Asparagus Pesto Lasagna Recipes

ASPARAGUS LASAGNA

Steps:

• In a medium pot of boiled water add chopped asparagus (I added the tops of the asparagus in the last 5 minutes) and boil for 10 minutes, drain and set aside.
• In a large pot over medium heat add butter, melt then add flour and salt, combine with a whisk, add milk, 1 cup at a time and continue to stir until thickened, remove from heat and immediately add cubed ham and cheese, stir gently.
• In a baking pan (I used a 10 1/2 x 8 1/4 inch, 27 x 21 centimeter deep baking pan) add 4 or 5 small pieces of butter (about 1 tablespoon 14 grams in total) on the bottom of the pan, than layer with lasagna noodles (my size pan used 3 per layer, break if need to fit), then white sauce mixture, (remember everything needs to be divided by 4, more or less), then top with chopped asparagus and sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese, continue for the remaining layers. Bake in 375° (190°) preheated oven, for 20-25 minutes. Let sit 5 minutes, then serve , Enjoy!

LASAGNA AL PESTO GENOVESE

Steps:

• For the besciamella sauce: Heat milk in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally with a whisk to avoid scorching. Meanwhile, dice the butter and begin to melt it over medium heat in a separate saucepan. In a small bowl, combine the flour, salt and nutmeg. When butter has fully melted and has stopped bubbling, whisk the flour mixture thoroughly into the melted butter. Allow this flour mixture to simmer, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes. When the milk is steaming and looks like it is about to simmer, quickly add all of the flour roux to the hot milk while stirring vigorously with the whisk. (The whisking will allow the roux to fully incorporate into the milk and you will start to see it thickening.) Bring to a full rolling boil, whisking constantly, to thicken the milk and flour mixture. Transfer mixture to a bowl or casserole dish to fully cool down in your refrigerator.
• For the lasagna: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Butter a 9-by-13-inch glass baking dish.
• In a bowl, combine the besciamella sauce with the pesto Genovese and salt. Begin assembling the lasagna by laying a sheet of raw fresh pasta down in the greased baking dish (cut and piece together the pasta if necessary to fit your vessel). Next, pour a half cup of the sauce mixture onto the pasta. Using a spatula or desired utensil, spread the sauce evenly, making sure to get it to the edges and in the corners of the dish. Sprinkle over the sauce layer a handful of asparagus, handful of mozzarella, light handful of pecorino, light handful of basil. (Keep in mind, there are 7 layers with these ingredients, so use sparingly on each layer; the pine nuts will be distributed on 2 layers of your choosing, as they are not needed on each layer.) For the 8th and final layer, begin by laying the rest of your pasta on top of the 7th layer, then spread the rest of your sauce on top of the pasta, and sprinkle the rest of your mozzarella on the sauce. Finish the assembly by evenly sprinkling the crouton crumbs on top of the mozzarella. Cover the dish well with foil to trap in moisture to allow the raw pasta to cook.
• Bake, covered, for 30 minutes, then uncover the lasagna and bake until the lasagna has crisped and browned to your liking, another 15 to 30 minutes. Remove from oven and serve with warm alfredo sauce or as desired.

PESTO LASAGNA

Steps:

• For the pesto: Combine half pesto ingredients in a blender or food processor, and process until evenly combined, about 1 minute. Add remaining ingredients and process until evenly blended, about 1 more minute. Taste and adjust seasoning, as desired.
• For the lasagna: Heat oven to 375 degrees F and arrange rack in upper third.
• Meanwhile, alternatively layer a scant 1/4 cup pesto and 1 sheet of fresh lasagna noodles in an 8 by 8-inch baking dish, trimming noodles, as needed, to fit. There should be about 10 to 12 layers. Top lasagna with cheese and bake until bubbly around edges and cheese is melted, about 20 to 25 minutes. Let sit at least 20 minutes before serving.

