Fresh Lasagne With Pesto Recipes

FRESH LASAGNA WITH WALNUT PESTO

Steps:

• Roast the cherry tomatoes: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment or a silicone baking mat.
• Place the cherry tomatoes on the prepared baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast until the tomatoes are juicy and slightly caramelized, about 20 minutes. Set aside.
• Meanwhile, make the walnut pesto: Combine the walnuts, garlic, cheese and basil in a food processor and process until smooth. Add big pinches each of salt and pepper. With the machine running, drizzle in the olive oil. Add more salt and pepper, to taste. Set the pesto aside.
• To assemble: Place 3 slices of the zucchini, slightly overlapping them, on a large plate. Add enough pesto to coat the zucchini (2 to 3 tablespoons). Top with a layer of sliced tomatoes. Top with 3 more zucchini slices, some of the pesto and cherry tomatoes and 2 tablespoons of the basil. Top with another layer of zucchini, pesto, sliced tomatoes and cherry tomatoes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and the remaining 2 tablespoons basil. Drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil and serve.

PESTO LASAGNE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 180˚C / 381˚F
• Lightly grease a 26cm x 18cm (10" x 7") baking dish

BASIL PESTO AND RICOTTA LASAGNA

Steps:

• Add the ricotta into a bowl and pour in the milk. Add also the grated Parmigiano Reggiano and stir thoroughly until you get a smooth batter. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
• Tear the mozzarella with your hands into small pieces. Also keep the basil pesto and fresh pasta sheets at hand.
• Now that all the ingredients are ready, prepare the lasagna and heat the oven to 200°C (400°F).
• Start by spreading two tablespoons of ricotta on the bottom of the baking pan, then top it with a few sheets of fresh pasta to cover the entire surface of the pan.
• Cover the pasta with 3 tablespoons of ricotta and 1 tablespoon of pesto, spreading it out evenly. Then add the bite-sized mozzarella.
• Continue making 4 more layers, until you have finished all the ingredients. The last layer will be made of ricotta, pesto and mozzarella.
• Sprinkle the top with breadcrumbs and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil.
• Bake the lasagna for about 20-25 minutes, until golden brown.
• You can serve the lasagna immediately, or, even better, let it cool down and serve after a few hours, or the next day, quickly reheating in a hot oven.

FRESH LASAGNE WITH PESTO

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 200C/gas 6/fan 180C. Put the milk, butter and flour in a medium pan and cook over a medium heat, whisking until thickened and smooth. Simmer for 1 minute. Take off the heat, season and add the nutmeg. Cool, stirring occasionally to stop a skin forming.
• Put the spinach in a large heatproof bowl, pour over a kettle of boiling water and leave for 30 seconds. Drain into a colander, cool under the cold tap then squeeze it well to remove the excess liquid.
• Spread a spoonful or two of the sauce on the bottom of a large ovenproof dish (about 30x20cm) and lay a third of the lasagne on top. Spoon over a third of the sauce and spread it out. Swirl a spoonful of pesto through the sauce with a knife and scatter over half the spinach with a third of the tomatoes, a few basil leaves and a third of the cheeses. Season with salt and pepper. Layer another third of the lasagne with a third of the sauce, a spoonful of pesto, the rest of the spinach, a third of the tomatoes and cheeses and some basil. Season.
• Finish with a layer of lasagne, the last of the sauce, pesto, cheeses and the tomatoes, including those on the vine. Bake for 35-40 minutes until golden. Scatter with the last of the basil leaves and serve.

PESTO LASAGNA

Steps:

