Recipe From Laura

Lasagna with Zucchini & Pesto

As with many Italian dishes with roots going far back in time, lasagna has evolved over the years and there are many versions not just in Italy but all around the world.

Lasagna (or lasagne, plural) is possibly the oldest type of pasta dating back to the Ancient Roman times. 

The traditional and most well-known is the Lasagna alla Bolognese from Emilia Romagna, which consists of layers of thin noodles made with flour, egg and spinach layered in between a ragu sauce and bechamel, and topped off with a layer of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. That’s it. A few simple and wonderful ingredients.

Lasagna in Italy is not a dish you prepare with what you left over in the kitchen. It’s not layers upon layers of heavy cheese and sauce. It’s a delicate dish that takes care and time to create. Perhaps an exception is the traditional Lasagna Napoletana which is on the heavier side but still relies on a short list of ingredients.

Laura’s lasagna follows suit with the traditional style and this vegetarian recipe takes inspiration from the lasagna of Genova featuring a flavorful pesto. But as always, she has added her personal twist or two. This lasagna melts in your mouth with every bite and as you can imagine, it is for sure a favorite among our guests at Querceto.

You can make your own pesto or a jarred pesto is also acceptable if you don’t have the time or desire to prepare your own. Laura’s pesto recipe is listed below as well. 

Laura did share this lasagna recipe in a recent Live Cooking Demo on Facebook. If you missed it, you can check out the video on our Facebook page.

WATCH LAURA'S LIVE COOKING DEMO
INGREDIENTS (serves 6):
LASAGNA
6 medium zucchini 
1 LT bechamel sauce (approx. 4-5 cups)
6-7 OZ pesto without garlic ideally (fresh or jarred)
Vegetable broth (as needed)
Grated Parmigiano cheese 
Fresh or dried lasagna noodles (enough for 4-5 layers, 12-15 noodles)
Extra virgin olive oil 
Salt & pepper to taste 

BECHAMEL SAUCE (approx.)
6 TBSP butter
6 TBSP flour
4-5 CUPS milk
Pinch of nutmeg
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 200 °C (400 ° Fahrenheit)
2. Take your pesto and put it in a strainer with a bowl underneath to catch the olive oil. Let it sit for a few minutes until a good amount of the olive oil has drained out and then set the pesto aside.
3. Wash and cut the zucchini in half lengthwise. Then place the halves cut side down on your cutting board and cut each half into 2 strips and then chop the strips into smallish cubes.
4. Cook the zucchini in a pan with 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil, some salt and pepper. Slowly add the vegetable broth as necessary until the pieces are cooked all the way through and are very soft.
5. To prepare the bechamel sauce, heat the butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat until melted.
6. Add the flour gradually and stir continuously and cook the mixture until it turns a very light golden-brown color and the flour and butter is fully combined and forms a paste.  
7. Heat the milk in a separate pan until it’s just about to boil. Add the warm milk a little at a time to the flour paste while whisking the mixture continuously at a low simmer.
8. If the flour starts to clump up, remove the pan from the heat and continue to whisk and work out the clumps. Then put back on the heat.
9. The bechamel is done and ready for seasoning when it is smooth, creamy and it starts to bubble up a little (large bubbles). 
10. Add a large pinch of nutmeg, season with salt and pepper and set aside. If you cannot find fresh lasagna noodles, prepare a béchamel that is a little less dense.
11. Add the cooked zucchini to the béchamel and mix in the pesto.
12. Take a 2-3 inch deep baking dish and begin with a layer of the creamy, zucchini and pesto mixture, then do a layer of pasta, another layer of sauce and add a good amount of grated Parmigiano cheese on top and then the lasagna noodle again.
13. Continue with this rotation until you have 4-5 layers of the lasagna noodles and the last layer being the Parmigiano.
14. Cook in the oven for 20-25 minutes until a nice crust begins to form on top. Remove from the oven, let cool for 5-minutes and serve. 

NOTE: If you have the time, let the pesto, bechamel and zucchini mixture sit for a few hours at room temperature to let the flavors amalgamate better.

PESTO
25 fresh basil leaves
10 g pine nuts
1 walnut
15 g grated Pecorino or Parmigiano cheese
1.5 dl (2/3 cups) extra virgin olive oil
Coarse salt

1. Place the basil, pine nuts, walnut and 2-3 grains of course salt into a mortar with the pestle and begin crushing and pounding down the leaves in a circular motion until they form a fairly fine paste.
2. Add the Pecorino or Parmigiano cheese and pound into the sauce in the same circular motion until it is fully incorporated.
3. Drizzle in the olive oil, pounding it into the sauce. The pesto is ready when all of the olive oil has been added and is fully emulsified into the mixture.

NOTE: Laura is not a fan of garlic in pesto but if you are, feel free to add! You can also use a food processor or blender. A little trick from Laura if you are using a small/mid-sized blender or food processor, put it in the freezer before using it to make the pesto to maintain a cool atmosphere and avoid any wilting of the fresh basil leaves.