fennel and pistachio lasagna

fennel and pistachio lasagna

• 3.27.2018

I am by no means striving to be a vegetarian. But, i guess this qualifies as a vegetarian meal - and i didn't hate it. i actually liked it.

On Sunday morning I was getting ready to make my grocery store list for the week. I popped over to Food52 to see if there was a good option for some Sunday / weeknight meals. This lasagna popped up right away. Plus, I only needed three ingredients to make it happen.

I have never cooked with fennel before. So the recipe instructions led me to googling "fennel fronds" to see what those actually were. I'm not quite sure that I actually did this 100% correctly - but I'm alive and this tasted good.

Some notes:

• It is a very cheesy lasagna. I'm not a super big fan of ricotta in general, but this was okay. The next time I make this I'll probably try to add something else into the layers to break up all the ricotta. 
• The pesto is awesome. It's obviously not a traditional pesto because there is no cheese in the mixture. I only made half the original lasagna but made the full pesto mixture. Always love having extra pesto on hand - and used some it last night with orichette and roasted peppers.
• This lasagna doesn't exactly stand on its own. It could but I have eaten it (3x now) with some lightly dressed greens. Great balance.
• The original recipe calls for 4 cups of grated parmesan. That is a whole lot. I probably only used like 1.5 cups and feel pretty great about it. Do what you want - but 4 seems like a lot.

Here's how it goes.

1. MAKE PESTO // Combine the fennel, pistachios, basil, tarragon, salt, and pepper and blend until smooth in a food processor. With the motor running, slowly add the oil in a thin stream through the feed tube. Blend for 10 seconds more, or until thick and smooth. Cover and set aside.
2. Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
3. In a medium bowl, mix the pesto, ricotta, and cream together until combined.
4. Place 3 or 4 of the noodles in the bottom of a 9 by 13-inch rectangular casserole dish, keeping them in a flat, even layer. Spread one-third of the ricotta mixture over the noodles, then sprinkle with some of the Parmesan. Place 3 or 4 noodles in an even layer on top of the Parmesan and repeat two more times, so you have three layers of the ricotta mixture and are left with the noodles on top.
5. Sprinkle the cheddar and additional Parmesan evenly over the top. Feeling fancy? I added in some whole basil leaves. 
6. Place the casserole dish on a baking sheet and place it in the oven. Bake until the cheese is bubbling around the edges, about 35 minutes. Allow to cool for 15 minutes before slicing and serving.

Shopping List

Fennel-Pistachio Pesto:
3 cups coarsely chopped fennel stems and fronds
1 cup pistachios
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh tarragon
3/4 teaspoons flake kosher sea salt
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon (135 ml) extra-virgin olive oil

Lasagna:
1/2 pound lasagna noodles
2 cups fresh full-fat ricotta
1/2 cup heavy cream
4 cups grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup grated white cheddar cheese