white pesto spinach artichoke lasagna
A slice of this and a glass of red wine for lunch. I feel like fucken royalty, man.
As I write, it’s Monday, the final of the trio of days off I scratched into my calendar. Been a busy weekend, and today I scrounged up the inspiration to get some shit done and a little cleaning accomplished – usually what Mondays are for. My plan for the whole week is to purge my entire house and give it some well-needed organizational TLC.
But first, we drink Toscana wine and snarf down a square of white lasagna.
A pile of creamy, cheesy noodles isn’t necessarily what comes to mind for spring-and-summertime eats, but this idea’s been dancing around my head for months and I’ve been on a comfort food streak lately. I blame all the cakes I’ve baked over the past few weeks.
That said, we do have Mothers Day coming up, and an indulgent dish fits that occasion quite beautifully. Holidays and lasagna go hand in hand for me – the large portion sizes caters well towards crowds, or the inevitable post-gathering leftovers we all know and love.
Yes, I’m hinting that you should consider this for Thanksgiving.
Spinach and artichoke are a marriage of the gods, and when you pair them in a luxe lasagna dish, well, shit, you might have the gods knocking on the door before long. This simple dish involves a quick bechamel cream sauce, a loaded pesto-infused ricotta filling, and plenty of mozzarella and provolone cheeses. Leftovers taste even better and the passive time involved is great for speed-cleaning your kitchen cabinets.
Definitely did that while this baby baked up.
You Bech-a
Bechamel is a cream sauce that serves as the equivalent to what a red sauce would be in a, well, red lasagna. Very quick to whip up and practically foolproof, unless you’re a serious breed of fool. In that cause, you’re beyond saving.
Melt some butter in a saucepan, then stir in lots of garlic for a minute until fragrant. Whisk in flour until no longer lumpy, then slowly stream in plenty of whole milk while whisking the liquid constantly. Bring to a gentle simmer and heat until the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. Finish with a good handful of shredded mozzarella cheese.
Next, the ricotta filling. I used a jar of my favorite homemade pesto that I had in my fridge, but you can create your own or buy some at the store. Don’t matter to me. Mix it and the ricotta with some provolone, lemon zest, drained and squeezed spinach, marinated artichokes, and an egg. The egg helps the filling adhere.
Luxurious Layers
Now, assemble this shit.
Lightly grease a 9 x 13 inch baking pan. Spread 1/4 of the bechamel on the bottom, then add 3-4 lasagna sheets. Spread 1/2 the ricotta filling, then pour another 1/4 of the sauce, then more lasagna. Rest of the ricotta, another 1/4 of the sauce, more lasagna sheets. Pour the rest of the sauce overtop, then sprinkle the remaining mozzarella and provolone.
Cover the dish with foil. At this point, if you’re prepping ahead, you can pop the assembled lasagna in the fridge for a few days before baking. Otherwise, slide that sucker in the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and finish up for another 12-15 minutes. I like a little browning on the top, so I switch my broiler on for the final couple minutes to get some toastiness on my cheese.
Put on your patient pants and let the lasagna sit about 10 minutes, then slice it up and serve.
Like I said, I love leftover lasagna, and it freezes quite well too, for up to a month or so. I think I kept my Thanksgiving lasagna for like 6 months, but as a food blogger, I don’t think I can advise that course of action. But if you do take that route…
I’ll argue that all mom wants for Mothers Day is noods. I know I would as a mom, so why not deliver? Plus, a bottle of her favorite wine. Seems perfect to me.
Tried this recipe out? Leave a rating and comment below with your thoughts, and don’t forget to come say hi on Instagram and show me what you made!
Some sweet-ass pasta bakes to try:
One Pot Cheesy Baked Pizza Pasta
Spicy Pesto Pomodoro Stuffed Shells
white pesto spinach artichoke lasagna
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp butter
- 4 cloves garlic, minced or grated
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 3 1/2 cups whole milk
- 2 cups low-moisture mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 2 cups sharp provolone cheese, shredded
- 2 cups whole milk ricotta cheese
- 10 oz frozen spinach, thawed
- 8 oz jar marinated artichokes, drained and roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup basil pesto, homemade or store bought
- 2 tsp lemon zest
- 1 large egg
- 1 box no-boil lasagna noodles
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a 9 x 13 inch baking pan.
- In a medium saucepot, melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in the garlic until fragrant, 1-2 minutes. Whisk in the flour until no lumps remain, then slowly stream in the milk, whisking constantly. Bring to a simmer and warm until the sauce thickens, about 4-5 minutes. Stir in 1 cup mozzarella. Remove from heat.
- With paper towels, squeeze excess moisture out of the spinach as best you can. In a large bowl, combine the ricotta, 1 cup of provolone, spinach, artichokes, pesto, lemon zest, and the egg.
- Pour 1/4 of the bechamel sauce into the bottom of the baking pan. Add 3-4 lasagna sheets, then spread 1/2 of the ricotta mixture. Pour another 1/4 of the sauce overtop, then add 3-4 more noodles, the remaining ricotta, and another 1/4 of the sauce. Finish with a third layer of noodles and the remaining bechamel. Top with the remaining provolone and mozzarella.
- Cover the pan with foil. Bake 30 minutes, then remove the foil and bake another 12-15 minutes until lightly browned on top. If desired, switch the broiler on for the last 1-2 minutes of baking time.
- Remove from oven and let set 10 minutes, then slice and serve.
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