When I think of lasagna, it is always the same bolognese sauce that comes to mind. Whether it’s in a restaurant or in the frozen section of the grocery store, lasagna is exactly what you expect it to be. But if you give it more than one second of thought, lasagna is just pasta! And pasta comes in all different styles and sauces! Thus, I wanted to make a lasagna with my favorite sauce for everything: pesto.
This lasagna is so rich and decadent with 3 different types of cheese. But the pesto cuts through the heaviness of it all. The oven does all the work, so you just need to assemble and impress at your next party!
- Pesto Bechamel Ingredients:
- 2 1/2 Tablespoons butter
- 2 1/2 Tablespoons flour
- 2 1/2 cups milk
- salt and pepper
- 1 1/2 cups pesto
- Cheese Mix Ingredients:
- 1 pound ricotta cheese
- 1/3 cup grated parmesan
- 1 egg
- 1/2 Tablespoon dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- salt and pepper
- Ingredients:
- 8-10 sheets no-boil lasagna
- 2-3 cups shredded mozzarella
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan
- Recipe:
- melt the butter in a pot on low heat
- whisk with flour and keep heating and stirring until it turns light brown
- whisk in the milk and keep heating and whisking until the milk thickens into almost a sauce-like consistency
- turn off the heat and mix in the pesto
- set the pesto bechamel aside
- in another bowl, mix together all the cheese mix ingredients
- in a 9×13 inch casserole dish, spread a layer of pesto bechamel
- add a layer of lasagna noodles – make sure not to overlap them, and break them into pieces if necessary
- spread a thin layer of the cheese mix
- sprinkle on a third of the mozzarella and grated parmesan
- carefully spread a layer of pesto bechamel on top
- repeat the layers of lasagna noodles, cheese mix, mozzarella, parmesan, and pesto
- add another layer of lasagna noodles
- spread over any leftover pesto and cheese mix
- sprinkle mozzarella and parmesan to cover the top
- cover the dish with foil
- put in the oven preheated at 375 degrees F and bake for an hour
- remove the foil and bake until the top slightly browns – about 10-15 minutes
- let it rest for about 15-20 minutes before serving – if it’s too hot, it will completely lose shape and melt when you try to serve a piece of it
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