Homemade Pesto Lasagna
Published 8/30/2024
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This Pesto Lasagna is vegetarian-friendly, full of flavor, and made with the BEST homemade pesto and three different types of yummy cheese! We use blended cottage cheese instead of ricotta for a lighter, healthier twist on the traditional lasagna dish.
Pesto in lasagna? Oh yes. We aren’t strangers to making a unique and tasty lasagna recipe. Our Butternut Squash Lasagna, Zucchini Lasagna, and Quinoa Lasagna Casserole are proof we are total lasagna connosieurs. This recipe for pesto lasagna is a blend of our love for lasagna and pesto!
There are a few elements that go into making lasagna pesto, but we make it easy for you with step-by-step instructions. You basically make the homemade pesto, cook up the noodles and the veggies, blend the cheese and layer. It’s like any other lasagna recipe but with some tweaks here and there!
Check List for Pesto Lasagna Recipe
- Basil leaves: You can’t have pesto without basil! Make sure to use fresh, not dried.
- Parmesan: Freshly grated parmesan cheese adds a sharp and nutty flavor to the pesto sauce.
- Pine nuts: These add a nice crunch and slightly sweet flavor to the pesto!
- Olive oil: A good quality olive oil is key for making a flavorful pesto.
- Lasagna noodles: Do we even need to say? 😀
- Bella mushrooms: Bella mushrooms are known for their meaty and savory flavor, making them a perfect addition to this lasagna pesto recipe.
- Fresh spinach: Spinach adds a pop of color and extra nutrients to this dish.
- Tuscan seasoning: We prefer Tuscan seasoning over Italian seasoning for this recipe.
- Cheese: 2% cottage cheese, mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese… whata combo!
- High-speed food processor: A high-speed food processor is needed for blending up the pesto sauce and cottage cheese.
FAQ
Before you opt out of cottage cheese, know that it has a very different texture when blended in the food processor. It becomes smooth and creamy, adding a delicious richness to the lasagna. But if you’d rather use another cheese, we recommend ricotta!
The main difference between Tuscan seasoning and Italian seasoning is that Tuscan seasoning has added red pepper flakes, dried bell peppers, and minced garlic.
We don’t recommend it, as you end up with a very oily lasagna. Use at your own risk!
How to Make Pesto Lasagna
- Prepare Homemade Pesto: Start by placing all pesto ingredients into a high-speed food processor. Process on high for about 1 to 2 minutes. Stop to scrape the sides as needed.
- Cook Pasta: Next, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the lasagna noodles until al dente, about 7 minutes. Strain the noodles and lay them out flat until ready to assemble.
- Cook Veggies: Heat the olive oil over medium/high heat. Add onion and season with ¼ teaspoon salt. Saute the onion for 3-4 minutes, and then add the mushrooms. Season the mushrooms with another ¼ teaspoon of salt and saute for 7-9 minutes.
- Add Spinach: Add spinach to the mushrooms and cook the spinach down until wilted. Then add the Tuscan seasoning to the vegetables and toss. Remove the pan from heat.
- Preheat Oven: Preheat the oven to 350ºF and spray a 9×13-inch pan with olive oil.
- Blend Cheese: Blend the cottage cheese in a high-speed blender. Blend until smooth. Add the blended cottage cheese, 1 cup of mozzarella, 1 cup of parmesan cheese, and the remaining salt to a large bowl and mix until combined.
- Assemble Lasagna: Add about ⅓ cup of the cottage cheese sauce to the bottom of the 9×13-inch pan. Spread the sauce over the bottom of the pan—top with 4 lasagna noodles, overlapping just slightly. Next, add ⅓ cup of the cottage cheese mixture to the top of the noodles and gently spread the mixture with a spatula. Spread ½ cup of the mushroom mixture over the top of the cottage cheese sauce. Repeat this process until the cottage cheese sauce and mushroom mixture have been used. FInally, top the whole lasagna with the remaining mozzarella and parmesan cheese and cover.
- Bake: Bake the lasagna for 20 minutes at 350ºF, uncover, and bake for an additional 20-30 minutes or until the cheese is golden brown.
