Chicken Pesto Lasagna

8 oz lasagna-type pasta

1 lg chicken breast

1 lg clove elephant garlic

1 c cottage cheese

1 egg

4 oz cream cheese

6 oz pesto

6 oz white cheese

16 oz pasta sauce, or equivalent

Sometimes a burst of creativity takes us out of our comfort zone and beyond logic. I've only made lasagna 2 or 3 times in my life, but when I saw this pasta, in a gift shop at an Italian restaurant, I thought it would be fun using it to make lasagna. I decided to tackle this today.  I didn't have all the typical ingredients, but again, sometime this sort of thing becomes an adventure.  You just go with it and hope for the best. (. . .and this turned out really well – my Granddaughter said she liked this way better than what she had at the Italian restaurant yesterday.)

Cook pasta until half done, then drain, rinse and chill in cold water to stop the cooking. Saute' the cut-up chicken in 1T butter for about 10 minutes – browning then adding a little of the pasta water to keep it from drying out. I seasoned mine with some Rosemary Seasonings and also some Pampered Chef Citrus and Basil Rub. Add chopped garlic and continue cooking another 5 minutes or so. In a little bowl, mix cottage cheese, egg, cream cheese and pesto together. Line a 8 or 9” baking dish with a layer of pasta, top with some red sauce, half the chicken and garlic, white cheese and cottage cheese mixture. Repeat this sequence. Bake at 325°-350° about an hour. . .Lin