Chicken & spring vegetable lasagne

This is a light and spring-y lasagna full of green. I added in some chopped chicken for an extra hit of protein, but you can easily make this vegetarian by omitting the chicken and chicken stock.

Start off by making the green sauce. Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. While it’s coming to a boil, prepare a large ice bath to shock the vegetables. This helps them stay green. Pop the garlic in the water and let it cook while you’re blanching. Blanch the vegetables in batches: 1-2 minutes for the broccoli and peas, 30 seconds for the spinach. Immediately plunge into the ice water to stop the vegetables from cooking. When cool, drain well. Place the vegetables and garlic in a food processor or blended and blitz until smooth and uniform. If needed, add a touch of chicken stock to thin out. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the lasagna noodles according to the package, draining and rinsing lightly when cooked. (This is the only kind of pasta that I rinse – I don’t like washing off the starches, but it’s the only way to stop the noodles from sticking together in a giant lasagna nest.)

While the noodles are cooking, make the cheese sauce: Over medium heat, in a large sauce pan, melt the butter. Add the flour and stir constantly over medium heat for about 3-5 minutes, until smooth. Pour in half of the milk in a thin stream while whisking. When smooth, add the rest of the milk. Keep on medium heat and whisk for about 10 minutes, until the sauce thickens. Stir in the cheese and season with salt and pepper to taste.