- Serve & Enjoy: Remove the lasagna from the oven and let it rest for 15 minutes before serving. Top with fresh basil and enjoy!
here’s a tip!
Make sure not to overprocess, as some grittiness is great for pesto’s texture. If your pesto is too thick, add more olive oil by the teaspoon and pulse until smooth. Set aside.
try it!
Homemade Pesto
We don’t recommend making this lasagna with store-bought pesto! Which means you’ll need to whip up a batch of our super flavorful 5-minute pesto.
Storage Directions
If you have any leftovers, store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. To reheat, place slices of lasagna in the microwave or bake in a 350ºF oven until warmed through.
You can also freeze any leftover lasagna for up to 2-3 months by tightly wrapping it in plastic wrap and then aluminum foil.
Pesto Lasagna Recipe
Ingredients
Pesto
- 2 cups packed basil leaves, ~40-42 fresh basil leaves
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 medium cloves garlic
- ¼ cup pine nuts
- ¼ cup olive oil
Other Ingredients
- 16 oz. lasagna noodles
- 1.5 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small white onion
- ¾ teaspoon sea salt, separated
- 20 oz. bella mushrooms, chopped
- 5 oz. fresh spinach, chopped
- 1.5 teaspoons Tuscan seasoning or Italian seasoning
- 22 oz. 2% cottage cheese
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese, separated
- 2 cups parmesan cheese, separated
- ⅓ cup fresh basil, julienned
Instructions
- Prepare the homemade pesto. Place all ingredients into a high-speed food processor. Process the ingredients on high for about 1 to 2 minutes. Stop to scrape the sides as needed. Make sure not to over-process, as some grittiness is great for the texture of pesto.
- If your pesto is too thick, add more olive oil by the teaspoon and pulse until smooth. Set aside.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the lasagna noodles until al dente, about 7 minutes.
- Strain the noodles and lay them out flat until ready to assemble.
- Heat the olive oil over medium/high heat. Add onion and season with ¼ teaspoon salt. Saute the onion for 3-4 minutes and then add the mushrooms. Season the mushrooms with another ¼ teaspoon of salt and saute for 7-9 minutes.
- Add spinach to the mushrooms and cook the spinach down until wilted. Add the Tuscan seasoning to the vegetables and toss. Remove the pan from heat.
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF and spray a 9×13-inch pan with olive oil.
- Blend the cottage cheese in a high-speed blender. Blend until smooth.
- Add the blended cottage cheese, 1 cup of mozzarella, 1 cup of parmesan cheese, and the remaining salt to a large bowl and mix until combined.
- Assemble the lasagna. Add about ⅓ cup of the cottage cheese sauce to the bottom of the 9×13-inch pan. Spread the sauce over the bottom of the pan—top with 4 lasagna noodles, overlapping just slightly. Next, add ⅓ cup of the cottage cheese mixture to the top of the noodles and gently spread the mixture with a spatula. Spread ½ cup of the mushroom mixture over the top of the cottage cheese sauce. Repeat this process until the cottage cheese sauce and mushroom mixture have been used.
- Top the whole lasagna with the remaining mozzarella and parmesan cheese and cover.
- Bake the lasagna for 20 minutes at 350ºF, uncover, and bake for an additional 20-30 minutes or until the cheese is golden brown.
- Remove the lasagna from the oven and let it rest for 15 minutes before serving. Top with fresh basil and enjoy.
Tips & Notes
- We do not recommend using store-bought pesto. You end up with a very oily lasagna. Use at your own risk.
- Option to replace the blended cottage cheese with ricotta cheese.
- The main difference between Tuscan seasoning and Italian seasoning is that Tuscan seasoning has added red pepper flakes, dried bell peppers, and minced garlic.
Watch It
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Photography: photos taken in this post are by Erin from The Wooden Skillet.
This recipe is fantastic! I’m excited to make it for an upcoming family dinner.
It posted before I was done writing. You also mention using basil as a separate ingredient aside from the pesto but do not mention when you add then to the recipe. I added it in with the spinach and mushrooms.
This recipe is AWESOME! I plan on making it for a family dinner soon, but I had it once already and my, my is it tasty!!
Excited to make! Wondering when and how to add chicken if we wanted to?