ASPARAGUS LASAGNA

Steps:

• Cook lasagna noodles and drain.
• Heat oven to 500°F.
• Cut off about 1" at the end of the asparagus stalks and discard.
• Coat the asparagus with olive oil and spread out in a single layer in a baking dish.
• Roast 5-10 minutes.
• Remove from oven, sprinkle with salt, cut into bite-size pieces, and let cool.
• Reduce oven to 400°F.
• In a large pot, melt butter over medium heat.
• Add flour and stir for about 2-3 minutes.
• Combine water and broth; slowly add to flour-butter mixture, constantly stirring.
• Cook about 5 minutes.
• Add mozzarella and lemon zest, stirring until the mixture is smooth.
• Butter a 13 x 9 baking pan.
• Place a layer of noodles in the pan, then half the sauce, then half the asparagus pieces, then 1/2 cup parmesan.
• Repeat, then put on the top layer of noodles.
• In a small bowl combine cream and a dash of salt.
• Whip until soft peaks form then spoon over noodles.
• Sprinkle with remaining 2/3 cup parmesan cheese.
• Bake 30 minutes.

ASPARAGUS PESTO

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it. Add the asparagus and cook until fully tender but not mushy, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain well, reserving some of the cooking liquid, and let the asparagus cool slightly.
• Transfer the asparagus to a food processor and add the garlic, pine nuts, 2 tablespoons of the oil, Parmesan, a pinch of salt and a couple of tablespoons of the cooking liquid. Process the mixture, stopping to scrape down the sides of the container if necessary, and gradually add the remaining oil and a bit more of the reserved cooking liquid to moisten if necessary. Add the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper to taste, pulse one last time, and serve over pasta, fish or chicken (or cover and refrigerate for up to a day).

PESTO LASAGNA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add lasagna and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
• In large skillet over medium heat, saute onion in the olive oil until tender. Add spinach and stir. Remove from heat and stir in the pesto. In a large bowl mix ricotta cheese, egg, salt, pepper and nutmeg.
• In a 3 quart greased baking dish, layer the noodles then the spinach mixture, followed by the ricotta mixture. Sprinkle with mozzarella. Repeat the layers ending with noodles on top. Spread the Alfredo sauce over the top and sprinkle with parmesan.
• Cover with foil and bake in a preheated oven for 45 to 55 minutes.

ASPARAGUS LASAGNA

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, cook asparagus in a small amount of water until crisp-tender, about 7 minutes; drain and set aside. In another large saucepan, melt butter. Stir in flour , salt and pepper until smooth. Gradually stir in milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in cream cheese, lemon juice, zest and nutmeg until cheese is melted., Spread about 3/4 cup sauce in a greased 13x9-in. baking dish. Layer with three noodles, a fourth of the sauce and a third of the asparagus and mozzarella. Repeat layers twice. Top with remaining noodles and sauce (dish will be full). Sprinkle with Parmesan. Bake, uncovered, at 375° for 45-50 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown. Let stand for 15 minutes before cutting.

ARUGULA PESTO AND SAUSAGE LASAGNA

Steps:

• Brown sausage in large skillet on medium-high heat; drain. Add onion and 3 of the garlic gloves, minced; cook 1 minute. Stir in tomatoes, wine, ¼ cup of the parsley, red pepper, 1 teaspoon of the salt and ½ teaspoon of the black pepper. Simmer on medium heat 15 minutes. Stir in ½ cup of the romano cheese.
• Place remaining 3 cloves garlic and pine nuts in food processor container fitted with steel blade; cover. Process until finely chopped. Add arugula and basil; process until smooth. Slowly add in oil in thin stream until blended. Add lemon juice and ¾ cup of the romano cheese. Set aside.
• Mix ricotta cheese, eggs, remaining ½ cup parsley, 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Stir in arugula mixture; mix well.
• Spread ¾ cup of the tomato sauce on bottom of 2 greased 13x9-inch baking dishes. Top each with 3 lasagna noodles, 2/3 cup of the ricotta mixture, 1 cup of the tomato sauce and 2/3 cup of mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers 2 times. Top with remaining romano cheese.
• Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes. Let stand 15 minutes before serving. Makes 2 13x9-inch lasagnas with 8 to 10 servings each.

