Lasagna al Pesto (Pesto Lasagna) is a cheesy homemade Italian lasagna recipe. Made with three cheeses, pasta, and a creamy bechamel basil pesto sauce. A comfort food perfect for cold weather and winter. Vegetarian.
Cook the noodles in a large pot of water as per package direction. When al dente (still firm but not crunchy and not too soft), drain and toss with a little olive oil to help prevent sticking. Set aside.
Make the Pesto Béchamel Sauce
Make your basil pesto, if not done already.
In a medium or large pot (same pot of the noodles is great), melt the butter over medium heat. When melted, add the flour and stir to combine. Cook 30-60 seconds.
Whisk in the milk, salt, and black pepper. Cook on a simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce slightly thickens, approximately 7-10 minutes.
Remove the sauce from the heat. Add the pesto and stir to combine. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.
Prepare Cheese Mixture
In a medium bowl, combine all of the cheese mixture ingredients. Season to taste with salt, basil, and pepper.
Assembly
When ready to cook, preheat oven to 375°F.
Spread ½ cup of the pesto sauce across the bottom of a 9 by 9 baking dish.
Cut the lasagna noodles in half to turn each one into shorter strips. Lay three strips across the bottom of the dish, slightly overlapping.
Dollop 1 cup of the cheese mixture over the noodles and gently spread across the noodles.
Sprinkle 1 cup of shredded mozzarella on top of the cheese mixture, followed by 2 Tablespoons of Parmesan.
Scoop and gently spread ½ cup of the pesto sauce across the cheeses.
Repeat another layer of noodles, cheese mixture, mozzarella, Parmesan, and pesto sauce. You should be out of the ricotta cheese mixture at this time.
Prepare the top layer by laying out the third layer of noodles. Top with the remaining pesto sauce.
Sprinkle with the remaining 1 cup of mozzarella and 2 Tablespoons of Parmesan.
Cover with tin foil or a lid and bake for approximately 50 minutes. The edges of the dish should be bubbling and the top cheese melted. Remove the lid/foil and finish baking 10-15 minutes or until the top is lightly browned. (Want a darker top? Remove the cover earlier or turn on the broiler for a few minutes).
Remove from oven and let sit 15 minutes before cutting and serving.
Notes
Use any sized baking dish, but something smaller like an 8x8 or 9x9 square dish is best to get the tall layers.This recipe is decently cheesy! If you want to go light on the cheese, cut cheese portions in half.Nov 2023 - This recipe was edited to reduce the bechamel by half as some commenters have found it to be too saucy. It now will be a stiffer, dryer lasagna. If you want it saucy, increase the amount of bechamel you make and use.Some people also find that this works better for them in a 9x13 dish instead of 9x9