Pesto Lasagna
By Mark HuxsollPublished on September 3, 2024
Time
1¾ hours, plus 45 minutes cooling
Yield
Serves 8 to 10
Ingredients
Béchamel
7 tablespoons unsalted butter 7 tablespoons all-purpose flour 5½ cups whole milk 1 teaspoon pepper ⅛ teaspoon grated nutmegPesto
4 ounces fresh basil leaves 1 tablespoon table salt, plus salt for blanching basil½ cup extra-virgin olive oil ¼ cup pine nuts, toasted 2 garlic cloves, peeled2 ounces grated Parmesan cheese (1 cup)2 teaspoons grated lemon zestLasagna
17 curly-edged lasagna noodles Vegetable oil spray 1 ounce grated Parmesan cheese (½ cup), plus extra for serving¼ cup pine nuts, toastedBefore You Begin
Use a good-quality, relatively mild extra-virgin olive oil for the best results. Toast the pine nuts in a dry skillet over medium heat, stirring often, until they are lightly browned and fragrant. A 1-pound box of lasagna noodles should yield enough for this recipe, but sometimes it's best to buy two boxes in case some of the noodles are broken. Depending on the exact sizes of your lasagna noodles (which can vary slightly by brand) and baking dish, you may not need to use the half noodles called for in steps 4 and 5. You can also make this recipe in a 13 by 9-inch metal baking pan.
Instructions
- Melt butter in medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour and cook, whisking constantly, until mixture is evenly com-bined but still very pale in color, about 1 minute. Slowly whisk in milk, increase heat to medium-high, and bring to boil. Add pepper and nutmeg and continue to cook, whisking constantly, until mixture is thickened and smooth, about 1 minute longer. Transfer béchamel to large bowl and let cool while making pesto, about 20 minutes.
- Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Add basil leaves and 1 tablespoon salt and cook until basil is just wilted but still bright green, 5 to 10 seconds. Using spider skimmer or slotted spoon, transfer basil directly to salad spinner and spin to remove excess water; do not discard water in pot. (If you don't have a salad spinner, pat basil dry with clean dish towel and squeeze thoroughly to remove excess water.)
- Transfer basil to blender. Add oil, pine nuts, garlic, and salt and process until smooth, about 1 minute, scraping down sides of blender jar as needed. Transfer pesto to bowl with béchamel. Stir in Parmesan and lemon zest until combined; set aside.
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Return water in pot to boil. Add noodles and cook, stirring occasionally, until fully tender. Drain noodles and transfer to rimmed baking sheet. Spray noodles lightly with oil spray and gently toss to coat. Cut 2 noodles in half crosswise.
- Spread 1 heaping cup béchamel mixture evenly over bottom of 13 by 9-inch baking dish. Arrange 3 noodles in even layer over sauce, with short ends of noodles flush with 1 short side of dish, leaving gap at 1 end. Arrange 1 half noodle crosswise to fill gap. Spread 1 cup béchamel mixture evenly over noodles. Repeat layering of noodles and béchamel mixture 3 more times, switching position of half noodle in each layer.
- Arrange remaining 3 noodles over top (there is no half noodle for top layer). Spread remaining 1 cup béchamel mixture over noodles, then sprinkle evenly with Parmesan and pine nuts. Bake until top of lasagna is spotty brown and edges are bubbling, 40 to 50 minutes. Let lasagna cool for 45 minutes. Slice and serve with extra Parmesan.To Make Ahead: After sprinkling top of lasagna with Parmesan and pine nuts in step 6, cover dish with greased aluminum foil and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. Bake lasagna, covered, on middle rack of 375-degree oven for 20 minutes. Remove foil and continue to bake, uncovered, until top is spotty brown and edges are bubbling, 40 to 50 minutes longer.
