This recipe is a slightly adapted version of the Lasagne Primavera from “How to Eataly”, by Oscar Farinetti. If you are interested in learning more about Italian food and cooking, I highly recommend this cookbook. When I lived in New York, Eataly was my favourite place to go. Even if I wasn’t buying anything, I loved to wonder through the aisles and drool over all the beautiful fresh pasta. Whenever my mom would come visit, we’d always have one night of Eataly, in my apartment. Ravioli, fresh produce, cured meats, and good wine. My version of heaven! Italian cuisine is not-so-arguably my favourite, and while I continue to fumble my way through learning more about it, this book is my absolute number one resource.
Full disclosure, this recipe is very time consuming… especially if you’re making the noodles from scratch, which I highly recommend if you’re already comfortable making fresh pasta. That being said, you can buy some beautiful Italian imported pasta sheets that are a fine substitute, and a huge time saver. If you decide to use dry noodles, make sure to boil them before baking. Even if they are “oven ready”.
If you decide to make fresh pasta, you should be able to yield enough dough from 4 cups of flour and 5 eggs. If your eggs are small, consider adding one more. I like to keep my dough on the wet side, so I never focus on using all the flour, but rely instead on my senses. The dough should feel soft and pliable, but not so sticky that it sticks to your hands. You want your dough to remain on the wet side, so you can roll it very thin. The idea is that you should be able to read a newspaper through the finished product. If you don’t end up with 20 sheets, don’t fret. You can always skip some layers (which I point out in the layering process) and/or use a smaller casserole dish.
Lastly, I’d like to say that I don’t think I’ve ever layered my Lasagne Primavera the same twice! The layering process is long and a little confusing, and I almost always make a mistake along the way. At the end of the day, the final product is always delicious! Don’t worry if you don’t keep to the recipe. It’s your lasagne!
Lasagne Primavera
Ingredients
- 20 20 Fresh or Dried 4×10 Pasta Sheets, approximately 4 cups flour and 5 eggs
- 3 cups Whole Milk
- 5 tbsp Butter
- 3 tbsp Flour
- 1 Bay Leaf
- 5 Peppercorns
- A Pinch of Nutmeg
- 2 1/2 Cups Loosely Packed Basil Leaves
- 2-3 Garlic Cloves, peeled
- 2 Tbsps Pine Nuts, plus some for garnish
- 1/2 Cup of Olive Oil
- 1 1/2 Cups Parmesan, freshly grated
- 1 lb Asparagus, halved lengthwise if thick
- 1 Cup Shelled or Frozen Peas
- 250 grams Mozzarella, grated aged or sliced fresh
Instructions
- Place a pot with the milk over low heat and add the bay leaf and peppercorns, then discard them once it’s warm.
- Place a small saucepan over medium heat, add the butter, and allow it to melt. Add the flour to the butter and begin whisking immediately. Whisk constantly and allow the roux to cook for about 2 minutes. This step is important, as it keeps the béchamel from tasting like flour.
- Begin adding the milk to the roux, about a 1/4 cup at a time, whisking constantly and removing the pot from the heat when necessary, in order to control the temperature. The milk will thicken very quickly in the beginning. Once all the milk has been incorporated, continue whisking until the sauce has thickened and is nearly the consistency of sour cream. This step can take a while (anywhere from 15-25 minutes). It’s important not to stop whisking, or the sauce will become clumpy. Remove the béchamel from the heat and continue whisking a little bit while it cools down. Add a pinch of nutmeg and salt to taste. Set aside.
- In a mortar and pestle, add the garlic and a pinch of coarse sea salt. Muddle and grind the garlic until smooth. Adding a handful of basil at a time, continue muddling and grinding until all the leaves are broken down. Repeat with the pine nuts and continue until it becomes a smooth paste. Then, mix in the olive oil and 1/2 cup of grated parmesan. Add sea salt to taste, and set aside.
- Fresh Noodles: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt the water and add 4 fresh noodles at a time, and cook for about 30 seconds or shortly after they rise to the surface. Transfer them with a slotted spoon to an ice bath, and then onto a clean/dry tea towel. Dab the tops of the noodles dry, and repeat until all the noodles have been cooked.
- Dry Noodles: Cook pasta sheets according to package instructions. Do not use oven ready noodles for this recipe, unless you’re boiling them first. Noodles should be cooked to al dente.
- Scatter the asparagus evenly in the bottom of a pan and cover with water. Salt, cover, and bring to a simmer over medium heat. When the water is simmering, you can remove the lid. Once the asparagus is just tender, remove them with a slotted spoon (don’t pour out the cooking water), shock them in ice cold water, and cut them into 1/4 inch slices.
- Place the peas in the simmering cooking water and allow to cook for a few minutes. Frozen peas will take slightly less time than fresh, which should take about 3-5 minutes. Once finished, strain and set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 450ºF, and lightly oil the bottom of a 8×12 baking dish.
- NOTE: Here is a visual description of the layering process. I’ve included all 9 layers of noodles, and notes next to the layers that can be skipped. It’s helpful to divide your noodles in advance, in order to make sure you have enough for all the layers. It’s important that the first layer of noodles cover the dish precisely, but the following layers don’t need to be perfect. You can also cut your noodles, if necessary, to make them fit better or add coverage. Just make sure you’re not cutting any that you’ll need later!
- 1st Layer of Noodles
- 1/5th of Béchamel
- 2nd Layer of Noodles
- 1/4 of Pesto
- 1/5th of Béchamel
- 1/2 of the Parmesan
- 1/3rd of the Vegetables
- 1/5th of the Béchamel
- 3rd Layer of Noodles
- 1/4 of the Pesto
- 4th Layer of Noodles (skippable)
- 1/3rd of the vegetables
- 5th Layer of Noodles
- 1/4 of the Pesto
- 6th Layer of Noodles (skippable)
- Remaining Vegetables
- 7th Layer of Noodles
- Remaining Pesto
- 8th Layer of Noodles
- 1/5th of the Béchamel
- 9th Layer of Noodles
- Remaining Béchamel
- Remaining Parmesan
- Mozzarella
- Bake for 10 minutes, or until the cheese has melted, then broil until the cheese is golden brown.
- Allow to rest, covered, for 5-10 minutes before serving.
- Enjoy!
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