comfort food from a can of soup

In my frazzled state,

The can opener beckons

My seductive friend...

I'm using canned soup.

But if I don't confess it

Then is it cheating?

I know my mother relied on it often, anticipating a casserole to die for, but if I decide to start dinner from a can of cream soup, I am being supremely lazy. If I make a casserole, usually every layer is homemade. From scratch – not a can.

But I wanted a creamy pasta casserole for dinner – comfort food. Getting over a cold, I was in the mood for something yummy but I did not have the energy to go all out. So I decided to use a can of soup instead of homemade white sauce in chicken lasagna.

This recipe was just the ticket.

Chicken Basil Lasagna

1 (10 3/4-ounce) can cream of chicken soup

1 (8-ounce) container ricotta cheese

1 roasted red pepper from a jar, drained and cut into strips

2 cups chopped cooked chicken

1/2 cup refrigerated grated Asiago cheese

1/3 cup chopped fresh basil

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

6 no-boil lasagna noodles

2 cups (8 ounces) shredded provolone cheese, divided

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Mix soup and next 6 ingredients in a large bowl.

Layer 2 lasagna noodles on bottom of a lightly greased 9-inch square baking dish; spoon and spread one-third of soup mixture on noodles. Sprinkle with one-third of cheese. Repeat layers three times.

Cover with foil and bake 40 minutes. Uncover and bake until hot and bubbly, about 15 minutes . Let stand 10 minutes before cutting. Makes 4 to 6 servings.