Broccoli Rabe Lasagna
- Total Time
- 1 hour 30 minutes
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
Yield:6 servings
- 4tablespoons butter
- ¼cup all-purpose flour
- 2cups half-and-half, heated, plus a little more if necessary
- Salt and pepper
- Pinch of cayenne
- Grated nutmeg, to taste
- 1pound dry lasagna noodles
- Salt and pepper
- 2bunches broccoli rabe, about 2 pounds
- 4garlic cloves, minced
- ½cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1pound ricotta cheese
- ½teaspoon grated lemon zest
- 4tablespoons butter
- 4ounces grated Parmesan, about 2 cups, or a combination of Parmesan and pecorino
For the Béchamel Sauce
For the Lasagna
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
948 calories; 59 grams fat; 28 grams saturated fat; 1 gram trans fat; 24 grams monounsaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 74 grams carbohydrates; 7 grams dietary fiber; 6 grams sugars; 33 grams protein; 1044 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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- Step 1
Make the béchamel: Melt butter in a small saucepan. Whisk in flour and cook for a minute over medium heat without browning. Gradually whisk in half-and-half, ½ cup at a time, to obtain a smooth, lightly thickened sauce. Turn heat to low. Add ½ teaspoon salt, some ground black pepper, the cayenne and nutmeg. Cook, whisking, for 4 to 5 minutes, then place saucepan in a hot-water bath to keep sauce warm. Thin if necessary with a little more half-and-half.
- Step 2
Bring a large pot of well-salted water to the boil. Add lasagna noodles and cook for 5 minutes. Lift noodles from water with a spider and rinse well in a bowl of cold water. Drain and lay noodles flat on a kitchen towel.
- Step 3
Using the same cooking water, blanch the greens for 1 minute, until just wilted. Rinse greens with cool water, squeeze dry and chop them roughly. Put 1 cup of chopped greens, the minced garlic and ½ cup olive oil in a food processor or blender and purée to make a pesto. Season with salt and pepper to taste and transfer to a small bowl.
- Step 4
Mix the ricotta and lemon zest in a small bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Organize to have all ingredients within easy reach for assembling lasagna. Use 2 tablespoons butter to grease an 8-by-10-inch baking dish.
- Step 5
Assemble the lasagna: Put a layer of cooked noodles on the bottom of the baking dish. Spoon a quarter of the béchamel over noodles, then dot with a third of the ricotta. Complete layer with chopped greens, a drizzle of pesto and some grated cheese. Continue layering, finishing with a layer of pasta. Spread the last of the béchamel on top and sprinkle with Parmesan. (There should be 4 layers of pasta and 3 layers of filling.)
- Step 6
Dot with remaining butter and bake, covered with foil, for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake for 20 minutes more, until nicely browned and bubbling. Let lasagna rest 10 minutes before serving.
Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
Ejane
I don't use no boil noodles, instead I lay regular noodles in a baking dish then pour over boiling water. I let the noodles sit in the hot water for no more than 13 -15 minutes then lay the drained noodles in a single layer on waxed paper and cover until I use them. Easy peasy and these are far superior in taste to no boil noodles
Betsy Karpenkopf
Just made this. Because I used the no-boil lasagna, I put a thin layer of bechamel in the bottom of the pan before laying down the first layer of lasagna leaves. The lemon zest in the ricotta really was an excellent addition - a small but significant zip of flavor. The dish a was a big winner and I will definitely be making it again.
TriciaPDX
I avoid the extra steps and messiness of blanching greens by microwaving. Chop first, fluff at 30 second intervals. No need to squeeze out water, losing some greens in the towel or fingers. Fast and easy and you won't overcook.
I also alternate half of the (whole wheat) noodle layers with zucchini. This recipe is especially good for that treatment because it needs some extra veggies and zucchini is forgivingly bland so doesn't detract from the broccolini flavor.
Martha Rose Shulman
Love the idea of the lemon zest in the ricotta, and the pesto made with the greens to mix with the robust greens, garlic and red pepper flakes.
Ryan
I love the idea of this recipe but I didn't love the end product. It's really oily because of the 1/2 cup of oil in the pesto. Will probably reduce the oil next time and add some red pepper flakes.
AmyB
I would make this again. I did not have an 8 x 10 pan. I have a 7 x 11 & 9 x 13. I used the larger pan & DeCecco lasagne, which are wider instead of longer noodles, so 3 noodles for each layer, 12 in all. You do not need a whole pound of noodles for this. I also cooked the noodles, blanched the rabe & mixed the ricotta before making the sauce.
mg
Broccolini is not another name for broccoli rabe et al.
Patti B
A trick I got from Cooking Light for no-boil noodles: put them in a bowl with hot water for 20-30 min, just be careful to gently separate them during the soak so they don't all stick together. I think their texture is better when you do this, actually closer to fresh noodles. I take them directly from the bowl with water when I layer.
John McCutchen
My kitchen's always a disaster whenever I make lasagna of any stripe (or moussaka or pastitso or mac'n cheese for that matter!). Worse still, cleanup is not among my culinary strengths.
My message to you - "Courage!"
Bowman
Seriously yummy. Much lighter than I thought it was going to be. The garlic and lemon contrast wonderfully with the almost bitter taste of the rapini/broccolini/cime di rape/broccoli rabe. (Does any other veggie have so many names in circulation at once?)
I made half the recipe (there are only two of us here), making a thinner lasagna. Worked out very well.
