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A simple White Pesto Lasagna for these days in between Christmas and New Years…simply the BEST. Layers of creamy cheese bechamel sauce with basil pesto and spinach. This dinner is always a favorite with our family, who are all in town right now for the holidays. It’s a great meal for entertaining, just make it ahead of time, and bake it off before guests arrive. Serve with a big bright salad!
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Hi guys! Hope you all had an awesome Christmas! Ours was snowy and amazing. We had one new addition this year with little baby Walker – who will be here (with his parents) through February! Always thankful for my big family and the adventures they bring with them!
Keeping all these posts pretty short this week in an attempt to take a little time away from the computer. And honestly, really just give my mom a break who proofs these posts every single day!
So jumping into recipe things!
The details
This lasagna consist of 3 layers of noodles, pasta bechamel, and basil pesto. And we’re using pesto instead of ricotta cheese, so it has even more flavor and color!
Layer the sauce, then the noodles, then the pesto…and repeat! It’s super simple!
I made a homemade broccoli and basil pesto, but any store-bought pesto works great too. Just make sure if it’s extra oily to drain away the excess oil.
For serving
I make this, along with my more traditional meat lasagna, every single year for my family over the Christmas break. The girls usually prefer the white, while the boys devour the red. I serve each with my favorite winter salad and bread.
Perfect family dinner to feed a crowd!
Looking for other easy dinner recipes? Here are my favorites:
Crispy Tomato Herb Cheese Pan Pizza
Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken Pasta
My Family’s Favorite Pesto Pasta Bolognese
Lastly, if you make this 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!
White Pesto Lasagna
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 4 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 shallot, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, smashed
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups whole milk
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 2 cups shredded provolone
- 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 1/2 cup basil pesto
- 2 packages (10 ounces) frozen spinach, thawed and drained
- 1 box no-boil lasagna noodles
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 375° F. Grease a 9×13 inch dish.2. In a medium saucepan, melt together the olive oil and butter. Add the shallots, garlic, thyme, rosemary, chili flakes, salt, and pepper. Cook 5 minutes or until fragrant. Remove the garlic cloves and discard. 3. Whisk in the flour and cook for about 1 minute. Add the milk and broth. Bring to a boil and stir for 2-3 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the provolone and 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese. Stir until the cheese is fully melted and the sauce is smooth. 4. To assemble, spread 1/4 of the cheese sauce into the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Top with 3-4 lasagna sheets. Spread with 1/2 the pesto and sprinkle over some spinach. Add another 1/4 of the cheese sauce. Place another 3-4 lasagna noodles on top, add the remaining pesto, spinach and then another 1/4 of the cheese sauce, sprinkle over the remaining spinach. Layer the remaining lasagna noodles and pour the remaining cheese sauce over top. Top with a 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese. 5. Bake, covered, for 30 minutes or until the cheese is bubbling. Uncover and bake another 15 minutes, until the cheese is browned. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
This recipe is so easy and tastes absolutely AMAZING! I don’t think I can make another type of lasagna because this has all my favorite ingredients ! Thank you so much for sharing!
Hey Rebecca,
Happy Wednesday! ❄️ I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your feedback, so glad to hear it turned out well for you! xT
Made it twice and both times it turns out super soupy.
Hi Mary,
Thanks for giving this dish a try and sharing your feedback, sorry to hear it is soupy! Is there anything you are adjusting? Are you draining the spinach well? Let me know how I can help! xx
We made this for our New Years Eve dinner with friends and it was such a hit! It was so delicious and heated up well for leftovers after! Thank you Tieghan, for all your great recipes!
Hey Tiffany,
Wonderful!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it! xT
Made this tonight and it was AMAZING!
I’m usually a meat lasagna girl but love anything with pesto, so I had to try it. Came out great and will be adding to our dinner rotation!
Hey Diane,
Wonderful!! Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! Thanks for your comment! xx
Could this be made gluten free? Gluten free noodles and an almond flour?
Hey Kristen,
Sure, I don’t see why not! Let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xT
I can not find shredded provolone??? Any good substitute?
Hey Kim,
Just buy a block of provolone and shred it by hand or use any other white cheese that you enjoy:) Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe! xx
Can this be prepared ahead of time? Thank you!!
Hey Jenna,
You bet, just make up until baking and then bake when you are ready to serve. I hope this recipe turns out well for you, please let me know if you give it a try! xT
The most incredible lasagna! I don’t usually eat vegetarian lasagna but this… was just as good if not better than lasagna bolognese. I have now added this to my dinner rotation! ❤️
Hey Savannah,
Fantastic!! So glad to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks a bunch for giving it a try! xx
Broccoli basil pesto sounds delish in this – care to share your recipe? Thanks!
Hey Jenn,
You can follow this recipe and add broccoli to it:
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/essentials#pesto
Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
Which book is this recipe in?
Hey Barbara,
This recipe is only on the blog:) Please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
Could I use fresh spinach instead of frozen?
Hi there,
Sure, that will work for you! I would recommend cooking it down first and draining any extra liquids from the pan. I hope this recipe turns out tasty, please let me know if you give it a try! xT
Excited to make this. Any recommendations for reheating it if I freeze it?
Hey Mo,
If you are going to make the entire recipe ahead of time and freeze I would skip the baking part and then bake from frozen, should be about 1 hour. If you are making this, serving it, and then freezing leftovers, I would cover with foil and reheat at 350F for at least 45 minutes. I hope you love the recipe! xx
Have you tried replacing half of the provolone with ricotta cheese in this recipe? Do you think that would work?
Hey Lisa,
I’ve not tried that, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work for you! Please let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xx
Tieghan – you mentioned chili flakes in the instructions of this recipe, but there was no amount listed in the ingredient list. Is it just a pinch, or 1/4 to 1/2 tsp.?
Hey Barb,
Just a pinch or more to your liking:) I hope you love this dish! xT
Do you think you could add a meat? Maybe Italian sausage or ground beef?
Hey Alex,
Totally, either of those would work for you! Please let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xx
I made this for a game night gathering because I had to cut tomato from my diet and it was such a hit! Maybe even loved it more than red sauce lasagna. Thanks Tieghan 🙂
Hey Rachel,
Wonderful!! I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks so much for making it and sharing your review! xT
I’ve made this so many times now and it’s always such a hit!! Amazing! I use jar pesto and make sure to drain the oil out first.
Hi Mary,
Happy Wednesday! I love to hear that this recipe is always tasty for you, thanks so much for making it! xx