When you think of lasagne, you probably think of the famous Lasagne alla Bolognese with bolognese ragù and bechamel sauce. However, there are many others, including this Lasagne al Pesto Genovese, which is made with beautiful, homemade pesto. Our fresh pesto recipe is composed of the classics: fragrant basil, extra virgin olive oil, garlic and plenty of tangy Parmesan. We honour this dish’s heritage by serving the pesto with its traditional Genovese accompaniments, potatoes and crisp green beans. Layered between fresh lasagne sheets and gooey mozzarella, it’s a taste of Italy in summer - and we’re all in agreement that Italy in summer is Italy at its finest.
Our lasagne with pesto alla Genovese recipe
Serves 4
Prep Time: 85 minutes (including the fresh lasagne sheets)
Cooking Time: 35 minutes
Calories per serving: 705kcal
Ingredients:
For the pesto filling
- 4 cups basil, cleaned and chopped
- 2-3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- ½ cup Parmigiano Reggiano, grated
- ¼ cup pine nuts
- 1 clove garlic, sliced
- Salt to taste
Chef’s tip: To make authentic pesto, you'll need a pestle and mortar. If you don’t have a pestle and mortar at home, you can always use a food processor, just be sure not to over grind the mixture.
For the lasagne
- 400g fresh lasagne sheets
- 50g Parmigiano Reggiano
- 250g fresh mozzarella
- 100g potato, in small cubes
- 100g green beans, cut into thirds
Method
- Prepare the fresh egg pasta dough for your lasagne sheets following the pasta video guide below:
To make the pesto filling
- While your dough is resting, prepare the pesto. You can also watch the following video and follow along as Roberta make a fresh batch of basil pesto.
- Start by gently toasting the pine nuts in a dry frying pan over medium-high heat until they turn slightly brown in colour and are fragrant. Keep them moving to prevent burning. Should any burn, be sure to remove these before adding to the pesto.
- Reserve a couple of toasted pine nuts as a garnish, and add the rest to a pestle and mortar, along with the garlic (roughly chop this before adding to the mortar, this will make grinding easier), and grind until a rugged paste forms. Remove this from the mortar, and set to one side.
- Add the basil and salt, and grind this until smooth and deep green in colour. Add back the garlic and pine nut mixture, and continue to grind until well combined.
- Gradually add the oil and grated Parmigiano Reggiano, and continue to grind until creamy, yet slightly chunky.
To finish off your lasagne
- Add your small potato cubes to a large pan of water, and bring to the boil. Cook until tender, for around 7-10 minutes. Strain and set to one side. In a separate pan of boiling water, add your roughly chopped green beans, and blanch for around 5 minutes. Once cooked but a little al dente, strain your beans and add to a bowl of ice cold water.
- Prepare your fresh lasagne sheets using your rested dough, following our simple lasagne sheet recipe. Leave your formed lasagne sheets on a floured surface to dry slightly, for around five minutes.
- To assemble the lasagne, ladle a thin layer of your pesto on the bottom of a medium-sized baking dish. Top with a layer of lasagne sheets. Follow this with another thin layer of pesto, then top with a scattering of potato and green beans. Finish the layer with the sliced mozzarella and a sprinkling of Parmigiano Reggiano. Repeat these steps (pasta, pesto, beans and potato, mozzarella and Parmigiano Reggiano), until you have used up your ingredients. There should be around 5 layers of pasta. Top the lasagne with a generous amount of Parmigiano Reggiano.
- Cook the lasagne at 180℃ for 20-30 minutes. Our Head Chef Roberta recommends covering your dish with aluminium foil for the first 10-15 mins, to ensure that the lasagne doesn't dry out in the oven.
- Remove from the oven and leave to stand for at least 5 minutes. Slice into equal-sized portions and serve with a scattering of pine nuts. Buon appetito.
