Do you remember the lasagna with spinach béchamel? Here, these pesto lasagna with spinach béchamel are a variation of that recipe. 😊
Yes, I know, I could have added a photo to that recipe, treated it as a simple variant, it would have been easier and faster, one edit and done. 😀 But this little difference, the addition of pesto in green lasagna – or, looking at it from another perspective, the use of green béchamel in regular pesto lasagna – made a difference for us. We really liked these pesto lasagna with spinach béchamel very, very much!
Therefore, they deserve a recipe of their own. 😋🤩
Are you ready? Come on, it’s lunchtime! 😀
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- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 40 Minutes
- Portions: 4
- Cooking methods: Oven, Stove
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
- 10.5 oz egg lasagna (dry, 15-16 sheets)
- 5.3 oz basil pesto
- 17.6 oz spinach béchamel
- 8.8 oz ricotta
- grated parmesan
Tools
- Cocotte
Steps
The process is essentially the same as for lasagna with spinach béchamel with the only variation being the addition of pesto:
– prepare the spinach béchamel
– briefly pre-cook the lasagna sheets in boiling water
– assemble the lasagna by alternating in a baking dish or pan (or, as we like, in individual cocottes) layers of lasagna, pesto, green béchamel, ricotta, and parmesan.
👉 I add the pesto by spoonfuls, but if you prefer, you can mix it with the béchamel.
Finish the last layer with a generous sprinkle of parmesan to achieve the essential crust.
Bake in the oven at 392°F (200°C) for about half an hour.
During baking, check the browning, and if necessary, cover the dish with a sheet of aluminum foil.
And this time too I have a version to show you in a large dish, although this was made with an addition: a few pieces of cheese (edam or fontal, to be honest, I can’t remember exactly 😅) in each layer, including the last one, as you can clearly see.
When the kids are home, meals have to be more substantial! 😄
Salt-Free Tips
In this recipe, there is no need to add salt. The parmesan, ricotta, and especially the pesto (if bought) are already salty. To make the recipe completely low-sodium, you can make all the ingredients yourself: besides the green béchamel you can also prepare 👉 the homemade egg pasta 👉 basil pesto and 👉 ricotta.
If you are interested in reducing or eliminating salt, always remember to:
▫ Reduce salt gradually, your palate needs to get used to it slowly and shouldn’t notice the progressive reduction.
▫ Use spices. Chili pepper, 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 spicy vegetables or fruits. Garlic, onion, lemon, orange…
▫ Use my salt-free vegetable granules and gomasio.
▫ Prefer fresh foods.
▫ Avoid cooking in water, prefer methods that do not disperse flavors (grill, foil, steam, microwave)
▫ Avoid bringing the salt shaker to the table!
▫ Occasionally allow yourself a deviation from the rule. It’s good for the mood and helps to persevere.
If you can’t or don’t want to give up salt:
▫ You can still try my recipes by salting according to your habits.
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On the WhatsApp channel and on Instagram, on the Facebook page, in Pinterest, in my two groups: Catia’s Group, in the Kitchen and Beyond and Exactly What I Was Looking For! and if you like… subscribe to my Newsletter
