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A rich and delicious Pistachio Lasagna made with a creamy pistachio bechamel sauce, Italian prosciutto cotto (ham), mozzarella and pecorino cheese. Inspired by Sicily, this lasagna is super comforting and full of incredible flavour!
As you probably know, we love a good lasagna around here, and this pistachio version is really special.
The sauce is a silky bechamel mixed with a big batch of pistachio pesto which gives the lasagna a rich, nutty flavour in every layer.
The filling is kept simple with just ham, mozzarella and pecorino and the flavours work beautifully together. Serve this with some crusty bread or homemade focaccia for the perfect Sunday family meal.
Ingredient notes
Pin this now to find it later
Pin It- Pistachios – make sure they are unsalted before using. If they are salted, you’ll need to soak them in cold water to remove the excess salt first.
- Ham – I used an Italian prosciutto cotto that I can get locally but use whatever good-quality ham you have access to. Mortadella would also be a great option!
- Pecorino Romano – this really gives so much flavour to the lasagna, and although you could use Parmigiano Reggiano instead, I highly recommend using Pecorino if possible!
- Italian 00 flour and eggs – this is for making homemade pasta, although you can use store-bought fresh or dried pasta sheets instead.
- Mozzarella – I use fresh mozzarella; the trick is to let it drain on kitchen paper for around 30 minutes, then blot it before using to remove excess moisture.
Recipe tips
- Blanch your pasta – I highly recommend blanching your fresh homemade pasta before assembling the lasagna. I tend to blanch a batch, then assemble as I go to save workspace. Once blanched, the pasta has more structure and bite to it. If you assemble it with raw homemade pasta, the end result will be a lot softer.
- Homemade pasta visual tutorial – If you’ve never made homemade pasta before, you can view the full step-by-step photos in our homemade pasta post here.
- Use a scale – I highly recommend using a kitchen scale to weigh your flour before making homemade pasta.
More delicious lasagna recipes
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Step By Step Photos Above
Most of our recipes come with step by step photos, helpful tips and tricks to make it perfectly first time and even video!
Pistachio Lasagna
Use the camera icon to toggle the step-by-step photos on and off. A beautiful pistachio lasagna made with a creamy pistachio bechamel, ham, mozzarella and pecorino cheese.
Equipment
- 9x 13-inch Baking dish
- Food processor or immersion blender
- 1-2 clean kitchen towels
- Hand whisk
- Kitchen paper towels
- Kitchen tongs
Ingredients
For the homemade pasta
- 300 g Italian 00 flour, (2 cups plus 2 tablespoons) plus extra for dusting
- 3 large eggs, (167g)
Pistachio Pesto
- 140 g (1 cup) unsalted pistachio nuts without shells
- 20 g (2 cups) fresh basil
- 1 garlic clove
- 60 g (1 cup) Pecorino Romano
- 70 ml (1/3 cup) olive oil
Bechamel
- 700 ml (3 cups) milk
- 70 g (5 tablespoons) Butter
- 70 g (5 tablespoons) all purpose flour
- Salt and pepper
Filling
- 10 large slices of ham, (300g/10.5oz)
- 250 g (9oz) fresh mozzarella
- Pecorino Romano, fine grating on each layer
Instructions
To make the pasta
- Put the flour in a mound on a clean work surface and create a wide well in the middle. Crack the eggs into the well, then whisk them together with a fork.
- Using your fork, gradually incorporate the flour into the egg until a thick paste forms, then use your hands to form a dough. Knead the dough for around 10 minutes until smooth and elastic.
- Wrap the dough with plastic wrap and let it rest for at least 30 minutes.
To make the bechamel
- Add the butter to a saucepan and cook until melted and bubbling.
- Add the flour to the butter and stir to form a paste, let it cook for about 1 minute.
- Slowly whisk half of the milk into the flour and butter whilst constantly whisking to avoid any lumps. Once the sauce has started to thicken, add the rest of the milk.
- Continue to heat the sauce whilst stirring until it has thickened enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon. Season it with salt and pepper then turn off the heat and set aside.
To make the pesto
- Put the nuts, basil, garlic, grated pecorino romano and olive oil in a food processor (you can also use an immersion blender) and blitz to a thick paste. Add a few spoons of bechamel to the pesto to help it blitz until smooth.
- Add the pesto to the bechamel and mix until thoroughly combined.
Roll out your pasta
- Set up your pasta machine and set it to the widest setting (usually number 0). Cut your dough in half, keeping one half wrapped in plastic wrap so it doesn’t dry out.
- Flatten the other half so it’s easier to pass through your pasta machine and pass it through the widest setting. Fold one end of the dough to the middle and the other end right over that, as if you were creating a leaflet. Flatten the dough and pass it through the widest setting again. Repeat this once more.
- Next, roll the dough through each setting until you reach the third-to-last setting (usually number 7). You may need to lightly dust the pasta dough, surface and pasta machine with flour to stop it sticking.
Blanch the pasta
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it well. Lay out 1-2 clean dish towels to lay your blanched pasta on.
- Cut the pasta into sheets the same size as your baking dish (or thereabouts) and blanch them 2-3 at a time for around 30 seconds in the boiling water. Remove carefully with kitchen tongs and lay on a clean kitchen towel to air dry for a few minutes. Continue with the rest of the pasta in batches.
- Tip: I assemble the lasagna each time I have blanched a batch of pasta to save space.
Assemble
- Spread a large spoonful of pistachio bechamel on the bottom of your 9×13-inch baking dish (you don’t have to use a lot this is just to stop the pasta from sticking).
- Next, add a layer of blanched pasta followed by more sauce, some ham, mozzarella and a grating of Pecorino Romano. Continue layering the lasagna (I get 5 layers in total for this size dish), making the top layer just sauce and Pecorino.
Bake
- Preheat the oven to 200 °C/400°F static or 180 °C/350°F fan.
- Bake the lasagna uncovered for 30-35 minutes or until the top has a nice golden brown crust. Remove and let it rest for 5-10 minutes before cutting and serving.
Notes
- Prepping ahead – you can assemble the entire lasagna 1 day before baking.
- Storage – the lasagna will keep well in the fridge for up to 3 days, once cooked. You can reheat it in the oven (covered with foil) until hot or enjoy it at room temperature.
Helpful Info for All Recipes
- I always use extra virgin olive oil in all of my recipes unless stated otherwise
- When I use canned or jarred tomatoes of any kind I always use Cirio or Mutti brands for the best results and flavour.
- All vegetables are medium sized unless stated otherwise
- All recipes are tested and developed using a fan (convection) oven
- Find out more about how nutrition is calculated.
- Check out our must have Italian Pantry Staples.
- You can also find all our Essential Kitchen Tools for Italian Cooking.
Nutrition
Calories: 654kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 30g | Fat: 43g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 19g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 170mg | Sodium: 773mg | Potassium: 537mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 917IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 396mg | Iron: 3mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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