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 cup sour cream
8 oz Monterey Jack cheese, grated
8 oz Cheddar cheese, grated

Cooking Instructions:

Stew chicken with bouillon cubes; remove bones and chop into bite-size pieces. Cook rice in water just until tender.

Saute onions in margarine; then add garlic, cumin, chili powder, pimientos, and green chilies. Set aside.

In saucepan, heat chicken soup, broth, and sour cream; then add Monterrey Jack cheese. Stir until cheese melts and add onion mixture.

Spray 3-quart casserole dish with cooking spray. Put rice in bottom of dish, add chopped chicken and top with soup mixture.

Bake at 350° for about 20 minutes until heated through. Add grated Cheddar chees and return to oven for 5 minutes until cheese melts.

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef
1 lb pork sausage
1-4 lb 2 oz jar Prego
2 lbs Ricotta, drained
2 large eggs
3/4 cup Kraft grated parmesan cheese
1 1/2 lbs lasagna noodles
2 tbsp olive oil
16 oz freshly grated parmesan cheese
1 lb mozzarella, thinly sliced

Cooking Instructions:

Reserve 2 cups of Prego sauce and set aside. Brown together beef and pork. Drain. Mix remaining Prego sauce with meat. Set aside.

Mix together ricotta cheese, eggs, and kraft parmesan. Set aside.

Cook lasagna noodles with olive oil in boiling water for 8 minutes (al dente). Drain and immediate spray with cold water until noodles have cooled and stopped cooking.

Arrange in layers (see below). Cover loosely with foil and bake 65 minutes at 375°.

Remove from oven and let stand 30 minutes to 3 hours before cutting. To rewarm cover and cook at 325° for 15-45 minutes depending on how long it has been standing.

Layers:

–3/4 cup meat sauce
–Noodles lengthwise to cover bottom and overhang short ends of dish 2 inches
–2 cups meat sauce
–1/2 cup fresh parmesan
–Noodles crosswise to cover bottom and overhang long ends of dish 2 inches
–Ricotta mixture
–Noodles lengthwise to cover
–Mozzarella
–1 cup meat sauce
–1 cup fresh parmesan
–Noodles lengthwise to cover
–2 cups meat sauce
–1/2 cup fresh parmesan
–Turn over ends of lasagna; cover with remaining meat sauce, reserved Prego sauce, and remaining fresh parmesan

Additional Comments:

I adapted the layer process from a recipe I saw on the Today show. I really like overlapping the noodles. Care must be taken, however, to cover the overlaps with sauce so they do not dry out. Also, I make a variety of substitutions to this recipe depending on my mood and what I have on hand. Cottage cheese works for the Ricotta. Italian sausage (I like the sweet) works for pork sausage as does turkey sausage. And you can certainly use your own special sauce.