Pesto Lasagna Recipe

Felicity Vincent
Apr 12
2 min read

My green pesto lasagna:

A feel-good twist on a classic lasagna recipe for spring.

Craving a comforting dish that’s bursting with springtime goodness? This easy, healthy pesto lasagna is packed with seasonal greens like asparagus, courgette, and spinach, layered between sheets of pasta and smothered in a creamy pesto béchamel. It’s a fresh twist on a classic recipe, perfect for a cozy, healthy dinner, make-ahead meal prep, or as a vegetarian centrepiece for your Easter table. Delicious, satisfying, and guaranteed to impress!

Green pesto lasagna dish with a served up slice on a plate and a wedge of parmesan on the side to grate on top. — Pesto Lasagna

Ingredients (4 portions):

Easy pesto lasagna recipe:

1 courgette
250g asparagus
200g spinach
52g basil leaves
55g grana padano cheese
1 garlic clove
40mL EVOO
20g almonds
50g butter
50g plain flour
400mL semi skimmed milk
2 mozzarella balls
8 lasagna pasta sheets
Sea salt

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Thinly slice the courgette into rounds. Trim the bottom inch off the asparagus, then cut the spears in half.
Heat a griddle or frying pan over high heat.
Add the courgette slices to the pan in a single layer, avoiding any overlap. Cook for 4 minutes on one side, then flip and cook for a further 2 minutes, until nicely charred on both sides. Continue until all the courgette is cooked. Repeat the process with the asparagus, cooking for 2 minutes on one side and 1 minute on the other, until lightly browned.
Rinse the spinach in cold water, drain, and add to the hot pan. Wilt for about a minute, then transfer to a sieve. Allow it to cool before squeezing out any excess water.
Drizzle all the vegetables with a little extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) and season with a few pinches of salt.
Peel the garlic clove and cut the cheese into small pieces. Add to a food processor along with the basil leaves, almonds, EVOO, and a generous pinch of sea salt. Blitz until it forms a paste.
Pour the whey from the mozzarella packets into a jug. Dice the mozzarella balls.
Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the plain flour and stir immediately. Cook the roux (flour and butter mixture) for 2 minutes, then slowly pour in the mozzarella whey, followed by the milk, whisking continuously. Continue to cook the sauce until it thickens and coats the back of a spoon.
Remove the white sauce from the heat and stir in the pesto.
In an ovenproof dish, begin layering: start with a little pesto béchamel, followed by pasta sheets, more sauce, a layer of courgette, more pasta sheets, sauce, asparagus, more pasta sheets, sauce, spinach, more pasta, then a final layer of béchamel. Top with the diced mozzarella and a generous grating of Grana padano.
Bake for 40 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the sauce is bubbling.
Serve hot, or allow to cool before slicing and storing in the fridge or freezer.
Bon appétit!