• To prepare pesto lasagna , start with the pesto (for the complete procedure you can see our Genoese pesto recipe): first off, clean the basil leaves with a clean cloth, do not wash them with water. Then take a mortar and pound the peeled garlic together with a pinch of coarse salt: once you have a creamy mixture, add the basil leaves and another pinch of coarse salt 1 . Crush the basil by turning pestle and mortar in the opposite direction 2 . Add the pine nuts and grated cheese as you continue to crush the ingredients. Finally, add the oil 3 a little at a time, continuing to mix the ingredients well with the pestle until you obtain a homogeneous sauce. Alternatively, you can make the pesto in a blender, taking care to cool the blades in the refrigerator first and blend for the shortest possible time to prevent the basil from discoloring.
• Set the pesto aside 4 . As an alternative to the mortar, you can proceed with a blender fitted with blades for making pesto. Now proceed with the homemade pasta. Pour the sieved flour into a bowl (keep about 1/4-1/3 cup (30-40 g) to add later if needed) 5 . Add the eggs and start mixing the ingredients with a fork, incorporating the flour a little at a time 6 .
• Then knead the dough with your hands 7 for at least 10 minutes until a soft and homogeneous mixture is obtained. Shape into a loaf 8 , wrap it with plastic wrap and let it rest in a cool, dry place for about 30 minutes. Now make the béchamel sauce: heat the milk in a small saucepan, melt the butter over low heat, then turn off the heat and add the sifted flour a little at a time 9 , stirring continuously with a whisk to prevent any lumps. Then put the butter and flour mixture back over low heat and stir until golden.
• Season the milk with nutmeg and salt, then pour it a little at a time into the butter and flour mixture 10 , stir vigorously with a whisk 11 . Cook for 5-6 minutes on a low heat and continue stirring until the sauce thickens and starts to boil. Your béchamel sauce is ready, transfer it to a bowl and let it cool down 12 .
• In the meantime, pick up the fresh dough, sprinkle it with very little 00 flour, then divide it into 2 portions; wrap in plastic the one you are not using immediately to prevent it from drying out and put the other through a pasta machine (alternatively you can roll out the dough by hand with a rolling pin), flatten the dough and pass it through the rollers of the machine, from the widest to the thinnest thickness gradually until you get a very thin sheet of dough 13 . From the sheets of dough, cut 22 rectangles measuring 4x6 inches (10x15 cm) with a smooth pastry cutter or a knife 14 . Place the sheets on a tray with flour to prevent them from sticking 15 .
• Bring a saucepan full of slightly salted water to a boil, blanch the sheets for 1 minute 16 , drain them and place them on a tray drizzling them with a little oil so they won't stick 17 . You can also quickly dip the pasta sheets in a bowl of cold water to stop the cooking process. Once the pasta is cooked, take a 12x8-inch (30x20 cm) ovenproof dish and grease the bottom with a little oil 18 .
• Spoon a layer of béchamel sauce 19 then one of pesto 20 , and lay 3 sheets of pasta on top 21 , overlapping them slightly.
• Cover with béchamel sauce 22 and pesto, taking care to distribute the sauces evenly with a spoon 23 , sprinkle with grated cheese 24 and repeat with another layer of fresh pasta sheets until the ingredients are used up (you will need 6 layers composed of 3 sheets each).
• Finish off the last layer with 4 sheets of dough arranged horizontally (25-26), then top with béchamel sauce and pesto 27 .
• Mix the sauces well to obtain a more homogeneous cream 28 and finish with a layer of grated cheese 29 . Now bake the pesto lasagna in a preheated static oven at 360°F (180°C) for 15 minutes, then continue for another 5 minutes in grill mode (if you like a softer surface, you can skip this step). Take the pesto lasagna out of the oven and let it cool slightly before taking to the table 30 !

SPINACH LASAGNA WITH WALNUT PESTO

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil a 9 x 13-inch baking pan. If using fresh spinach, chop it fine. If using frozen, chopped spinach, make sure it is thoroughly defrosted and squeeze out all of the excess water.
• Place the ricotta or cottage cheese in a large bowl. Stir in the spinach, pesto, garlic, salt, pepper, half the Parmesan, and the walnuts. Mix well. Spread half the tomato sauce in the bottom of the pan. Place a layer of uncooked noodles over the sauce. Spoon about 1/3 of the ricotta or cottage filling in dabs over the noodles (you can spread it a little, but not too much) and sprinkle with 1/3 of the grated mozzarella. Follow with another layer of sauce, then noodles, followed by another 1/3 of the filling, and another 1/3 of the mozzarella. Repeat one more time, and then finish up with a final layer of noodles. You will have some Parmesan left over.
• If you are using fresh noodles, bake uncovered. If you are using dried noodles, cover the pan tightly with foil.
• Bake for 50 minutes, uncovering the pan (if applicable) during the last 15 minutes, during which time you can sprinkle on the reserved Parmesan. (In the case of the uncovered pan, if the top of the lasagna becomes as brown as you like it before the full baking time is up, cover loosely with foil and continue baking, so it wont get too dark.) Remove from the oven and let cool for about 10 minutes before serving.
• Walnut Pesto: Place the basil leaves and garlic in a food processor or blender, and mix well.
• Add the walnuts, and continue to blend until the walnuts are finely ground.
• Keep the machine running as you drizzle in the olive oil. When you have a smooth paste, transfer to a bowl, and stir in the Parmesan. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• If you are not going to use the pesto right away, place in a container that has a tight-fitting lid. Smooth out the top surface of the pesto, and pour on enough olive oil to cover it completely. This creates an air-proof seal that helps preserve it well. Cover tightly and store in the refrigerator.

PESTO LASAGNE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Butter a 13 by 9 by 4 baking dish and add a thin layer of besciamella (bechamel sauce). Cover with a layer of lasagna noodles, and then another thin layer of besciamella. Gently spread about 4 tablespoons pesto across the surface, and then top with about 2 tablespoons Parmesan. Repeat until you finish layering the lasagne. Top with a final layer of noodles and spread a final very thin layer besciamella, pesto, Parmesan cheese and a little butter to help the cheese crisp-up when cooked in the oven.
• Cook the lasagne for about 30 minutes. Serve dressed with some Parmesan and a drop of extra-virgin olive oil.
• Fresh Pesto: Combine the basil leaves, pine nuts, garlic, and olive oil in a mortar and pestle and pound until paste forms. Add the Parmesan cheese, Pecorino cheese, salt and pepper and stir until smooth.
• Keep the pesto in the refrigerator until you're ready to use it.
• Mix the pasta and the pesto...serve garnished with some grated Parmesan (just a touch), fresh ground pepper and a sprinkle of olive oil.
• Besciamella: Melt the 1/2 cup butter in a pan over medium heat. Stir in the flour with a wooden spoon. Cook's Note: This is an important moment, as you have to slowly toast the flour without burning it. This will help you lose the floury taste.
• Warm up the milk and gradually ladle into the pot with the butter-flour mixture, whisking constantly while bringing the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat, and simmer for about 15 minutes. Season the sauce with freshly grated nutmeg, salt, and pepper.