Asparagus Lasagna - Giada De Laurentiis

Lakerdog2's Note:

I think this lasagna is wonderful! I absolutely love asparagus, and the taste of it with the sundried tomato/basil mixture is delicious! This is anything but your traditional lasagna! I made it without the pancetta and it was delish, but I am sure would be even better with it!

• Total Time: 40 mins
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 25 mins

Ingredients:

Serves: 6-8

Yield: 1.0 lasagna

• 9 lasagna noodles (fresh or dried)
• 1 teaspoon olive oil, plus
• 1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
• 2 (8 1/2 ounce) jars sun-dried tomatoes, drained
• 1 1/2 cups fresh basil leaves
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese, plus
• 3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1/4 lb pancetta, diced
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 bunches asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 (15 ounce) container whole milk ricotta cheese
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 2 cups shredded whole milk mozzarella cheese
• 2 tablespoons butter

Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add 1 teaspoon olive oil. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes for dried pasta or 2 to 3 minutes for fresh pasta. Drain pasta.
2. In a food processor combine the sun-dried tomatoes and basil. Pulse until the mixture is combined. Transfer to a small bowl. Stir in 1/2 cup Parmesan. Set aside.
3. In a large skillet brown the pancetta until crisp. Remove from the pan using a slotted spoon. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil, onion, and garlic and cook until tender, about 4 minutes. Add asparagus and cook until tender, about 4 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl. Add the ricotta, salt, and pepper and stir to combine.
4. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a 9 x 13-inch baking dish, sprinkle some of the sun-dried tomato mixture on the bottom of the casserole dish. Place some lasagna sheets, then half asparagus mixture. Next sprinkle some mozzarella cheese and some of the remaining 3/4 cup Parmesan. Sprinkle with cooked pancetta. Continue for 1 more layer. Top with lasagna sheets, some sun-dried tomato mixture, mozzarella, and Parmesan. Dot the top with butter. Bake until the ingredients are warm and the cheese is melted, about 25 minutes.

Reviews

[Busy Lindsay]

This tastes great! My husband and I loved it and enjoyed that is was not as heavy as traditional lasagna, however I used part-skim ricotta and part-skim mozzerella cheese. There is quite a bit of prep work involved, but it comes out beautiful - I bought Giada's cookbook with this recipe and turns out just the picutre. Just a tip - don't try to short cut this with no-boil lasagna noodle beause there is not enough sauce/liquid to cook them in the oven.

[mersaydees]

This is a delicious twist on classic lasagna. The instructions didn't indicate if and where to add back the pancetta, so I sprinkled them on top of the assembled lasagna; I think that bacon could be used in a pinch. Tip: do not undercook the asparagus! That goes for the lasagna noodles, as well; otherwise, there is no spare liquid to further tenderize the noodles once it goes into the oven. Thanks, Lakerdog2! Made for My Three Chefs.