Lasagne al Pesto: easy Italian pesto lasagna from Liguria

A delicious and easy Lasagne al Pesto made with fresh pasta, creamy béchamel and plenty of basil pesto. A simple, comforting Italian baked pasta everyone loves.

Lasagne al pesto is one of those wonderful Italian dishes that feels special but is incredibly easy to make.

Popular in Liguria — , the region of Genova, the home of basil pesto — this baked pasta is creamy, fragrant and much easier to make than a traditional meat lasagne, which makes it perfect for family dinners, summer meals or festive Italian menus when you want something comforting but not too laborious to prepare.

It’s indeed one of the quickest lasagne recipes you can make: no long simmering sauces, no complicated steps, it is very much just an assembly exercise! Fresh pasta, béchamel, pesto and a good sprinkling of Parmesan. Simple, delicious and always a crowd-pleaser.

Need to know! For this recipe, I am assuming you have all the sauces ready, either bough or made ahead. If you don’t you’ll need 5 minutes to make the pesto and about 10 to make the béchamel. Links to recipes are below!

Ingredients

• 4 sheets of fresh lasagna sheets
• 600 g béchamel sauce
• 300 g basil pesto (my 5 minute recipe is below)
• Parmesan cheese, to sprinkle on top

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven

Set your oven to 180°C (350°F).

2. Prepare the sauces

Make fresh pesto following my super easy basil pesto recipe here

Make a simple béchamel, sauce, medium thickness (find standard recipe here)

3. Start layering

Spread a thin layer of pesto-béchamel on the bottom of your baking dish to keep the pasta from sticking.

Add the first layer of fresh lasagna sheets, followed by more béchamel and some pesto.

Continue alternating pasta + sauce until everything is used up.

4. Finish with Parmesan

Top the final layer generously with Parmesan.

5. Bake

Place in the oven for 20–25 minutes, or until the top is lightly golden and the sauce is bubbling at the edges.

6. Rest and serve

Let the lasagne sit for 5–10 minutes before slicing — this helps it set and makes it easier to serve beautifully.

What to Serve with Lasagne al Pesto

• A simple tomato and mozzarella salad
• Roasted vegetables (courgettes, peppers, cherry tomatoes)
• A fresh rocket salad with lemon

This is a fairly rich dish, so it pairs beautifully with crisp, fresh sides.

Variations

• Add potatoes and veg: traditionally, pesto is also made with boiled potatoes and string beans and they work deliciously well to add texture and bulk.
• Make it vegan: Use vegan pesto, dairy-free béchamel and vegan Parmesan.
• Add texture: Toasted pine nuts sprinkled on top before serving.

Home-made Lasagne al Pesto

A delicious and super easy vegetarian lasagna recipe from Italy perfect to feed a crowd or a comforting family meal

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Servings: 6 people

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

• 300 gr fresh basil pesto
• 600 gr bechamel sauce
• 4 sheets fresh lasagne
• 1 handful grated parmesan (optional)

Method

 

1. Preheat the oven – set your oven to 180°C (350°F)
2. Spread a thin layer of pesto-béchamel on the bottom of your baking dish to keep the pasta from sticking.
3. Add the first layer of fresh lasagna sheets, followed by more béchamel and some pesto. Continue alternating pasta + sauce until everything is used up.
4. Top the final layer generously with Parmesan.
5. Bake: Place in the oven for 20–25 minutes, or until the top is lightly golden and the sauce is bubbling at the edges.
6. Rest and serve. Let the lasagne sit for 5–10 minutes before slicing — this helps it set and makes it easier to serve beautifully.

Vegetarian Lasagna al Pesto: pin this!

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