3.5 lb PESTO & SPINACH RICOTTA LASAGNA
Lasagne alla Portofino
5 Layers - 9 x 9 pan
Feeds 4 - 6 people
**SATURDAY FARM PICK UP ONLY**
One of the best weeks of my life was spent in Santa Margherita, Italy. It's a beautiful village nestled into a slope along the Italian Riviera/Ligurian coast - right next door to the breathtaking town of Portofino. Other than a gruesome mishap where I overdosed on fresh figs from a tree in the yard of our rental, it was the most wonderful experience of my life.
That region of Italy has a traditional lasagna that's a little different from the rest of the country. It's the area that birthed fresh basil pesto, so this multi-layered majesty is 5 layers of pasta slathered with pesto, a spinach ricotta, béchamel, cheese, and more pesto. And then more cheese. It's traditionally meatless, and yet it fully stands alone as a comforting, totally satisfying and insanely delicious meal for the whole family.
This tastes nothing like our White lasagna. That one's from the mountain region, heavy with dairy and earthy mushrooms, and herbaceous. Its green cousin here has more layers, is lighter and brighter with a much bigger and bolder flavor, but still just cheesy.
Our Green Lasagna can be cooked right from the freezer, but if you let it thaw in the fridge the day before you can cut about 20 minutes of cook time. In any case, it's mandatory that you let this rest for 15-20 minutes after cooking so that the layers can come together before slicing and serving.
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COOKING INSTRUCTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350. Remove plastic from frozen lasagna and tent the pan with foil, sealing the sides but not letting the foil touch the precious cheese! Place covered lasagna on a cookie sheet and toss it onto your middle oven rack for about an hour. Then remove foil and cook for additional 15-ish minutes until the cheese turns golden and crisps around the edges. I personally really like the crusty parts. Otherwise pull it out before it starts to brown, but when it's cooked through in the center.
Let rest 15-20 minutes before serving.
