Recipe

Spinach, pesto and parmesan lasagne

For a vegetarian twist on an Italian classic, look no further than this delicious spinach, pesto and parmesan lasagne, for a quick and easy dinner.

May 31, 1975 2:00pm
  • 1 hr 15 mins cooking
  • Serves 8
    • Print
    Print

Ingredients

Spinach, pesto and parmesan lasagne
  • 2 large red capsicum (bell peppers) (700g)
  • 4 large zucchini (600g), sliced thinly lengthways
  • 2 mediium eggplant (600g), sliced thinly lengthways
  • 6 fresh lasagne sheets (300g)
  • 150 gram baby spinach leaves
  • 2/3 cup (50g) parmesan, finely grated
  • 60 gram butter
  • 1/4 cup (35g) plain (all-purpose) flour
  • 3 cup (750ml) milk
  • 1/2 cup (40g) parmesan, finely grated
  • 1/3 cup (50g) pine nuts
  • 2 clove garlic
  • 1 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, firmly packed
  • 1/2 cup (125ml) olive oil

Method

Spinach, pesto and parmesan lasagne
  • 1
    Preheat grill (broiler).
  • 2
    Quarter capsicums, discard seeds and membranes. Grill capsicum, skin-side up, until skin blisters and blackens. Cover capsicum with plastic or paper for 5 minutes, peel away skin. Grill, zucchini and eggplant until browned both sides.
  • 3
    Preheat oven to 200°C (180°C fan forced). Oil a deep 3-litre (12-cup) ovenproof dish.
  • 4
    Meanwhile, make béchamel sauce. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over high heat, add flour, cook, stirring, until mixture bubbles. Gradually stir in milk, stir until mixture boils and thickens. Remove from heat, stir in parmesan. Season to taste.
  • 5
    Make basil pesto. Toast nuts in small dry frying pan until browned lightly, remove from pan, cool. Peel and quarter garlic. Blend or process pine nuts, garlic and basil until almost smooth. Gradually add oil in a thin, steady stream, blend until combined. Season to taste.
  • 6
    Layer zucchini in dish, top with one-third of the pesto, two lasagne sheets and one-third of the béchamel sauce. Repeat layers, using eggplant then capsicum and spinach in place of the zucchini. Sprinkle with parmesan.
  • 7
    Cover lasagne with foil bake 40 minutes. Remove foil, bake a further 15 minutes or until browned. Stand 10 minutes before serving, top with fresh basil leaves, if you like.

Notes

This recipe is suitable to freeze for up to 1 month. Package individual servings in airtight containers. Thaw overnight in the fridge, reheat in the microwave.

The Latest from Food To Love