Lisa
I couldn't find regular lasagna noodles so I used Betsy's tip and put some bechamel in the bottom below my no-boil noodles. The bottom layer turned out crispy and kind of yummy. This recipe was a solid "very good". I used Melissa Clark's homemade ricotta recipe. I actually liked it better re-heated the next day. My only complaint is that it's a little bland.
John McCutchen
Bowman nails it
Wonderful. Gets a 4/5 (5 being Craig Claiborne's smothered chicken)
Tried no-boil. Still don't much care for no-boil lasagna. Will use the real thing next time
Jo
I didn't have time to make lasagne so I made a mash-up of this recipe and Tanis' "summer pasta with zucchini, ricotta and basil", simply by using the broccoli rabe pesto technique described here (subbing that for the basil pesto) & then also subbing cooked rabe for cooked zucchini. Tossed with ricotta, cooked fusilli and a little pasta water, Delicious!
mae
Made bechamel with whole milk, used 1 lb. lasagna, 2 large bunches of rabe, and didn't dot at end with 4 tablespoons of butter -- served 6 people nice sized portions and had 2 portions left over for lunch. Used a 9x13 pan. Now the second time I made it so I was more organized, like others I made the bechamel last. Yummy! but rich!!
Karen
Fresh pasta sheets taste great and require no pre-boiling.
Penny
Delicious! The only change I made was to cook the broccoli rabe not in the pasta water but by sauteeing it in olive oil with some garlic, cayenne, and a few canned anchovies for extra umami. Only one garlic clove then for the pesto. I used 12 De Cecco lasagne noodles boiled for 4 minutes, handling them as instructed here. Served the lasagne on Christmas day along with a red-sauce lasagne and got many compliments on the red and green presentation as well as the flavor palette.
Roy
I made this for the 2nd time and decided to mix the “pesto” with the greens, rather than dotting the greens as the recipe directs. Seems logical since the remainder of the greens aren’t even seasoned and at the same time it eliminates a step. I prepared my greens and made the bechemel 2 days ago to save time and effort on the day of assembling. I almost always use “no-boil” noodles but par-boil them, a trick I learned years ago from David Rosengarten. They have a texture similar to fresh pasta.
Rachelle Vanderwyst
I would add mustard, greens and escarole to make it extra bitey and maybe a little blue cheese. Yes, I’m annoying, I have not made it yet. Yet
Alicia Sokol
This reads as a heavy dish given the amount of butter (a full stick!), cheese (1 lb plus more) and half and half - but it was actually quite light. Used whole milk. Used 1 lb broccoli rabe and 1 lb broccolini (not the same) to take the edge off bitter flavor. Added 1/2 cup toasted pine nuts to the “pesto.” Next time may add a few fists full of basil to the pesto, too. Six very generous servings - perfect for my hungry teen boys.
Guy Fleischer
I enjoyed this recipe as I am a big fan of rapini! I would add a third bunch of rapini to the recipe next time. I would also opt for the whole milk ricotta (better flavor and texture than lower-fat options) and skip the dots of butter on top.
Lucy
I made probably twice the quantity of greens than the recipe called for and added a bit of espelette to give it a kick but still found the white sauce/ricotta overpowered the veg. I would maybe remake this with far less béchamel and ricotta but wished it had been cheesier, and more veg forward and less creamy.
CC
We didn’t have enough broccoli rabe so we split 50/50 with a bag of frozen spinach and it came out great.
Norma Lehmeier Hartie
Good. don't use no-boil noodles. maybe add mushrooms
Matthew
I see no need to make a pesto addition... it's really an unnecessary step. I regularly make a huge wodge of broccoli rabe whenever it's in season, blanching it in salt water, then draining it, and then sautéeing it in garlic and red pepper-infused oil. It's delicious by itself, or sprinkled with parmesan and breadcrumbs and broiled as a gratin, or as a base for breakfast shakshuka. With all of the dotting and spotting in this recipe, one less step is welcomed.
Leslie
It's day 4 of eating this for lunch and I still love it! I'll admit I cut one corner and used a jarred pesto. The creamy ricotta, hint of lemon and bitter broccoli rabe makes a delicious combination! Tip: Make the béchamel last and you don't need a hot-water bath.
Tiffany
OMG! This is so delicious and decadent! We all loved it and were able to follow the recipe to a tee. I'll be making this again, soon!
Tiffany
In my notes, I forgot to mention I only had lasagna noodles in 12 oz boxes, it was plenty. The recipe calls for a pound, but if you just have the 12 oz, don't bother adding more, you'll have enough.
Mandypantz
This was delicious and satisfying, and I’m sure I’ll make it again and again. I, too, found it a little greasy/oily, as did some other commenters, particularly on the first day. On the second day, true to lasagna form, it was even better, as the pasta had absorbed the excess oil, the garlic had mellowed, and everything had synthesized more. Looking forward to trying again, maybe with less oil in the pesto. It’s such a nice base recipe, I might try it with spinach or mustard greens, too.
Kal
I made this with Kite Hill almond milk ricotta, vegan parmesan, oatly barista blend, and miyokos vegan butter to make this dairy free and it was wonderful!
sarahpatto
Halved the recipe for two people using 1 bunch broccoli rabe, 3 cloves garlic for the pesto and something like 3/4 lb ricotta(had to mix up more for the last layer). I used whole milk for bechamel because I didn't have half and half - beautiful silky texture and tasted great with cayenne and nutmeg.
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