RecipesPasta & Co

Basil Pesto Lasagne – Easy and Delicious!

by Micaela Harrasser

Are you a fan of lasagne, and looking for a stunning alternative to the classic Bolognese? I got you covered! 😉 these lasagne are layered with the classic bechamel sauce mixed with traditional basil pesto (find my easy and quick recipe here). Easy and delicious, with some extra cheese – because why not 😉

You can use store bought pesto – just make sure to dilute it with some water to make it less dense and intense in flavor! About the cheese: I had this leftover caciotta but you can use any semi-hard cheese that melts nicely – even shredded mozzarella! Just make sure it’s not too flavored otherwise it might overpower the pesto flavor.

A note about the pasta sheets: here I describe that I pre-boil them for a couple of minutes. This will ensure even and softer pasta layers after the baking! Lastly, you can also freeze the lasgane – so make sure to make a big batch!

If you are looking for other ‘green’ lasagna options, check out my lasagne with a delicious broccoli pesto here! Enjoy 😀

[ratings]

Basil Pesto Lasagne - Easy and Delicious!

Serves: 3 Prep Time: Cooking Time: Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

For a 13 x 20 oven dish:

  • 6 lasagna sheets (or more if you want to make extra layers)
  • 120g fresh pesto
  • 100g caciotta or other semi-hard cheese
  • Freshly grated parmigiano
  • Bechamel sauce: 40g flour + 40g butter + 350 mL milk, salt pepper and nutmeg

Instructions

  1. Turn the oven to 180C.
  2. Place a wide pot with water on the stove to boil (for the lasagna sheets).
  3. Finely chop the cheese.
  4. Place the pesto into a bowl.
  5. Prepare the bechamel: in a small non-stick pot, make the roux by melting the butter and mixing in the flour on very low heat, using a wooden spoon.
  6. Make sure the flour in evenly incorporated and mix frequently to avoid it to stick onto the pot.
  7. Slowly add the milk and mix.
  8. If you see lumps appearing, mix everything with a whisk.
  9. Increase the heat a bit and keep stirring until you get a pretty dense consistency (so that the lasagna won’t be too liquid).
  10. Let’s assemble the lasagna!
  11. Place one lasagna sheet at the time in the boiling water.
  12. While the first one cooks (a couple of minutes), make a thin layer of bechamel at the bottom of the oven dish so that the lasagna sheet won’t stick to it.
  13. Add the boiled sheet on top.
  14. Add a couple of pasta cooking water to the pesto and mix.
  15. Add a layer of bechamel sauce to the lasagna sheet.
  16. Add some pesto on top, making sure to cover most of the surface
  17. Then add the sliced cheese. See the picture on how it should look.
  18. Add a new lasagna sheet to the water and boil for two minutes.
  19. Transfer on top, and repeat the steps 15-17.
  20. Make sure to finish up with some leftover bechamel sauce.
  21. Once reached almost the top of your oven dish, add the last lasagna sheet and cover it completely with bechamel sauce (and the other ingredients too if any left).
  22. Sprinkle some parmigiano on top, then place it in the middle of the oven and cook until a gorgeous, golden crust is formed, about 30 minutes.
  23. Let it cool for a few minutes before serving, and enjoy!

Notes

Storage: it keeps in the fridge for up to three days. If fresh ingredients were used (yep, you can freeze pesto!) it can be frozen either before or after baking.

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