Famous Chicken Lasagna

In the last few weeks, my life has revolved around kids, camp, dorm food and mini vans.

Unlike many teachers, my summers aren't much of a break. I load up the school mini van with yearbook and newspaper kids and spend days at a time in warped world of copy, picas, pictures and deadlines. And I love every minute of it. Seeing students get excited about things that I fell in love with myself as a high school kid is amazing. Hearing their ideas, talking about the upcoming year and watching their leadership skills develop is so exciting.

Of course, there are things that I don't love about camp, too. For one, the food usually leaves something to be desired. The first two camps of this summer were a mundane drone of dining hall drab, without a lot of options or variety. The accommodations aren't always the most comfortable either. My days in a twin double long are kind of a thing of the past. Showering in flip flops is definitely not my favorite. Listening to kids fight over who gets the "bucket seat" or "shotgun" in the minivan for a five minute car ride makes me want to pull my hair out. The long hours are tireless, too. They are jam-packed with fun and activities, but by 11 PM on the fourth day, I can barely keep my eyes open. I think my age is catching up with me.

But newspaper camp is different. We stay at an apartment-style hotel. We cook our own food. We have down time. We sleep. There is time to go to the gym. It's kind of outstanding.

One of the best things about newspaper camp is the bonding that happens. I get to know my students on a different level. I watch them start to build relationships with each other. We all hang out together and relax. I cook dinner. I cook really, really big dinners.

Food brings people together. And this lasagna may be the new official food of my newspaper staff. I think almost every kid had a second helping and/or took it for lunch the next day. And long before it was famous with high school kids, my friends loved, craved and worshiped this dish.

The Famous Chicken Lasagna

photo by Jessica Y.

This creamy chicken lasagna had my students coming back for second 

and third helpings. And they took it for lunch the next day.

9 uncooked lasagna noodles (I use the no-bake kind)
1 (10.5 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon ground basil
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
4 cups chopped cooked chicken breast
4 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
1/4 cup milk

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Lightly coat a 9x13x2 pan with non-stick cooking spray.
3. In a medium bowl, combine chicken soup, mushroom soup, onion, Parmesan cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, milk and spices.
4. Smooth a small layer of the soup mixture on the bottom of the baking dish. Then, layer 1/3 of the noodles, soup mixture, chicken and cheese; repeat 3 times, ending with cheese. 
5. Cover with foil.
6. Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes. Remove foil.
7. Return lasagna to the oven for 15 minutes until the cheese begins to brown.