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Wild garlic pesto lasagne
- 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.
![Wild garlic pesto lasagne](https://www.deliciousmagazine.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/2024D025_PASTA_PESTO_LASAGNE_2__-768x962.jpg)
This recipe can be made with spinach plus an extra garlic clove, if wild garlic is proving difficult to find.
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
- To assemble
- 6 fresh lasagne sheets
- 20g parmesan or vegetarian equivalent, finely grated
- 20g pine nuts
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.
- Recipe from April 2024 Issue
Nutrition
- Calories
- 676kcals
- Fat
- 54g (18g saturated)
- Protein
- 19g
- Carbohydrates
- 27g (9g sugars)
- Fibre
- 1.7g
- Salt
- 0.6g
delicious. tips
Is the search for wild garlic eluding you? Switch it out for the same quantity of spinach, plus an extra garlic clove.
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We used dry gluten free lasagna so pre-cooked it in boiling water for a few minutes.
Will definitely make this again!