Description
This is a house favorite lasagna that I get lots of requests for when fresh asparagus is in season. This Italian-inspired lasagna recipe with thinly sliced ham, delicious porky tomato sauce, layers of asparagus-infused béchamel, pan-seared fresh asparagus, fresh mozzarella, and grated Grana Padano cheese makes one of the most delicious lasagnas you’ll ever eat! Hands down, it’s one of my top three lasagnas of all time and we hope you’ll be as crazy about it as we are.
Ingredients
Scale
- 12 sheets (7 ounces) spinach or plain egg pasta lasagna noodles (ready to bake) (200g)
- 5 ounces fresh asparagus cleaned and trimmed (150g) *for decorating the top of lasagna
- 7 ounces asparagus cleaned and trimmed (200g) *for layering inside lasagna
- 6 ounces Italian prosciutto cotto, or other premium deli ham, sliced paper-thin (170g)
- 2 balls (7 ounces) of fresh mozzarella, diced or hand-shredded (200g)
- 3 ounces Grana Padano cheese, or Parmigiano Reggiano, grated (90g)
- 1 recipe Asparagus Bechamel
- 1 recipe Prosciutto Sugo red sauce
Instructions
- Make the prosciutto sugo sauce as called for and set it aside.
- Make the asparagus-béchamel sauce, as called for, cover it with cling film, and set aside.
- Blanch 7 ounces of asparagus & pan-sear (for slicing and layering into the lasagna). Bring a medium pot of lightly salted water to a boil, add 7 ounces (200g) of asparagus, and blanch for approximately 1 minute until asparagus has turned bright green. Using tongs, remove the blanched asparagus from the water and place them directly into a pre-heated skillet (on medium-hi heat) drizzled with a little olive oil in a single layer. Do not overcrowd the asparagus. Season with salt and pepper. Allow the asparagus to sear a minute or 2, or until nice and golden brown. Flip them over and brown the other side. When asparagus is a little crispy and nicely browned, remove them to a cutting board, and slice them into bite-sized pieces. *Don’t over-cook them in this step because they will cook further in the oven while the lasagna bakes.
- Blanch 5 ounces of asparagus (for decorating the top of the lasagna). In the same pot of lightly salted water, bring it to a boil again and add 5 ounces (140-150g) of asparagus, and blanch for approximately 1 minute until asparagus has turned bright green. Immediately remove the asparagus from the boiling water, and drop them into a bowl of ice water for 1-2 minutes just until they are cooled through and no longer cooking. Remove them from the ice water, pat dry, and slice each asparagus spear in half lengthwise (from top to bottom). Set aside until ready to decorate the assembled lasagna.
- Assemble the lasagna. Assemble the lasagna by adding a ladle of béchamel and spreading it out onto the bottom of a lasagna dish (or 9×13 inch baking dish) and start building the remaining layers as outlined below ending with the halved asparagus spears to decorate the top of the lasagna. *see step-by-step photos.
- sauce, Grana Padano, lasagna noodles, béchamel, chopped asparagus, prosciutto sauce, prosciutto cotto (ham), Grana Padano, mozzarella, lasagna noodles, béchamel, sauce, Grana Padano, chopped asparagus, mozzarella, prosciutto cotto (ham), lasagna noodles, béchamel, sauce, mozzarella, Grana Padano, end by decorating with the blanched asparagus spear halves
- Bake the lasagna. Cover the lasagna tightly with aluminum foil and bake in a preheated 350°F/175°C oven for 40 minutes. Remove the aluminum foil and bake uncovered until bubbling and golden brown on top (about 5-10 minutes more).
Notes
- When searing the asparagus, do not move the asparagus once they hit the pan other than to arrange them into a single layer so that they can brown properly in that initial connection with the oil and the hot skillet.
- If you notice a pool of asparagus liquid on the top of the lasagna, don’t worry. Slightly tilt the lasagna away from you (or towards you) and allow the liquid to seep into the sides of the lasagna. You may have to do this up to two times if you’re working with large asparagus which contains more water. Continue cooking until the top of the lasagna is melted, bubbly, and lightly browned all over.
- How do I get a nicely browned and crispy cheesy top on my lasagna? The trick to getting a perfectly golden brown cheesy top on your baked lasagna is to place it under the broiler during the last 10 minutes of baking time. Just be sure to watch it so it doesn’t burn. Remove it from the oven when the desired color is reached.
LASAGNA ASSEMBLY LIST BY LAYERS:
- bechamel: Add a thin layer of asparagus béchamel sauce to the bottom of a lasagna pan and spread out in a thin layer being sure to cover the entire bottom of the casserole dish.
- sauce: Next, add a small amount of prosciutto sugo on top of the béchamel and spread it out into a thin layer.
- Grana Padano: Next, add a little Grana Padano sprinkling lightly over the top.
- lasagna noodles: Next, cover with lasagna noodles overlapping ever so slightly. You may need to break a lasagna noodle in half to cover completely.
- bechamel: Add a thin layer of asparagus béchamel sauce.
- chopped asparagus: Next add about half of the chopped asparagus sprinkling evenly over the top.
- sauce: Add a layer of prosciutto Sugo and spread it out.
- prosciutto cotto: Next add a layer of prosciutto cotto in a single layer making sure every surface is covered.
- Grana Padano: Sprinkle a little bit of the Grana Padano cheese
- mozzarella: Sprinkle a little bit of the chopped mozzarella evenly over the top.
- lasagna noodles: Next, cover with lasagna noodles overlapping ever so slightly.
- bechamel: Add a thin layer of asparagus béchamel sauce.
- sauce: Next, add a small amount of prosciutto sugo on top of the béchamel and spread it out into a thin layer.
- Grana Padano: Next, add a little Grana Padano sprinkling lightly over the top.
- chopped asparagus: Next add the remaining half of the chopped asparagus sprinkling evenly over the top.
- mozzarella: Sprinkle a little bit of the chopped mozzarella evenly over the top.
- prosciutto cotto: Next add a layer of prosciutto cotto in a single layer making sure every surface is covered.
- lasagna noodles: Next, cover with lasagna noodles overlapping ever so slightly.
- bechamel: Add a thin layer of asparagus béchamel sauce.
- sauce: Next, add a small amount of prosciutto sugo on top of the béchamel and spread it out into a thin layer.
- mozzarella: Sprinkle a little bit of the chopped mozzarella evenly over the top
- Grana Padano: Next, add a little Grana Padano sprinkling lightly over the top.
- blanched asparagus spear halves: Top with asparagus halves and brush the asparagus with a little bit of olive oil. Sprinkle with a light dusting Grana Padano and bake.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Pasta
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Slice
