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The easiest Sheet Pan White Pesto Lasagna. Trust me, this is going to become your new go-to, weekly lasagna. This easy twist on lasagna requires no fancy sauce, and no time spent tediously layering noodles. It uses broken lasagna pieces mixed with four kinds of cheese, basil pesto, spinach, and spicy pepperoni (if you’d like). It’s also baked on a sheet pan making it so easy. The sheet pan creates perfectly crisp bites all throughout and even more layers than regular lasagna. It’s very saucy, cheesy, and so delicious. A complete fam favorite!
Yeah, yeah, I know, this looks like a pizza, everyone in my family has said so. But I promise it’s way better than pizza, it’s a very cheesy lasagna!
And a really darn delicious one that requires half the effort of a traditional lasagna. In my opinion, this is better than the traditional version, but that’s me and everyone is different!
I’ve been so excited to share this recipe. Do I love the photos, not really. Does this look like pizza, not lasagna, yup. But the method is simple and the taste is wonderful, so it’s a win, win kind of recipe.
I’m sure many of you have seen sheet pan lasagna recipes floating around this year. They’re nothing too new, they’ve been on the internet for ages. But Giada made a sheet pan lasagna a few months ago and made the idea very mainstream and popular again.
I love the idea of a crispy-edge lasagna, so I knew baking everything up on a sheet pan was a great idea. The ease of the recipe is just an added bonus.
Details
First, I highly recommend getting all of your ingredients together before starting. Once you have the ingredients together, the dish comes together quickly.
Boil off the noodles, which are broken pieces of lasagna noodles. Then, take those hot noodles and toss them with lots of basil pesto. As soon as the heat from the noodles touches the basil in the pesto you smell that wonderful basil smell.
Now add the milk and the cheese. The idea is that the heat from the noodles helps melt the cheese and create a creamy sauce. I use a mix of milk, mozzarella, and provolone cheese.
Arrange the creamy, cheesy noodles on a greased sheet pan. Then add pesto-swirled ricotta cheese and a layer of provolone cheese.
Before baking, I love to add pepperoni slices. I know this sounds odd, but it’s such a delicious addition. My dad would put pepperoni slices on all of his baked pasta dishes. So I took his idea and added pepperoni on top of this lasagna. Such a delicious addition.
Easy, EASY, a touch indulgent, but so delicious!
If you’re planning to serve this while entertaining, you can assemble the lasagna ahead of time. Then just keep it in the fridge for a day and bake it up before guests arrive.
This is a simple recipe for busy weekday nights, but it’s equally perfect on weekends! I’m looking forward to making this again tonight on Instagram stories. It’s going to be great!
Looking for other easy pasta night dinners?? Here are my favorites:
One Pot Spinach and Sun-Dried Tomato Burrata Pasta
Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken Pasta
Lastly, if you make this Sheet Pan White Pesto Lasagna, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Sheet Pan White Pesto Lasagna
Servings: 8
Calories Per Serving: 621 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1 box dry lasagna noodles (broken into 2 inch pieces)
- 3/4 cup basil pesto
- 3 cloves garlic, grated
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- chili flakes
- 2 cups whole milk
- 2 cups chopped spinach
- kosher salt and pepper
- 1 1/3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 cup shredded provolone cheese
- 1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup sliced pepperoni (optional)
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan
- fresh oregano thyme or basil, for serving
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 375° F. Grease a straight-sided 12 x 17-inch baking sheet. Set aside. Before starting, get all ingredients prepped and ready to use. 2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the noodles until al dente, 4-6 minutes, then drain. 3. Add the noodles back to the hot pot. Toss the noodles with 1/2 cup basil pesto, garlic, thyme, oregano, and chili flakes. Pour in the milk, then add the mozzarella cheese and toss until mostly melted. Add the spinach, and season with salt and pepper. 4. Mix the ricotta with 1/4 cup basil pesto.5. Spoon/pour the noodles and sauce into the prepared baking dish. Dollop the ricotta over the noodles, snuggling some of the cheese underneath the noodles. Pour the cream evenly over the pan. Top with provolone, pepperoni, then parmesan. 5. Bake 20-30 minutes or until the cheese is bubbling. Top with fresh herbs, and enjoy!
