Pesto lasagna with green beans and potatoes is a baked pasta dish that comes from the Liguria region of Italy. Unlike classic lasagna Bolognese, Ligurian lasagna is made with Genovese pesto, béchamel sauce, potatoes, green beans, and Parmigiano cheese.
To make pesto lasagna with green beans and potatoes, you can use fresh or dried lasagna. If you want to use fresh lasagna, we will show you how to make them step by step.
Meanwhile, cook the green beans and potatoes and prepare the pesto sauce. We will show you how to make authentic pesto alla Genovese, the traditional recipe used in Italy. You will then prepare the béchamel sauce, a creamy white sauce often used in Italian cuisine to bind ingredients together.
Finally, assemble the dish by alternating layers of lasagna, pesto, green beans, potatoes and béchamel sauce until you run out of ingredients. Bake and enjoy!
This pesto lasagna with potatoes and green beans recipe is delicious, everyone loves it, and it's nutritious and balanced. Give it a try!
Ingredients
- Prep Time: 45 Min
- Cook Time: 1 Hour
- Servings: 4-6
Doses for a 25x20 cm (10x8 inch) baking dish
For Lasagna
- ~12 lasagna sheets: you can make fresh homemade lasagna sheets following our step by step recipe: how to make Homemade Pasta
- Or you can buy authentic Italian flat lasagna, oven ready (no cooking or boiling necessary), made with durum wheat (we recommend Tuscanini brand)
For Bèchamel Sauce
- 500 ml (~2 cups) of fresh whole milk
- 50 g (1.8 oz - ~½ stick) of unsalted butter
- 50 g (1.8 oz - ⅓ cup) of all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon of fine salt
Pesto Ingredients
- 50 g of basil leaves (about 60/65 leaves)
- ½ cup of extra virgin olive oil. Try this authentic Ligurian extra virgin olive oil that's perfect for this recipe
- 70 g (½ cup) of Parmigiano Reggiano
- 30 g (2 tablespoons) of Pecorino Fiore Sardo
- 2 peeled garlic cloves
- 15 g (1 tablespoon) of pine nuts
- 4 or 5 grains of coarse salt
- ice
Other Ingredients
- 200 g (7 oz) of green beans
- 2 medium potatoes
- 200 g (1 cup) of freshly grated Parmigiano cheese
Instructions
The Basil Pesto
Step 1) - To make Pesto Lasagna with Green Beans and Potatoes, first prepare the pesto. You can keep it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Wash the basil leaves in cold water. Place them in a large bowl with plenty of ice for 3-4 minutes. This will make your pesto super green!
Step 2) - Now dry the leaves VERY WELL on a kitchen towel. Place them in a food processor with the garlic, pine nuts and grated Parmigiano cheese.
Step 3) - Coarsely chop the ingredients for a few seconds. Add the salt and the grated Pecorino Fiore Sardo cheese. Mix all the ingredients together for about 1 minute.
Add the extra virgin olive oil. Blend for about 5 minutes until the pesto is ready, green and creamy!
TIP: pesto should not get hot, so use the food processor at the lowest speed and in pulses, that is, blend for a few seconds, stop and start again.
For more information, tips and tricks, read our pesto recipe.
The Bechamel Sauce
Now you're ready to make the béchamel sauce, which you can refrigerate for up to 3 days (if you're not using it right away). For the complete recipe with more details, information, and tips, read How to Make Bechamel Sauce.
Step 1) - Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat and add the flour - using a sieve - whisking quickly.
Cook for 30 seconds/1 minute, stirring, so that the flour becomes more flavorful and absorbs the fat from the butter.
The mixture of butter and flour is called roux and should turn a nice golden color.
Step 2) - Slowly pour the warm milk over the roux, stirring well with a whisk to prevent lumps from forming.
Continue stirring and cook until you reach a fairly thick consistency (about 10 to 15 minutes).
The sauce is ready when it sticks to the back of a wooden spoon. Finally, taste and add a pinch of fine salt to taste.
If you used a whisk and stirred at supersonic speed, there should be no lumps in the sauce. If there are lumps, use an immersion blender to whisk the sauce until the lumps dissolve.
The Layers
Step 1) - Now cook the vegetables. Peel and halve the potatoes. Wash the green beans and cut off the ends.
Place the potatoes in a large pot of lightly salted water. Bring the water to a boil. When it boils, add the green beans and cook for 15 to 20 minutes.
When vegetables are cooked, drain and set aside.
Step 2) - Now prepare the pesto béchamel sauce. In a bowl, add the pesto to the béchamel sauce and mix. Set aside.
Step 3) - Spread a little pesto béchamel sauce on a baking dish, then add enough lasagna to cover the bottom of the dish. Top with another layer of pesto béchamel sauce.
Step 4) - Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of Parmigiano cheese. Then add some roughly chopped potatoes and green beans, covering the entire surface.
Cover with another lasagna and start again: pesto sauce and béchamel sauce - parmigiano cheese - green beans and potatoes (repeat).
Continue making layers until all the ingredients are finished, or at least until the baking dish is full.
The Baking
Step 5) - Top with a sheet of lasagna, a layer of pesto béchamel sauce and plenty of grated Parmigiano cheese.
Cover the pesto lasagna with aluminum foil. Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C (356°F) for 20 minutes.
