Lasagna with pesto cream sauce, ricotta and spinach
Difficulty: Medium
Portions: 8
Preparation: 40 min.
Baking time: 1 hour
The lasagne with pesto cream with ricotta and spinach is a vegetarian main dish that is very rich, tasty and satisfying, a great alternative to traditional lasagna made with meat sauce. This vegetarian lasagna is made with alternating layers of two different mixes, one with the white sauce of pesto, and the other is with ricotta and spinach.
The smoked cheese gives the lasagna with ricotta and spinach pesto cream its special intense taste, but this lasagna recipe can be further enhanced with any kind of cheese you like.
Enjoy this lasagna with pesto sauce, ricotta and spinach with a glass of a good white wine, you will see that all will agree this is an ideal combination...
Ingredients:
* Pasta: 2/3 lb. No Boil Lasagna Noodles
For the white sauce or bechamel
* 7 Tablespoons Butter (100 gr)
* 7 and 1/2 Tablespoons White Flour
* 5 cups Milk
* 1/2 teaspoon Nutmeg
* Salt, to your taste
For the cream of pesto
* 4 cups Bechamel
* 1 cup Pesto
For the ricotta cheese and spinach mixture
* 3/4 cup Milk
* Parmesan
* 8 oz. Ricotta
* 1 lb. Fresh Spinach
* 1 egg, beaten
* 1 cup Bechamel
For the filling and top layer cheese
* 1/4 lb. Parmesan
* 1/2 lb. Scamorza or Provola smoked cheese
Instructions
Making the Pesto Cream:
1) Start by making the white sauce in our recipe, you can see by clicking here. Place the 2/3 (about four cups) of chilled white sauce in a bowl then mix in the pesto and the beaten egg; this is our cream of pesto.
Making the Spinach and Ricotta garnish
2) Boil spinach in salted water for 1 minute, then drain thoroughly, let the spinach cool down, squeeze them very well and finally chop very finely.
Put the ricotta, spinach, and the remaining white sauce in a bowl and mix everything together, using the whip of a mixer or with the actual mixer;
3) Add a few tablespoons of grated cheese then gradually add the 3/4 cup milk, until the mixture becomes soft and creamy; season with salt.
You now have the two creams that will be used to garnish the layers of this lasagna. .
Putting this lasagna together
4) Cut the 1/2 lb. smoked scamorza cheese in small cubes. Take a deep lasagna baking dish, and pour 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil to the bottom, then a few tablespoons of cream of pesto over it.
Place the first layer of pre-cooked lasagna noodles, and cover with a layer of cream of pesto, then spread a layer of ricotta cheese with spinach and sprinkle with some grated cheese.
5) Cover with the second layer of lasagna noodles, and repeat exactly the same procedure described above, by taking some cream of pesto which will help to hold the third and final layer of lasagna, over which you will sprinkle with grated cheese only.
Baking this lasagna
6) Bake this lasagna with cream of pesto, ricotta and spinach in a preheated oven to 300°F for about an hour before trying to pierce with a toothpick or fork, to see if the lasagna noodles are cooked, otherwise keep it in oven for as long as necessary.
Serve the lasagna with cream of pesto sauce to your guests with that fruity italian or californian white wine...