Mexican Style Lasagna

I'm writing this as I nibble on left overs from dinner last night and I'm already planning when I can make this again!  Who doesn't love a cheesy, gooey, spicy and garlicky dinner?  No, this one isn't grain free but isn't a grain splurge either.  To make this gluten free you could use an alternative white sauce base.


Ingredients:

• Green Bell pepper, sliced
• Red Bell pepper, sliced
• 1 yellow onion, sliced
• Shredded chicken (I roasted chicken for the week and used breast and leg meat)
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp white flour
• 1 1/2 cups of whole milk
• 2 cups fresh spinach
• 1/2 of a chipotle in adobo
• 1-2 cloves of garlic depending on size
• 2 cups monterey jack cheese 
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Extra olive oil for drizzling
• 6 corn tortillas

Directions:

1. Heat a skillet to medium and drizzle with olive oil.  Add the peppers and sauté, then add the onion after about 5 minutes, stir every so often.
2. Add in the chicken after about 10 minutes to heat through, add a couple shakes of salt and stir.
3. In a sauce pan, heat the butter and olive oil, add the flour once the butter has melted.  Stir to mix and cook for about a minute.  Add the milk slowly and whisk to avoid clumps.  Bring the heat to medium stirring with a spoon until the sauce thickens to coat the back of the spoon.  Allow to cool for several minutes.
4. In a food processor, add the garlic clove(s), chipotle, white sauce and spinach and puree until it is fully blended.
5. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  In a baking dish, put a small amount of sauce to coat the bottom.  Place 2 corn tortillas to cover the bottom, layer 1/3 of the pepper/chicken mixture, then a layer of monterey cheese, then drizzle 1/3 of the sauce.  Add two more layers like this.  For the top layer, I added more of the cheese so it could get extra brown and bubbly in the oven.
6. Bake in the oven for 20-30 minutes, until the top is browned!