A savory vegetarian mushroom and kale pesto lasagna.
Recipe Type:
Dinner
Cuisine:
Italian
Keyword:
pesto lasagna
Makes: 12generous servings
Author: Elizabeth Stark
Ingredients
Pesto
1bunch kale (I like Lacinato or dinosaur kale),woody stems removed (about 7 - 8 ounces with stems)
2clovesgarlic,smashed, peeled, and chopped
1/2cupraw,hulled pepitas
1/2teaspoonsea salt
1/2cupextra virgin olive oil
Cheese Sauce
2tablespoonsunsalted butter
2tablespoonall-purpose flour
2cupswhole milk
1cupgrated Parmesan(3 ounces)
Ricotta
1 15-ouncetub whole milk ricotta
2large eggs
Mushrooms
2poundsmushrooms,rinsed or brushed clean (I used a mix of shiitake and porcini)
2clovesgarlic,smashed, peeled, and minced
1/4cupextra virgin olive oil,divided
Sea salt
Black pepper
To Assemble
1poundlasagna noodles
Sea salt
Extra virgin olive oil
1cupshredded low-moisture mozzarella(4 ounces)
1cupgrated Parmesan(3 ounces)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Pesto
In the bowl of a food processor, pulse to combine kale, garlic, pepitas, and sea salt until reduced and crumbly. With processor running, drizzle olive oil through the feed tube.
Cheese Sauce
Set a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat. Add butter; when melted, whisk in flour. Slowly whisk in the milk over the course of 5 minutes, allowing mixture to thicken up before adding more. Once all the milk is added, cook, stirring frequently, 5 minutes longer. Add Parmesan, stir until smooth, and set aside.
Mushrooms
Brush clean or rinse mushrooms. Remove stems and slice 1/2-inch thick.
Meanwhile, sauté mushrooms. Set a 9-inch skillet over medium/medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil, add 1/4 of the mushrooms and a pinch of red pepper flakes, sprinkle with sea salt and pepper, and cook until golden, about 5 minutes. With one minute of cook time left, add 1/4 of the garlic and sauté. Scrape into a bowl and repeat process until all of the mushrooms and garlic have been sautéed.
Ricotta
In a small mixing bowl, stir to combine ricotta and eggs.
To Assemble
In a large pot of rapidly boiling, generously salted water, cook lasagna noodles about 4 minutes. Drain and toss with 1 tablespoons olive oil.
Set out a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Drizzle olive oil on the bottom. Place a layer of 4 lasagna noodles on the bottom. Spread with half the ricotta mixture and half the mushrooms. Add another layer of noodles and spoon half the cheese sauce over top. Dollop half the pesto all around, lightly swirl into the cheese sauce, and top with shredded mozzarella. Add another layer of noodles and top with the remaining ricotta and mushrooms. Add the final layer of noodles, top with remaining cheese sauce, remaining pesto, and top with shredded Parmesan.
Bake 30 - 35 minutes, or until filling is bubbling and the top is golden brown. If the top gets too brown, place a loose sheet of foil over top.
Cook 10 minutes, then slice, and serve with a big green salad.
To Reheat or Make Ahead
Lasagna can be prepped up to two days ahead, refrigerated, and then baked. Take care to use the right baking dish – enamelware does best going from fridge to oven. You can also set a ceramic dish out for 30 minutes before baking. To reheat cooked lasagna, cover with lasagna with foil and bake at 350 degrees F about 30 minutes, or until heated through.