SPINACH LASAGNA WITH WALNUT PESTO

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil a 9 x 13-inch baking pan. If using fresh spinach, chop it fine. If using frozen, chopped spinach, make sure it is thoroughly defrosted and squeeze out all of the excess water.
• Place the ricotta or cottage cheese in a large bowl. Stir in the spinach, pesto, garlic, salt, pepper, half the Parmesan, and the walnuts. Mix well. Spread half the tomato sauce in the bottom of the pan. Place a layer of uncooked noodles over the sauce. Spoon about 1/3 of the ricotta or cottage filling in dabs over the noodles (you can spread it a little, but not too much) and sprinkle with 1/3 of the grated mozzarella. Follow with another layer of sauce, then noodles, followed by another 1/3 of the filling, and another 1/3 of the mozzarella. Repeat one more time, and then finish up with a final layer of noodles. You will have some Parmesan left over.
• If you are using fresh noodles, bake uncovered. If you are using dried noodles, cover the pan tightly with foil.
• Bake for 50 minutes, uncovering the pan (if applicable) during the last 15 minutes, during which time you can sprinkle on the reserved Parmesan. (In the case of the uncovered pan, if the top of the lasagna becomes as brown as you like it before the full baking time is up, cover loosely with foil and continue baking, so it wont get too dark.) Remove from the oven and let cool for about 10 minutes before serving.
• Walnut Pesto: Place the basil leaves and garlic in a food processor or blender, and mix well.
• Add the walnuts, and continue to blend until the walnuts are finely ground.
• Keep the machine running as you drizzle in the olive oil. When you have a smooth paste, transfer to a bowl, and stir in the Parmesan. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• If you are not going to use the pesto right away, place in a container that has a tight-fitting lid. Smooth out the top surface of the pesto, and pour on enough olive oil to cover it completely. This creates an air-proof seal that helps preserve it well. Cover tightly and store in the refrigerator.

PASTA WITH ASPARAGUS PESTO

Steps:

• In a 6- to 7-quart kettle bring about 5 quarts salted water to a boil for pasta.
• Have ready a bowl of ice water. Trim woody ends from asparagus. Cut asparagus stalks crosswise into 2-inch pieces, reserving tips. In a steamer set over boiling water steam stalks, covered, 4 minutes. Add reserved asparagus tips and steam, covered, until just tender, about 1 minute. Immediately transfer asparagus to ice water to stop cooking. Drain asparagus well in a colander and pat dry.
• In a food processor pulse pine nuts and garlic with salt until finely chopped. Add asparagus and oil and pulse until asparagus is coarsely chopped. Transfer pesto to a large bowl and stir in Parmigiano-Reggiano. Cook pasta in boiling water until al dente. Reserve 1/3 cup pasta cooking water and drain pasta in a colander. Add pasta and reserved cooking water to pesto, tossing to coat, and season with salt and pepper.

LINGUINE WITH ASPARAGUS PESTO

Steps:

• Snap off and discard ends of asparagus. Cut off top two inches of spears and reserve. Chop rest of spears and put in food processor with garlic, processing until very finely minced. With the machine running, drizzle in olive oil. Add 1/2 cup cheese and pulse. Transfer mixture to a bowl, fold in lemon zest, season with salt and pepper and set aside.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add pasta and cook about 6 minutes, until not quite al dente. Add asparagus spears to the pot and cook another 1 to 2 minutes, until pasta is al dente.
• Spoon 1/4 cup pasta water into a large skillet. Drain pasta and asparagus tips and add to skillet along with asparagus mixture and lemon juice. Cook over low heat, stirring with tongs, 3 minutes or so, until ingredients are well blended. Check seasonings. Transfer to 4 warm plates, scatter with oregano and serve with extra cheese.