Cashew Pesto Lasagna

This is a completely different variation from the traditional Lasagna that most of us make. It will make a nice change from your regular recipe and should be added to everyone's cookbooks who likes Italian food. For those who think that you can't make a good pesto without pine nuts...I found out that cashews are marvelous instead.

• Ready In: 1 hr 10 mins
• Serves: 12

Ingredients

• 1⁄4 cup fresh basil leaf
• 1⁄2 cup  chopped roasted salted cashews (divided)
• 2  cloves  minced garlic
• 1⁄4 cup  shredded fresh pecorino romano cheese
• 1⁄4-1⁄3 cup olive oil
• 6  lasagna noodles, cooked and drained
• 2  cups  pre-cooked chopped chicken
• 6  ounces  chopped fresh portabella mushrooms
• 1  cup  chopped onion
• 4  tablespoons butter, for sauteing mushrooms and onions
• 1  teaspoon salt
• 1⁄2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1  cup  creamy cottage cheese
• 2  large eggs
• 3  cups  spaghetti sauce
• 1 1⁄2 cups  shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 1⁄2 cups  shredded monterey jack cheese
• 1⁄8 cup mozzarella cheese

Directions

1. Place the first five ingredients (using only 1/2 of the cashews) into a food processer and pulse or use a hand blender until you have a moist paste
2. Add the cottage cheese and the eggs to the pesto sauce and blend again until just blended together but tiny chunks of cashews are still visible
3. Do not overmix
4. Set aside
5. Saute the mushrooms and onions with the butter and the salt and pepper until the most of the butter is absorbed
6. Add the cooked chicken to the mushrooms and onions and the other half of the chopped cashews
7. Mix well
8. Set aside
9. Grease a 9 x 13 inch baking pan
10. Pour 1 cup of the spaghetti sauce in the bottom of the pan
11. Lay 3 cooked lasagna noodles side by side on top of the sauce
12. Pour a line of the pesto/cottage cheese/egg mixture along the middle of each noodle putting about 1/6 of the mixture on top of each one
13. Mix the 1 1/2 cup of morzerella and the 1 1/2 cup of Monterey Jack cheese together and put 1/2 of the mixed cheeses over the pesto/cottage cheese/egg layer
14. Sprinkle half of the mushroom/onion/chicken/cashew mixture over the previous layer
15. Pour 1 cup of spaghetti sauce over the mushroom/onion/chicken/cashew layer
16. Make another layer of ingredients following instructions from # 7 to # 11, ending with the spaghetti sauce
17. Sprinkle the 1/8th cup of morzerella cheese over the top
18. Bake 350 degrees farenheit for about 40 minutes
19. It should be only slightly brown on top
20. Let casserole sit for 10 minutes before serving for the dish to hold together better
21. Cut between noodles and then horizontally to make 12 servings
22. Serve with Salad and Garlic Bread