Creamy Pesto Lasagna

This was the main course for my Italian themed Sunday dinner. It was, quite frankly, one of the best lasagnas I've had. I made a few mistakes with this recipe that I won't repeat when I make it again - and I'll fill you in on those.

Like the Creamy Pesto Spread, don't use store bought pesto. It just doesn't have as good of a flavor as homemade pesto. Homemade pesto is so easy to make that it's worth the extra effort.

What I did wrong with this?

The recipe calls for the no-boil lasagna noodles. The last time I had used these noodles I made the lasagna early in the day and let it sit before cooking it. The  noodles were gummy and gross. To avoid that, I baked the lasagna in the morning and let it sit then "heated it up". It was too dry but the noodles were delicious. I think the best way to use those noodles and NOT have a dry lasagna is to make the lasagna, bake it and eat it all at the same time.

When I make this again, I'd also double the béchamel sauce as I think that would help with the dryness of the lasagna. I made a quick red sauce - a recipe I made up on the fly - and served it with the meal so people could put it over their lasagna if they wanted. That was a good call to deal with the dryness of the lasagna.

Oh and regarding the package of no-boil noodles, I bought two boxes because I wasn't sure how many was in the box. The recipe makes it sound like one box would be fine, but I needed one more noodle to finish the 9X13 pan.

Creamy Pesto Lasagna
Recipe from Cuisine at Home

Photo courtesy of Cuisine at Home

Serves 12

For Béchamel:
4 T unsalted butter
1/4 flour
3 c whole milk
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 c purchased refrigerated pesto (again, make your own)
salt and pepper

For lasagna:
1 package whole ricotta cheese (15oz)
1 c grated parmesan cheese
1/2 c purchased refrigerated pesto
12 dry, flat, no boil lasagna sheets
3 c rotisserie chicken
4 c mozzarella cheese, shredded; divided

Preheat 350F.

For the béchamel, melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Whisk in flour and cook 2 minutes.

Slowly whisk in milk and nutmeg (I put the nutmeg in the milk); bring to a simmer slowly, and cook for 2 minutes more. Off heat stir in 1/2 c pesto; season with salt and pepper.

For lasagna, stir together ricotta, parmesan and 1/2 c pesto; season with salt and pepper.

Spread 2/3 c béchamel in bottom of a 9X13 baking dish. Lay 3 lasagna sheets side by side (it just dawned on me the sheets should go in the pan horizontally instead of vertically. This makes more sense and means you'll only need one package of noodles.) Top noodles with 1/3 c ricotta, 3/4 c chicken, 2/3 c béchamel and 3/4 c mozzarella. Repeat layering three more times, topping the final layer with 1 1/2 c mozzarella. Cover lasagna with foil.

Bake lasagna until bubbly, about 45 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 15 minutes more. Let lasagna rest for 15 minutes before serving.