favorite fall lilly pulitzer & white chicken lasagna

i have posted my favorites from j. crew a couple of times now so i thought i would post my favorite pieces from another one of my favorite designers, Lilly Pulitzer! my dream would be to have a closet full of Lilly but i'm not sure i could ever get it all worn. i love her bright colors and patterns that are incorporated regardless of the season. this fall is no different and i think it might be one of my favorite fall Lilly collections that i've seen. the silhouettes are classic Lilly, but there are trendy elements thrown into the mix that make each piece perfect for this fall. so without further ado, here are a few of my favorite pieces!

karla sweater jacket

arlington dress

evangelista pant

havana top

worth skinny mini

aurora sweater

charlene dress

i am headed home tomorrow for a weekend in murfreesboro. mom always ask what i want her to fix for supper and i always have such a hard time deciding since i live with two excellent cooks! for this trip home, i decided on a family favorite, white chicken lasagna. i have been craving this lately but haven't made it here in knoxville because i don't know what i would do with a full pan of lasagna and no one to share it with. we love this recipe because it is a tasty spin on lasagna, made skinnier with chicken, spinach, squash and less cheese (but you would never know it). you can even tell picky eaters that the butternut squash is cheese and they will never know the difference (i know this because we told phillip it was cheese and he devoured it). we usually have this with a salad on the side. also, this recipe makes a large pan of lasagna so i will hopefully have some leftovers to bring back to knoxville! 

white chicken lasagna

lasagna noodles (about one box, using no-cook is easiest!)

1/4 c. butter

1 onion, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 c. WW flour

1/2 tsp. salt

ground black pepper, to taste

2 c. chicken broth

2 c. nonfat milk

2 c. part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided  

1/4 c. shredded or grated Parmesan cheese, divided

1 tsp. basil

1 tsp. oregano

1 c. part-skim or non-fat ricotta cheese

1 1/2 c. cooked and shredded chicken

1 small box frozen spinach, thawed and drained; liquid squeezed out

1 small box frozen butternut squash puree, thawed

1. Melt butter in a large saucepot.  Add onions and garlic and cook over medium heat until translucent.  Add flour, salt, and pepper.  Cook flour mixture 1-2 minutes.  Add chicken broth and milk.  Bring to a boil; cook and stir 1 minute.  Turn off heat and add 1 cup mozzarella cheese and 1/4 c. Parmesan cheese.  Stir in dried spices.
2. Lightly spray a 9×13″ baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.  Ladle some cheese sauce onto the bottom to thinly cover.  Add a layer of lasagna noodles.  Layer with more cheese sauce, the chicken, and the ricotta cheese.  Add another layer of pasta.  Top with cheese sauce, spinach, and 1/2 c. mozzarella cheese.  Add another layer of pasta.  Top with cheese sauce.  Using a spoon, spread the butternut squash puree over the cheese sauce. Add final layer of lasagna.  Top with remaining 1/2 c. mozzarella cheese. 
3. Cover with foil and bake at 375 degrees for at least 35-40 minutes.  Remove foil and continue to cook until bubbly and center is hot.  If cheese doesn’t brown on top, turn on the broiler for the last couple minutes.  Allow lasagna to sit about 15 minutes before serving for easier slicing.

(slightly adapted from One Ordinary Day)

hope you enjoy and happy thirsty thursday! 

xoxo, 

clp