And here’s today’s recipe: artichoke lasagna.
This is the dish (actually the baking pan) that I prepared with the homemade egg pasta I told you about yesterday.
Artichoke lasagna is a great alternative to classic lasagna made with ragù. It’s just as tasty, and perfect for Sunday lunch.
Although nothing prevents you from eating it on an ordinary weekday — in fact! You can bake it in the evening and the next day it’ll be an excellent quick meal for lunch, reheatable in the microwave. It’s great for lunch because it’s a perfect one-dish meal (it includes carbs, protein and vegetables — nothing’s missing, right? 😋).
As with other types of lasagna, artichoke lasagna can also be prepared in advance: you can keep it in the fridge until baking time, or you can freeze it (either raw or cooked; I prefer to freeze it raw to bake after thawing, but that’s subjective — it works well both ways).
This time I didn’t freeze it; I prepared it in the evening, put it in the fridge and baked it the next day, and this is the photo of the portion — as big as the whole plate! — that I ate:
I couldn’t photograph the whole pan because someone, whom I will not name, cut the portions and plated them while I was distracted! 😃 Apparently, artichoke lasagna is irresistible!
As irresistible as any other kind of lasagna 😉 like these: 👇
- Difficulty: Medium
- Cost: Moderate
- Rest time: 10 Minutes
- Preparation time: 1 Hour
- Portions: 6
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Winter, Spring
Ingredients
- homemade egg pasta dough (1 dough ball)
- artichoke sauce (made with 6 artichokes)
- béchamel (made with 1 liter (about 4 1/4 cups) of milk)
Tools
- Lasagna pan
Steps
Roll out the pasta with a rolling pin or a pasta machine. We like a thin sheet.
Cut the pasta into rectangles and boil them for a couple of minutes in boiling water. Drain them one at a time and lay them on a tea towel or cloth without overlapping.
Prepare the artichoke sauce (exactly like the one used in this recipe).
While the sauce is cooking, make the béchamel.
☝ You don’t need to thicken the béchamel too much; in my opinion lasagna turns out better if the béchamel is soft.
👉 As a reminder, béchamel can also be made in the microwave (my recipe is here). Or, if you prefer a butter-free béchamel, see my light béchamel.
Spread a layer of béchamel on the bottom of a lasagna pan and begin layering pasta sheets topped with artichoke sauce, béchamel and grated Parmesan in each layer (if desired, Parmesan in the layers is optional) until the ingredients are used up.
The final layer should be sauce (a little), béchamel and plenty of Parmesan so that a nice crust can form during baking.
Enjoy your meal! 😋
Salt-free tips
I remind you that I cook without adding salt 🙂 If you want to learn more read this article and join my group!
If you are interested in reducing or eliminating salt, always remember to:
▫ Reduce salt gradually so the palate can adjust little by little without noticing the progressive reduction.
▫ Use spices: chili, pepper, curry, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, cumin…
▫ Use aromatic herbs: basil, parsley, oregano, thyme, sage, marjoram, rosemary, mint…
▫ Use seeds: sesame, pine nuts, almonds, walnuts…
▫ Use pungent vegetables or fruits: garlic, onion, lemon, orange…
▫ Use my salt-free vegetable granulate
▫ Prefer fresh foods.
▫ Avoid cooking in a lot of water; prefer methods that preserve flavors (griddle, foil, steam, microwave).
▫ Avoid bringing the salt shaker to the table!
▫ Allow yourself an occasional treat. It helps your mood and keeps you on track.
If you don’t want or can’t give up salt:
▫ You can still try my recipes and salt them according to your usual habits.
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On the WhatsApp channel and on Instagram, on the Facebook page, on Pinterest, in my two groups: Il gruppo di Catia, in cucina e oltre and Proprio quello che stavo cercando! — and if you like… subscribe to my Newsletter.
