Recipe by Silvia Baldini — My aunt Antonella, an accomplished cook, made lasagne with basil pesto on Sunday family dinners. She would layer pasta sheets, homemade pesto and creamy béchamel in a large ovenproof baking dish the night before our meal. We would top the lasagne with abundant Parmesan and toasted pine nuts before warming them up for 20 minutes, right before sitting down to eat. Zia Antonella taught me to never cook pesto, but to only gently warm it up, because if you cook pesto, you kill the basil and destroy the aroma.
I make my lasagne following her teachings. I layer no boil, flat lasagne noodle (they work great) with small chunks of precooked potatoes and chopped green beans with spoonful’s of béchamel sauce and pesto. I warm the lasagne for 20 minutes, then I broil the top for 3 or 4 minutes until golden brown and bubbly.
| Servings | Prep Time |
| 8 people | 45 minutes |
| Cook Time |
| 25 minutes |
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Recipe by Silvia Baldini — My aunt Antonella, an accomplished cook, made lasagne with basil pesto on Sunday family dinners. She would layer pasta sheets, homemade pesto and creamy béchamel in a large ovenproof baking dish the night before our meal. We would top the lasagne with abundant Parmesan and toasted pine nuts before warming them up for 20 minutes, right before sitting down to eat. Zia Antonella taught me to never cook pesto, but to only gently warm it up, because if you cook pesto, you kill the basil and destroy the aroma.
I make my lasagne following her teachings. I layer no boil, flat lasagne noodle (they work great) with small chunks of precooked potatoes and chopped green beans with spoonful’s of béchamel sauce and pesto. I warm the lasagne for 20 minutes, then I broil the top for 3 or 4 minutes until golden brown and bubbly.
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Ingredients
Basil Pesto:
- 2 cups packed) fresh basil leaves
- 1 cup (packed) fresh flat-leaf Italian parsley
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup pine nuts, toasted
- 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Béchamel Sauce:
- 2 ½ cups whole milk
- ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 1 fresh bay leaf
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Lasagne:
- 2 large Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut in 2 inches cubes
- 2 cups green beans, stemmed and chopped in 2 inches sections
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 box no boil flat lasagna noodles (about 16 sheets)
- ½ cup pine nuts, toasted
- 1 ½ cups freshly grated parmesan
Servings: people
Instructions
Make the pesto:
- Put the basil, the parsley, and the Parmesan in a blender. Add half of the olive oil. Pulse until blended in a paste. With the motor going slowly add the remaining oil, the pine nuts, and the vinegar. Blend for 30 to 50 seconds or until combined. The Pesto should be bright green Taste and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.pepper. Set aside.
Make the Béchamel sauce:
- Warm the milk with the nutmeg and the bay leaf in a heavy bottom saucepan. Remove from heat right before the milk comes to a boil. Discard the bay leaf and set aside.
- In a medium size heavy bottom pan melt the butter on medium low heat, then add the flour. Mix quickly until a paste form.
- Add the warm milk to the butter mixture and constantly cook, stirring with a wooden spoon on low heat until the sauce thickens, about 15 minutes. It should resemble sour cream. Add salt and pepper. Set aside. I place kitchen film right on the top to avoid a skin to develop.
Make the lasagne:
- Preheat the oven at 350 ° F. Lightly oil the oven proof dish.
- Boil 2 cups of salted water in a medium pot. Parboil the cubed potato for 5 to 7 minutes, until soft but al dente. Scoop the potato out with a slotted large spoon and place in medium bowl. Toss with a teaspoon of olive oil to avoid sticking.
- Add the green beans to the boiling water and blanche for 4 to 5 minutes until bright green and cooked al dente. Scoop the beans with the slotted spoon and toss with the potatoes. Set Aside.
Assemble the lasagne:
- Cover the base of the oven proof dish with a scoop of pesto and a scoop béchamel. Place 3 sheets of the lasagna noodle and cover the whole bottom of the pan.
- Scoop 2 tablespoons of pesto and two tablespoons of béchamel sauce on the noodles. Flatten with a rubber spatula and cover the whole surface. Add 3 tablespoons of the cooked potatoes and green beans, then sprinkle a handful of pine nuts and 2 or 3 tablespoons of the grated Parmesan. Flatten the mixture with the rubber spatula making sure to distribute evenly. Season with salt and pepper. Reserve a couple of tablespoons of pesto to decorate the baked lasagne
- Repeat this pattern until everything is used up and there is a layer of bechamel on the top. Sprinkle with the Parmesan and some pine nuts.
- Transfer to the oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes until golden brown and bubbly on top. You can use the broiler for the last 3 minutes but be careful not to burn the béchamel.
- Remove from the oven, swirl the reserved pesto on the top. Rest for at least 10 minutes and serve.
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