Artichoke & Sweet Pea Lasagne

I had leftover pea pesto & ricotta from yesterday, so of course I made a lasagne.

I added ham just because, but you don't have to.

This is cheesy, rich and gooey, and the artichokes make this lasagne a hearty one (they are very meaty to me).

Sans tomato sauce, we are using a classic bechamel here.

Open up your belts, this is anything but light, but you can certainly use low-fat milk, low-fat ricotta, and low-fat mozzarella if you are watching.

So much for my salads.

Artichoke & Sweet Pea Lasagne: (this recipe makes enough for an 8 x 12 lasagne pan, but you can cut this recipe in half to make a smaller 8 x 8 lasagne)

16 oz. bag of frozen peas, defrosted and divided in half
1/4 cup of fresh basil or mint leaves
3/4 cup of grated Parmigiano Reggiano
2 cans of artichokes, drained and sliced in half
2 cups of fresh ricotta cheese
2 eggs
2 cups of grated mozzarella cheese
salt & pepper
4 slices of prosciutto, cut into pieces (optional)
*box of lasagne noodles, boiled and drained on paper towels

Basic Bechamel Sauce:
2 cups of milk
4 tbsp butter
3 tbsp flour
2 whole garlic cloves

You can use the no bake noodles if you like, but I don't recommend it.
Since there is not a lot of sauce here, the noodles won't fully cook, and the bottom layer will not cook thru.

It's all about the layering in a lasagne, and no rules.

I use an glass pan and coat the bottom w/ olive oil so the noodles don't stick.

Puree half the peas in a food processor with the basil or mint to make a puree. You are going to mix the whole peas in last.

Add the pea mint puree to the ricotta, eggs, grated Parmigiana and chopped ham. Mix well.
Now add in the whole peas and lightly mix them in. Season w/ salt & pepper.

Start layering.

Lay the first layer of lasagne noodles on the bottom of the oiled casserole dish and top w/ the ricotta pea mixture.

Now add half of the artichoke halves on top. Sprinkle w/ some of the grated mozzarella cheese.
Top w/ another layer of noodles.

Repeat: ricotta pea mixture, artichokes, mozzarella.

Ending with a layer of lasagne noodles.

Prepare the bechamel sauce by bringing the milk, garlic cloves and butter to a low boil, whisking in the flour. This will only take about 2 minutes to achieve a beautiful white thick sauce. Some people use bay leaves, but I did not.

Pour the white sauce over the top of the lasagne, letting it drip down the sides.

I topped it w/ plenty of freshly grated Parimigiano Reggiano cheese.

Bake covered for about 30 minutes, then uncover and bake another 20-30 minutes until bubbly and browning.

Let rest 20 minutes before slicing.

This is so delicious.

Come have a piece.

Enjoy.