This is delicious!!!! Is in my rotation now! Love it❤️❤️❤️❤️
Hey Susan,
Happy Monday!! 🍋🫐 I truly appreciate you making this recipe and your comment, love to hear that it was a hit! xT
Holy cow – God bless you – again!! Can’t wait to make this.
Lol thanks so much Mich!! I hope you love this recipe! xT
How much chili flakes/red peppers do you put in? I’m so excited to try this!
Hey Christina,
The chili flakes are to taste:) There are no red peppers in this recipe. Please let me know if I can help in any other way, I hope you love the recipe! xT
Can I bake on parchment paper for easier cleanup?
Hey Bonnie,
I probably wouldn’t, I think it would make this very hard to serve:) Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
Made this for a crowd last night and it was a HUGE HIT!!! Everyone loved it!!! Made it exactly as the recipe is written and we will definitely be making it again!!!
Hey Kathi,
Happy Sunday!! So glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for making it! xT
We don’t like spinach in our house. Can we skip it?
Hi Faye,
Sure, that would be just fine for you to do! Let me know if you give this dish a try, I hope you love it! xT
Could you make this with the no boil lasagna noodles?
Made this for my husband, son and myself – we all loved it! I followed the recipe as written, and topped it with large slices of uncured sandwich pepperoni. And even though it may resemble pizza in the online photos, it is absolutely lasagna! This was the fastest and easiest lasagna I have ever made. It was delicious and much lighter than typical lasagna. Just the right balance of noodles to filling, and we loved the crispy edges on the noodles. Our youngest son is getting married at our house in mid June. We will be hosing lots of friends and relatives from out town, and this recipe is definitely on the menu – easy, delicious, & feeds a crowd! Thanks for this fabulous recipe!
Hey Robin,
Happy Friday!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks so much for making it:) Thanks for your kind message and all of your feedback! xT
Looks delicious!!!! Definitely making it soon. Do you have a recipe for homemade basil pesto please? I don’t really like the store ones.
Thanks Mais!! I sure do! You can find that recipe here:
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/essentials/
Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
This looks delicious! Oh my goodness! Thank you!
Thanks so much Sara!! Let me know if you give the recipe a try! xT
Can you make this with pre-cooked lasagna noodles? Can you make this with gluten-free lasagna noodles (generally pre-cooked)?
Hi Merry,
Yes, you are going to have to cook the noodles in step 2 anyways, so pre-cooked would be just fine! I hope you love this recipe! xT
Hello! Do you use the 8oz or 16oz box of lasagne noodles? Thank you! Excited to try the recipe this weekend!
Hi jamie,
For this recipe, you will want to use a 16 ounce box of noodles:) Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
Not a ricotta fan! Can I leave it out or substitute another cheese such as cream cheese or mascarpone?
Hey Nichole,
Mascarpone would be a great option here! Let me know if you give this dish a try, I hope you love it! xT
This looks amazing!! Quick question: could I leave out the ricotta? I hate ricotta, haha! I didn’t know if that would change any of the other proportions. Love every one of your recipes I’ve ever made!
Hey Kim,
Yes, that would be just fine for you to do! Let me know if I can help in any other way, I hope you love this recipe! xT
Try cottage cheese whipped. Cream cheese and mascarpone are really heavy(delicious but heavy).
Could you use a casserole dish (ie: 9×13?) to make this if you don’t have a good sheet pan? Does this change the temperature or cooking time at all? Thank you!! 🙂
Hey Andrea,
Sure, that should be just fine for you to use! I would keep everything the same:) Let me know if you give this recipe a try! xT
Hi
Isn’t a casserole round? All mine are but I’ve had them for over 50 years. Not exaggerating. Om 78 and they were wedding presents. Not married any more though 😁.
Hi Judy,
A lot of casserole dishes are rectangular as well:)
I’m super excited to try this recipe! But am curious how you break your lasagna noodles so evenly? Every time I try, they break in shards or shatter.
Thanks in advance!
Thanks so much Ella! Try holding them close to where you want them to break and really just give it a nice snap! They don’t have to be perfect:) I hope you love this recipe! xT