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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.
Where is the pesto recipe?
Hi Margaret,
Here is my homemade recipe:
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/essentials/
Please let me know if you have any other questions!
Hi! This recipe is amazing and my guests always think it’s so fancy!
FYI- the directions mention chili flakes but the list of ingredients does not.
Thanks so much, Alli:) Love to hear you enjoyed this recipe, I appreciate you making it! Happy Sunday!
Hi,
I haven’t made this yet. May I freeze it before baking and keep in the freezer for three weeks before my party?
Hi Kathy,
You bet, that will work nicely for you! I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try!
Do you think I could assemble, freeze, and then bake at a later date?
Hey Stefanie,
Of course, that will work nicely for you! Please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
So good–because I don’t love provalone I switched it out to a good fontina. It was wonderful. Even the low-carb people at the table had a least two helpings.
Thanks so much, Georgette! So glad you enjoyed this dish, I appreciate you making it and your feedback! Have a wonderful weekend! xx
I made this for our Sunday night family meal and everyone loved it. I served it with a meat chili dish because I know there are low-carb family members. But this was what everyone ate–multiple servings.
Hey Georgette,
Happy Monday! I appreciate you making this recipe and your comment, so glad it turned out well! xx
Wow, wow, wow….this was delicious. I had my doubts when I was making the broccoli pesto, but, everything was just amazing! I appreciate your creativity! I used Barilla GF no bake lasagna noodles and you’d never know it was GF. Made it for a group of 11 women and they all loved it!
X (Chef’s kiss)
Hey Valerie,
Happy Friday!! I appreciate you trying this recipe and your feedback, love to hear it turned out well! xx
Would subbing shredded mozzarella for provolone work?
Hey Emily,
Totally, that will work nicely for you! I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
Hi! Would recipe/cooking time be the same if I swapped out the no boil noodles for regular lasagna noodles (and pre-boiled them)? Thank you!
Hey Meredith,
Yes, that would work nicely for you! I hope you love this recipe! Happy Holidays! xx
How far in advance can you prepare ahead before baking?
Hi Nicole,
You could prep this a day in advance and then bake when you are ready to serve. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
Hi! I’m very excited to try this recipe! How much chili flakes should I add? I don’t see it in the ingredient list but it’s in the instructions! Thanks so much!
Hey Marian,
You can add that to taste, a pinch or so goes a long way:) I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xT
Hi! I saw this on your freezer friendly meals – would you recommend cooking fully, freezing then just reheating for 30 min or so? Thanks! I’m new to freezing but trying to prep for post partum!
Hey Emily,
You bet! You could fully cook and then freeze or freeze after assembling. If you are baking from frozen it should take more like 60 minutes. I hope this helps! xT
Made this recently for my wife’s book club. Came out absolutely delicious! The ladies loved it. Texture and flavor was perfect. And, the bechamel sauce gave it an “over the top” creaminess and flavor. I couldn’t hold back on the ricotta cheese though; I had to add 25-30 oz. of that too, whipped first with an egg, in each layer. “You do you” on this call with or without; but a guaranteed hit with your guests either way.
Hey Jeff,
Wonderful!! I appreciate you giving this recipe a try and your comment, so glad to hear it turned out nicely for you! xT
I made this last week and it was DELICIOUS!! I’m not a big cooked spinach fan, so I used 1 handful of fresh spinach and some shredded chicken. It was AMAZING!! Thank you for the recipe!!
Hey Laura,
Fantastic!! Thanks a lot for trying this dish and your feedback, so glad to hear it was a hit! xT
I made this for a dinner party tonight and it was great! It came together quickly since I prepped all of my herbs and shallots ahead of time. We all had seconds and wiped it out! I will probably drain the pesto next time as it was a bit greasy. But on the plus side, it didn’t stick to the pan and clean up was a breeze.
Thank you for trying out the recipe! I’m so so glad you enjoyed it! 🙂 xT