Today’s recipe has the power to warm my heart even before I warm up the oven. It is special because it was given to me by my friend Ivana who unfortunately is no longer with us. Making this leek and taleggio lasagna is, therefore, a small act of memory and affection, a way to feel her close again. I can imagine her telling me “I have a recipe for you!” and I was always happy because I already knew it would be perfect for my blog. So here I am! How is this lasagna? Perhaps a bit unusual, but to me, it’s delicious! It’s creamy (thanks to the taleggio and béchamel), flavorful (thanks to the grated cheese) and also simple to make. They are not “ready in five minutes” but each step is easy and accessible to everyone without complicated techniques or strange ingredients. So I say: make this lasagna your own! Turn on the oven, take a baking dish, and give yourself an hour to cook it. You won’t be disappointed!
Other lasagna recipes you might be interested in:
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 4 People
- Cooking methods: Stove, Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients for Leek and Taleggio Lasagna
- 5 sheets fresh lasagna pasta
- 250 g leek (weight after trimming)
- 300 g Taleggio
- 50 g Grana Padano cheese, grated (or Parmesan)
- extra virgin olive oil
- salt
- black pepper
- 2 cups milk
- 7 tbsp flour
- 3.5 tbsp butter
- salt
- nutmeg
Tools
Béchamel can be prepared in about 10/12 minutes with the traditional method. I used the Thermomix and it took me only 6 minutes.
- 1 Pan
- 1 Baking dish
Preparation of Leek and Taleggio Lasagna
Clean the leek by removing the darker green part and the roots. Wash it very well under running water and cut it into rings.
In a pan, heat a few tablespoons of oil together with a couple of tablespoons of water before adding the leek rings. Salt and pepper to taste and let them stew over medium-low heat until softened (this will take about 10 minutes). Stir occasionally then turn off the heat and set aside.
Cut the taleggio into pieces. To make it easier to cut, I put it in the freezer for about 30 minutes: this way it firms up a bit and is less soft under the knife but don’t expect perfect and precise slices. Taleggio remains a slightly rebellious creamy cheese. However, the goal is not perfection and uneven pieces will melt perfectly during cooking.
Butter the bottom and sides of a baking dish and place the first sheet of pasta. Spread some leeks, a few pieces of taleggio, some béchamel, and sprinkle with grated cheese over it all.
Continue in the same way forming the other layers and finish with a sheet of pasta, some béchamel, a few pieces of leek (just for decoration) and a generous sprinkling of grated cheese.
Bake the leek and taleggio lasagna in a preheated static oven at 350°F for 30 minutes + a few minutes on grill mode until golden. Remove from the oven and let them slightly cool down before serving directly from the baking dish. Enjoy! Paola
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