Open Pesto Lasagne
Introduction
Known as lasagna al forno aperta in Italian, open lasagne is a delicious and visually appealing alternative to traditional layered lasagne. In fact, ever since we were first introduced to it at our favourite Italian restaurant, this is now the only style of lasagne we make.
The one thing that's always annoyed us with traditional, oven-baked lasagne is that because you're cooking it "blind," you have no idea how well the pasta is cooking. Inevitably, you end up with some of the pasta being overcooked and mushy, while the outer edges are overcooked and positively crunchy. Open lasagne solves that problem because you're cooking the pasta separately from the rest of the ingredients and so have complete control over its texture.
Pro tip
While pre-cut, dried lasagne sheets are perfectly fine for a quick weeknight meal, making your own pasta sheets is well worth the effort. The recipe couldn't be simpler: one egg and a pinch of salt for every 100g of flour. See our silk handkerchief pasta recipe for instructions.
