Jessica’s Christmas Lasagna Recipe

Jessica loves to make homey and cozy meals around the holidays.

She calls her lasagna dish a Christmas lasagna because of the vibrant red and green colors. This dish is easy to make and a perfect meal for those cold December days.

This segment aired on California Cooking With Jessica Holmes Episode 52.

Jessica’s Christmas Lasagna

Ingredients

• 1 shallot, chopped
• 2 to 3 cloves of garlic, grated, for tomato sauce
• 2 cloves of garlic for pesto
• 2 28-ounce cans of crushed tomatoes
• ¼ cup of toasted pine nuts
• 2 cups of basil
• A bunch of Italian parsley
• ½ cup of spinach
• 1 tablespoon of lemon zest
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 2 15-ounce containers of ricotta cheese
• Parmesan cheese
• No bake lasagna noodles
• 2 bags mozzarella cheese
• Fresh mozzarella cheese cut into thin slices
• Salt
• Olive oil

Instructions

1. Combine shallot and olive oil in skillet on medium heat and cook until shallots are translucent. Add 2 to 3 cloves of grated garlic.
2. Add 2 cans of crushed tomatoes and simmer for 15 to 30 minutes
3. To make the pesto, add basil, Italian parsley, spinach, pine nuts, 4 garlic cloves, dash of salt, lemon zest and juice from 1 lemon in a food processor. Pulse and then add 1 cup of extra virgin olive oil.
4. When the pesto is smooth in consistency, add ¼ cup of parmesan cheese and stir to combine.
5. Add 3 tablespoons of parmesan cheese, 3 tablespoons of parsley and salt to ricotta cheese and mix.
6.  To assemble your lasagna, spread tomato sauce at bottom of casserole dish, add layer of no bake lasagna noodles, a layer of ricotta cheese, a layer of tomato sauce, a layer of mozzarella cheese and dollops of pesto. Then repeat until the dish is almost layered to the top,  about 5 to 6 layers.
7. Finish with a layer of sauce, fresh mozzarella, dollops of pesto and sprinkle with parmesan cheese.
8. Place lasagna covered at 375 and bake for 45 minutes until the noodles are cooked.
9. Top with chopped basil and extra sprinkle of parmesan cheese.
10. Serve and enjoy!