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Wild garlic pesto lasagne

By: Pollyanna Coupland
Food producer, delicious.

Published: 26 Mar 24
Updated: 26 Mar 24

Make the most of seasonal wild garlic with this springtime pesto lasagne. As there’s no heavy ragù to make, it’s much quicker and lighter than your standard lasagne – and can be on the table in an hour.

This recipe can be made with spinach plus an extra garlic clove, if wild garlic is proving difficult to find.

Easy
April 2024

Test kitchen approved

Serves 4-6
Hands-on time 20 min, plus resting, oven time 30 min

This recipe can be made with spinach plus an extra garlic clove, if wild garlic is proving difficult to find.

Vegetarian recipes

Nutrition: per serving

Calories: 676kcals
Fat: 54g (18g saturated)
Protein: 19g
Carbohydrates: 27g (9g sugars)
Fibre: 1.7g
Salt: 0.6g

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Before you start

Wild garlic’s only in season for a month or two in the spring, so make a big batch of pesto and freeze it.

Before you start

Wild garlic’s only in season for a month or two in the spring, so make a big batch of pesto and freeze it.

Ingredients

50g pine nuts
1 garlic clove, roughly chopped
50g parmesan or vegetarian equivalent, finely grated
50g wild garlic leaves, roughly chopped (see Tips)
50g basil, roughly chopped
150ml olive oil
Finely grated zest and juice 1 lemon
900ml whole milk
1 bay leaf
60g plain flour
60g unsalted butter
125g ball mozzarella, coarsely grated or finely chopped
¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
Dash cider vinegar or lemon juice

6 fresh lasagne sheets
20g parmesan or vegetarian equivalent, finely grated
20g pine nuts

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Method

Begin by making the pesto. Toast the 50g pine nuts in a hot dry pan until golden, then add to a pestle and mortar or small food processor with the garlic. Grind to a paste, then add the 50g parmesan and grind again. Add the wild garlic and basil with a little of the oil and grind again. Finally stir in the rest of the oil and lemon zest, then season with salt, pepper and lemon juice. Set aside.
To make the béchamel, gently heat the milk in a pan with the bay leaf. Add the butter and flour to a separate pan over a medium heat and stir to create a paste (roux). Cook out the roux for a minute, then pour in the warm milk (discarding the bay leaf) a small amount at a time, whisking constantly, until smooth. Don’t rush the process as you want a perfectly smooth sauce. Once all the milk has been added, cook for a further 5 minutes over a low heat, then beat in the mozzarella until all melted and stringy. Taste and season with salt, pepper, nutmeg and the vinegar or lemon juice.
Heat the oven to 170°C fan/gas 5 while you assemble the lasagne. Choose an ovenproof dish roughly the same size as 2 lasagne sheets. Cover the base with pasta, followed by pesto, then bechamel, seasoning each layer with salt and freshly ground black pepper as you go. Repeat the layers 2 more times or until everything is used up and there is a layer of bechamel on the top. Once layered, sprinkle the top with the 20g parmesan and pine nuts. Transfer to the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes until golden on top. Leave to sit for 10 minutes out of the oven before serving to firm up slightly.