This fast and scrumptious recipe for Spinach, Pesto and Cheese Lasagna bakes in under one hour!
Spinach, Pesto and Cheese Lasagna
I’m pretty sure we are all excited when lasagna is on the table for dinner. More often than not, I make a classic lasagna with beef. But I really love to change things up once in a while. This spinach, pesto and cheese lasagna brings some great, new flavors to a classic dish.
🛒 Ingredients Needed:
- ricotta cheese
- shredded Parmesan cheese
- salt and pepper
- egg
- frozen chopped spinach
- prepared pesto
- bottled chunky pasta sauce
- cooked lasagna noodles
- grated fontina cheese
✏️ How to make Spinach, Pesto and Cheese Lasagna:
*The complete, printable recipe is in the recipe card at the end of this post.
- In a medium bowl, stir together the ricotta and Parmesan cheeses. Season the cheeses with salt and pepper; stir in the egg.
- In another medium bowl, stir together the spinach and pesto.
- Spray a glass baking dish with nonstick spray. Spread 1 cup of the pasta sauce in the prepared dish. Arrange 3 noodles side-by-side atop the sauce. Spread 1¼ cups of the ricotta cheese mixture over the noodles in a thin layer. Drop ⅓ of the spinach mixture over the cheese by spoonfuls. Repeat the layering with sauce, noodles, ricotta cheese mixture and spinach mixture 2 more times. Top with the remaining 3 noodles and 1 cup of sauce.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Cover the lasagna with foil..
- Bake for 35 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with the fontina cheese. Bake the lasagna until heated through, the sauce is bubbling and the cheese on top is melted, about 15 minutes longer. Let stand for about 10 minutes before serving
➡️ Tips and Substitutions:
- The original recipe (from Bon Appetit) called for using no-boil lasagna noodles. This, of course, makes this recipe even quicker to make. I haven’t had a whole lot of luck in the past with the no-boil noodles, but I encourage you to try them in this recipe.
- Mozzarella cheese may be substituted for the fontina cheese.
- Feel free to use homemade ricotta cheese or homemade pesto sauce.
✔️ Make ahead tips:
Up to 24 hours before serving, you may complete the recipe through step 4 (placing foil over the lasagna before baking) and refrigerate until ready to bake.
❤️ What I Love About This Recipe:
- I love the addition of pesto in the recipe!
- Fontina cheese is a great flavor to add to lasagna instead of the usual mozzarella.
- It’s now one of my family’s favorite recipes.
Recipes Using Pesto:
Super Fast Spinach, Pesto and Cheese Lasagna
This fast and scrumptious recipe for lasagna features spinach, pesto and cheese. Best of all, it bakes in under and hour!
Ingredients
- 3 cups ricotta cheese (skim or low fat are fine)
- 1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 large egg
- Two 10-ounce packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
- One 7-ounce container prepared pesto
- 4 cups bottled chunky pasta sauce, divided
- 12 whole lasagna noodles (cooked)
- 2 cups grated fontina cheese
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, stir together the ricotta and Parmesan cheeses. Season the cheeses with salt and pepper; stir in the egg.
- In another medium bowl, stir together the spinach and pesto.
- Spray a glass baking dish with nonstick spray. Spread 1 cup of the pasta sauce in the prepared dish. Arrange 3 noodles side-by-side atop the sauce. Spread 1¼ cups of the ricotta cheese mixture over the noodles in a thin layer. Drop ⅓ of the spinach mixture over the cheese by spoonfuls. Repeat the layering with sauce, noodles, ricotta cheese mixture and spinach mixture 2 more times. Top with the remaining 3 noodles and 1 cup of sauce.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Cover the lasagna with foil..
- Bake for 35 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with the fontina cheese. Bake the lasagna until heated through, the sauce is bubbling and the cheese on top is melted, about 15 minutes longer. Let stand for about 10 minutes before serving
Notes
- The original recipe called for using no-boil lasagna noodles. This, of course, makes this recipe even quicker. I haven’t had a whole lot of luck in the past with the no-boil noodles, but I encourage you to try them in this recipe.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 654kcal, Carbohydrates: 59g, Protein: 36g, Fat: 31g, Saturated Fat: 14g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 6g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 98mg, Sodium: 1595mg, Potassium: 920mg, Fiber: 6g, Sugar: 9g, Vitamin A: 10078IU, Vitamin C: 12mg, Calcium: 708mg, Iron: 4mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Great recipe. I also brown some ground meat & mix with the sauce before putting it all together. Always a hit when I make this lasagna!