Chocolate Lasagna

Mmmmmmmm... Chocolate Lasagna 

This is for YOU, the chocolate lover out there who is looking for a chocolate-y treat that is actually quite light! Chocolate Lasagna is a dessert you don’t want to miss!


You will begin with the crust which consists of crushed Oreos mixed with a little butter. You will want to use regular Oreos versus the Double Stuff variety and you’ll need all 36 cookies that come in a typical package of Oreos (minus the 1 or 2 or 3 that you are obligated to sample before crushing them…).

After pressing the cookie/butter mixture into a 9 x 13 inch baking pan, you’ll get working on the layers! What I love about this recipe is that the layers are actually quite light. Maybe not in calories, but this dessert will NOT sit in your stomach like a brick like some desserts!
The first layer is a white layer which consists of cream cheese that you’ve whipped until fluffy, sugar, a little milk, and some Cool Whip. Not whipped cream, Cool Whip! Once that’s spread over the chocolate-y Oreo crust, you’ll prep the chocolate layer!

The chocolate layer is simply chocolate pudding. Seriously, how easy is that? You will need two boxes of chocolate instant pudding. Make sure it’s instant pudding guys, and not the cook and serve variety. I didn’t realize that I had bought the cook and serve kind, so I sat there whisking and whisking…. and whisking the mixture waiting for it to thicken up and it never did. Then I realized what I had done and had to make an emergency trip to the grocery store to buy instant pudding!
At any rate, once the pudding has thickened up a bit, you’ll spread it over the white layer. Yum yum. At this point, let it rest for about five minutes before continuing on to the next step.


The very last layer is simply a little more Cool Whip that you’ll spread over the top. Because this is Chocolate Lasagna, I figured I’d throw in just a bit more chocolate to complete the experience of Chocolate Lasagna, so I sprinkled a bunch of mini chocolate chips on top. It was the perfect addition!
If you’re familiar with the Chocolate Lasagna that Olive Garden serves (served? I hear they no longer sell it), this is nothing like it. Their layers were more cake-like while this Chocolate Lasagna is just light and fluffy layers of pudding, and Cool Whip with a little cream cheese mixed in.
We really loved this Chocolate Lasagna. Each layer complimented the next just perfectly! And, it makes a big 9 x 13 inch pan so that you will have plenty for sharing. Oh, and did I mention that it’s a no-bake treat? I love it when I come across a fantastic treat that requires no oven! Enjoy!

Prep: 20mn

Total: 1hr 20mn

Cook: N/A

INGREDIENTS

• 1 package regular Oreo cookies (Not Double Stuff) – about 36 cookies
• 6 Tablespoon butter, melted
• 1- 8 ounce package cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 Tablespoons cold milk
• 1- 12 ounce tub Cool Whip, divided
• 2 – 3.9 ounce packages Chocolate Instant Pudding.
• 3 1/4 cups cold milk
• 1 and 1/2 cups mini chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS

1. Begin by crushing 36 Oreo cookies. I used my food processor for this, but you could also place them in a large ziplock bag and crush them with a rolling pin. When the Oreos have turned into fine crumbs, you are done.
2. Transfer the Oreo crumbs to a large bowl. Stir in 6 tablespoons melted butter and use a fork to incorporate the butter into the cookie crumbs. When the butter is distributed, transfer the mixture to a 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Press the crumbs into the bottom of the pan. Place the pan in the refrigerator while you work on the additional layers.
3. Mix the cream cheese with a mixer until light and fluffy. Add in 2 Tablespoons of milk, and sugar, and mix well. Stir in 1 and 1/4 cups Cool Whip. Spread this mixture over the crust.
4. In a bowl, combine chocolate instant pudding with 3 and 1/4 cups cold milk. Whisk for several minutes until the pudding starts to thicken. Use a spatula to spread the mixture over the previous cream cheese layer. Allow the dessert to rest for about 5 minutes so that the pudding can firm up further.
5. Spread the remaining Cool Whip over the top. Sprinkle mini chocolate chips evenly over the top. Place in the freezer for 1 hour, or the refrigerator for 4 hours before serving.