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Southwestern Chicken Lasagna

A lasagna made with cooked chicken, cottage cheese, salsa, and southwestern spices.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 14 ingredients
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Why it works: Onion and garlic match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 29,058 recipes. Both carry furaneol, which smells caramel, strawberry. The science ↓

Southwestern Chicken Lasagna

Oven375°F
Time45 to 50 minutes

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare the filling

  1. Combine cottage cheese, parsley and chives; set aside.

  2. Heat oil in a 4-quart saucepan.

  3. Add onions, garlic and bell pepper.

  4. Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, until onion is tender.

  5. Add salsa, chili powder and cumin.

  6. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and cook, uncovered for 10 minutes.

  7. Meanwhile, cook lasagna noodles and drain well.

Assemble and bake

  1. Spray a 9x13-inch pan with non-stick spray.

  2. Arrange a layer of cooked noodles on the bottom.

  3. Spread 1/2 of cottage cheese mixture then 1/2 of chicken over noodles.

  4. Spread 1/3 of salsa mixture and 1/3 of cheese over chicken.

  5. Repeat layers with noodles, 1/2 cottage cheese mixture, 1/2 chicken, 1/3 salsa and 1/3 cheese.

  6. Finish with remaining noodles, salsa and cheese.

  7. Bake, covered, at 375°F for about 45 to 50 minutes.

  8. Let stand about 15 minutes before serving so it can firm up.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

726Calories
60 gProtein
42 gFat
28 gCarbs

Counts 12 of 14 ingredients. The other 2 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 12 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Chicken100g cooked165
Olive Oil1 tbsp (14g)119
Cheese1 oz (28g) cheddar113
Cheddar Cheese1 oz (28g)113
Cottage Cheese1/2 cup (113g) 2%98
Onion1 medium (110g)44
Bell Pepper1 medium (119g)31
Tomato1 medium (123g)22
Chili1 tsp (2.7g)8
Cumin1 tsp ground (2.1g)8
Garlic1 clove (3g)4
Parsley1 tbsp chopped fresh (3.8g)1
Saladnot in our table0
Lasagnanot in our table0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Onion + garlictop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together29,058 recipes

    Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).

  2. Garlic + cumintop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together5,082 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).

  3. Parsley + peppertop 2% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together34,122 recipes

    Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).

  4. Parsley + cumintop 3% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together821 recipes

    Shared aroma: cuminaldehyde (Spicy, cumin).

  5. Clove + cumintop 4% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together1,306 recipes

    Shared aroma: cuminaldehyde (Spicy, cumin).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Cooked chicken
Provides the main protein and bulk of the filling.
Cottage cheese
Adds moisture and a creamy layer that keeps the filling soft after baking.
Lasagna noodles
Form the structural layers that hold the filling together.
Monterey jack cheese
Melts into the layers for stretch and mild, creamy flavor.
Salsa
Supplies moisture, acidity and savory flavor to the sauce layers.
Onion
Softens and sweetens as it cooks, building the base flavor.

The step that matters

Let the lasagna stand before cutting. Resting about 15 minutes lets the melted cheese and moisture set, so layers hold their shape when served instead of sliding apart.

Swap the clove

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (chicken, cottage cheese, parsley, onion, garlic, pepper, cumin):

  1. Oreganofits better
  2. Thymefits better
  3. Corianderfits better
  4. Clovethe original

Fit is the average pairing score against chicken, cottage cheese, parsley, onion, garlic, pepper, cumin. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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