Cast Iron Chicken Alfredo Lasagna Roll-Ups

Creamy, cheesy and packed with seasoned chicken, colorful peppers, spinach and ricotta, these lasagna roll-ups are nestled into a homemade Parmesan Alfredo-ish sauce and broiled until bubbling, browned and perfectly ewie goowie.

The secret is building everything in the same cast iron skillet. The big stuff comes out between each step, but the juices, seasonings and browned bits stay right where they are. By the time you make the sauce, all that goodness has become part of it.

Makes: 10–12 roll-ups

Serves: 5–6

Ingredients

For the Chicken & Veggies

• 1½ lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces

• 1 tablespoon olive oil, if needed

• ½ red bell pepper, diced

• ½ yellow bell pepper, diced

• ½ green bell pepper, diced

• ½ medium onion, diced

• 1 teaspoon Better Than Bouillon Chicken Base

• 1 tablespoon tomato paste

• Black pepper, to taste

For the Ricotta & Spinach Filling

• 2 cups fresh spinach

• 15 oz ricotta cheese

• 1 large egg

For the Alfredo-ish Sauce

• 4 tablespoons butter

• 2 cups heavy cream

• 1½ cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese

• ½ teaspoon black pepper

• 1 teaspoon oregano

• ½ teaspoon smoked paprika

For the Roll-Ups

• 10–12 lasagna noodles

• 2 cups shredded Tillamook mozzarella cheese, divided

Directions

1. Get the noodles going.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the lasagna noodles and cook until al dente, according to the package directions. Drain and lay the noodles flat so they don't stick together while you prepare everything else.

2. Cook the chicken and veggies.

While the noodles are cooking, heat a large cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook until it begins to brown. If your chicken is very lean and the skillet needs it, add about a tablespoon of olive oil.

Add the red, yellow and green bell peppers along with the onion. Sauté until the vegetables begin to soften and the chicken is cooked through.

Stir in the Better Than Bouillon Chicken Base and tomato paste. Cook for another minute or two, stirring everything together so the chicken and vegetables get coated in all that flavor.

Add just a splash of water to loosen the yummy stuff from the bottom and cook for just a minute. Remove all of the chicken and vegetables from the skillet and set them aside but don't drain, wipe or clean the skillet. Leave the juices, seasonings and browned bits behind.

3. Sauté the spinach.

Add the fresh spinach directly to the same skillet. Sauté for 1–2 minutes, just until wilted.

Remove the spinach from the skillet and set it aside.

Again, the spinach comes out, but whatever juices and flavor are left in that skillet stay put.

4. Make the ricotta filling.

In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta cheese and egg.

Add the sautéed spinach and stir until everything is evenly combined. Set aside while you make the sauce.

5. Make the Alfredo-ish sauce.

Now all those layers of flavor left behind in the cast iron get turned into sauce.

Melt the butter directly in the same skillet over medium-low heat. Pour in the heavy cream and stir, scraping up any flavorful browned bits from the bottom of the pan.

Add the freshly grated Parmesan, black pepper, oregano and smoked paprika.

Let the sauce gently simmer for about 3–5 minutes, stirring frequently, until the Parmesan has melted and the sauce is smooth, creamy and slightly thickened.

Pour most of the sauce into a bowl, leaving approximately ½ cup of sauce in the bottom of the cast iron skillet for the roll-ups to sit in.

6. Fill and roll.

Lay one cooked lasagna noodle flat.

Spread approximately 2 tablespoons of the spinach-ricotta mixture over the noodle. Add about ¼ cup of the chicken and pepper mixture, then finish with a small sprinkle of mozzarella.

Roll the noodle up and place it seam-side down directly into the sauce in the cast iron skillet.

Repeat with the remaining noodles, nestling the roll-ups together in the skillet.

7. Make it ewie goowie.

Pour the reserved Alfredo-ish sauce over the top of the lasagna rolls, letting some of it run down into all the little spaces between them.

Top generously with the remaining mozzarella cheese.

Place the skillet under the broiler for approximately 3–5 minutes, watching it closely, until the mozzarella is melted, bubbling and beautifully browned in spots.

Remove from the oven and let it rest for about 5 minutes before serving.

Then scoop it onto a plate and enjoy all that ewie goowie goodness.

Jody's Kitchen Note

I'm a measure with your heart kind of cook, so the measurements are here for my rule followers. Feel free to adjust the cheese, seasonings or veggies to your heart's content.

But there's one part I wouldn't change: take the big stuff out, but leave the goodness in the pan.

Chicken and veggies out. Juices stay.

Spinach out. Juices stay.

Don't drain it. Don't wipe it out. And definitely don't wash that skillet between steps. By the time the butter, cream, Parmesan, oregano, pepper and smoked paprika go in, every bit of flavor you've built along the way becomes part of that creamy Alfredo-ish sauce.

That's where the good stuff happens.