for the bechamel
for the pesto
for the lasagna
Time
1¾ hours, plus 45 minutes coolingYield
Serves 8 to 10Ingredients
Béchamel
Pesto
Lasagna
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Béchamel
Pesto
Lasagna
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Béchamel
Pesto
Lasagna
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
This recipe combines what we love about fresh basil pesto and rich, comforting lasagna. For a lasagna with substantial chew and layers that didn't just melt together, we chose boiled dried lasagna noodles over no-boil noodles. For a creamy base, we made a rich béchamel sauce, and then we made a fresh, fragrant pesto with lots of blanched basil. Blanching resulted in basil that tasted cleaner and had a more vibrant green color. (We saved steps and pots by cooking the noodles in the same water we blanched the basil in.) We added the basil to a blender along with olive oil, pine nuts, garlic, and salt. Using a blender gave us a finer pesto compared with pesto made in a food processor. We stirred the basil mixture into the béchamel and then added Parmesan and lemon zest to finish our sauce. Then we simply layered our pesto-béchamel sauce between the lasagna noodles. This was easier than layering the sauces separately and gave us the rich, creamy texture we were looking for. A final sprinkle of Parmesan and toasted pine nuts on top made our lasagna dinner-party ready and reinforced the flavors within.
Want more? Read the whole storyBefore You Begin
Use a good-quality, relatively mild extra-virgin olive oil for the best results. Toast the pine nuts in a dry skillet over medium heat, stirring often, until they are lightly browned and fragrant. A 1-pound box of lasagna noodles should yield enough for this recipe, but sometimes it's best to buy two boxes in case some of the noodles are broken. Depending on the exact sizes of your lasagna noodles (which can vary slightly by brand) and baking dish, you may not need to use the half noodles called for in steps 4 and 5. You can also make this recipe in a 13 by 9-inch metal baking pan.
Instructions
- Melt butter in medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour and cook, whisking constantly, until mixture is evenly com-bined but still very pale in color, about 1 minute. Slowly whisk in milk, increase heat to medium-high, and bring to boil. Add pepper and nutmeg and continue to cook, whisking constantly, until mixture is thickened and smooth, about 1 minute longer. Transfer béchamel to large bowl and let cool while making pesto, about 20 minutes.
- Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Add basil leaves and 1 tablespoon salt and cook until basil is just wilted but still bright green, 5 to 10 seconds. Using spider skimmer or slotted spoon, transfer basil directly to salad spinner and spin to remove excess water; do not discard water in pot. (If you don't have a salad spinner, pat basil dry with clean dish towel and squeeze thoroughly to remove excess water.)
- Transfer basil to blender. Add oil, pine nuts, garlic, and salt and process until smooth, about 1 minute, scraping down sides of blender jar as needed. Transfer pesto to bowl with béchamel. Stir in Parmesan and lemon zest until combined; set aside.
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Return water in pot to boil. Add noodles and cook, stirring occasionally, until fully tender. Drain noodles and transfer to rimmed baking sheet. Spray noodles lightly with oil spray and gently toss to coat. Cut 2 noodles in half crosswise.
- Spread 1 heaping cup béchamel mixture evenly over bottom of 13 by 9-inch baking dish. Arrange 3 noodles in even layer over sauce, with short ends of noodles flush with 1 short side of dish, leaving gap at 1 end. Arrange 1 half noodle crosswise to fill gap. Spread 1 cup béchamel mixture evenly over noodles. Repeat layering of noodles and béchamel mixture 3 more times, switching position of half noodle in each layer.
- Arrange remaining 3 noodles over top (there is no half noodle for top layer). Spread remaining 1 cup béchamel mixture over noodles, then sprinkle evenly with Parmesan and pine nuts. Bake until top of lasagna is spotty brown and edges are bubbling, 40 to 50 minutes. Let lasagna cool for 45 minutes. Slice and serve with extra Parmesan.To Make Ahead: After sprinkling top of lasagna with Parmesan and pine nuts in step 6, cover dish with greased aluminum foil and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. Bake lasagna, covered, on middle rack of 375-degree oven for 20 minutes. Remove foil and continue to bake, uncovered, until top is spotty brown and edges are bubbling, 40 to 50 minutes longer.
for the bechamel
for the pesto
for the lasagna
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