Step 6) - Remove the aluminum foil and finish cooking in the oven for an additional 10 minutes.
Allow the pesto, potato, and green bean lasagna to cool to room temperature for 10 minutes before serving.
YOU MUST ALSO TRY:
- Spinach Lasagna Recipe
- Italian Green Bean Casserole | Polpettone alla Ligure
- Linguine al Pesto with Red Shrimp Tartare and Lemon
- Vegetable Lasagna
Storage
You can store lasagna with pesto, green beans, and potatoes in the refrigerator.
If you want to store lasagna for a short time, you can put it in an airtight container and place it in the refrigerator.
Refrigerated lasagna should be eaten within 3-4 days.
Can I freeze Pesto Lasagna?
If you want to store lasagna for an extended period of time, you can freeze it.
Before freezing, make sure the lasagna is completely cooled, then cover with aluminum foil.
When you are ready to use the lasagna, slowly thaw it in the refrigerator for a few hours, then heat it in the oven.
You can also make pesto lasagna and freeze it raw. But only if you used fresh ingredients. Thaw the lasagna before baking it in the oven, or the pan may crack from the heat.
TIP: If you know you won't eat all the lasagna at once, consider portioning it into smaller containers and storing it in the refrigerator or freezer.
That way, you can defrost and reheat only the portions you need.
Can I Make Pesto Lasagna Ahead of Time?
Of course you can! You can make pesto lasagna the day before.
Cover with aluminum foil and place in the refrigerator.
When it's time to bake, heat the oven and place the pesto lasagna dish in the oven to bake according to the recipe instructions.
Recipe Card
Lasagna with Pesto Green Beans and Potatoes
Ingredients
For Lasagna Noodles
- 10 lasagna
For Bèchamel Sauce
- 500 ml milk ~2 cups
- 50 g unsalted butter ~½ stick
- 50 g flour ⅓ cup
- ¼ teaspoon salt
For Pesto
- 50 g basil leaves about 60/65 leaves
- ½ cup olive oil extra virgin
- 70 g Parmigiano Reggiano ½ cup
- 30 g Pecorino 2 tablespoons, Fiore Sardo
- 2 garlic cloves peeled
- 15 g pine nuts 1 tablespoon
- 5 salt grains, coarse
- ice
Other Ingredients
- 200 g green beans 7 oz
- 2 potatoes
- 200 g Parmigiano cheese 1 cup
Instructions
For the Basil Pesto
- Prepare the pesto. You can keep it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Wash the basil leaves in cold water. Place them in a large bowl with plenty of ice for 3-4 minutes. This will make your pesto super green!
- Dry the leaves VERY WELL on a kitchen towel. Place them in a food processor with the garlic, pine nuts and grated Parmigiano cheese.
- Coarsely chop the ingredients for a few seconds. Add the salt and the grated Pecorino Fiore Sardo cheese. Mix all the ingredients together for about 1 minute.
- Add the extra virgin olive oil. Blend for about 5 minutes until the pesto is ready, green and creamy! TIP: pesto should not get hot, so use the food processor at the lowest speed and in pulses, that is, blend for a few seconds, stop and start again.
For the Bechamel
- Make the béchamel sauce, which you can refrigerate for up to 3 days (if you're not using it right away). Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat and add the flour - using a sieve - whisking quickly.
- Cook for 30 seconds/1 minute, stirring, so that the flour becomes more flavorful and absorbs the fat from the butter.
- Meanwhile, heat the milk without bringing it to a boil.
- Turn off the heat. Slowly pour the hot milk over the roux, stirring well with a whisk to prevent lumps from forming.
- When the milk is completely poured over the roux sauce, return the saucepan to low heat.
- Continue stirring until you reach a fairly thick consistency (about 10 to 15 minutes).
- The sauce is ready when it sticks to the back of a wooden spoon. Finally, taste and add a pinch of fine salt to taste.
Make the Layers
- Place the potatoes in a large pot of lightly salted water. Bring the water to a boil. When it boils, add the green beans and cook for 15 to 20 minutes.
- When vegetables are cooked, drain and set aside.
- Prepare the pesto béchamel sauce. In a bowl, add the pesto to the béchamel sauce and mix. Set aside.
- Spread a little pesto béchamel sauce on a baking dish, then add enough lasagna to cover the bottom of the dish. Top with another layer of pesto béchamel sauce.
- Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of Parmigiano cheese. Then add some roughly chopped potatoes and green beans, covering the entire surface.
- Cover with another lasagna and start again: pesto sauce and béchamel sauce - parmigiano cheese - green beans and potatoes (repeat).
- Continue making layers until all the ingredients are finished, or at least until the baking dish is full.
The Baking
- Top with a sheet of lasagna, a layer of pesto béchamel sauce and plenty of grated Parmigiano cheese.
- Cover the pesto lasagna with aluminum foil. Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C (356°F) for 20 minutes.
- Remove the aluminum foil and finish cooking in the oven for an additional 10 minutes.
- Allow the pesto, potato, and green bean lasagna to cool to room temperature for 10 minutes before serving.
Armando Ammendola says
O' sentito che ne meridione si puo' fare la lasagna con le uova sode e' Vero?
un grazie dal Australia.
Armando Amendola
Barbara says
Ciao Armando,
Si', e' vero! Sono le Lasagne alla Napoletana (Neapolitan Lasagna). Provala!