Recipe #6: Vegetarian Pesto Lasagna

Need some date night inspiration? Want a fun girls night in? Or just an evening to treat yo self? There is nothing yummier than fresh, aromatic pesto in a layered cheesy dish! I actually made this lasagna recently for my vegetarian parents last week and they LOVED it! My mom bought all the high quality ingredients for me so making it was so easy.

Ingredients:

One package of DeLallo no-boil lasagna sheets
High quality pesto (you can make your own, or to make things easier, find a jar with no extra additives – I like DeLallo and Mezzetta)
One 8 oz container of mascarpone cheese
3-4 tablespoons of sundried tomatoes (I got them from the HEB olive bar)6-8 roasted garlic cloves (again, I got these from the HEB olive bar)
6 oz of fresh mozzarella
Pecorino Romano (you can get a 3 oz chunk from the fresh cheese section for about $5)
Asiago (from the fresh cheese section)
3 portobello mushrooms
2 handfuls of spinach
Italian seasoning
Black pepper and red pepper (for taste)

I used a 9×9 glass dish but you can use a larger one to make more, although this was plenty for three people with a little leftover.

Directions:

1. Chop and sautée the portobello mushroom and spinach with italian seasoning on the stove until cooked and set aside.
2. Fold the jar of pesto and the mascarpone together until blended. Spoon and spread the bottom of the dish with this sauce blend.
3. Add the lasagna sheets (uncooked), more sauce, the mozzarella and grate the pecorino and asiago (as little or as much as you like).
4. Then add a few sundried tomatoes, garlic cloves, portobello mushrooms and spinach.
5. Add the italian seasoning, black pepper and red pepper (to taste).
6. Add another layer of lasagna sheets and repeat.
7. The top layer should have the rest of the sauce, mozzarella, asiago and pecorino. Bake at 400 for 40-45 minutes.

Take out the ooey gooey pesto dish and let rest for five minutes. Grate more pecorino on top before serving. I enjoyed it with olive focaccia and white wine. Bon appetit!