Say hello to your new favorite keto pasta dish. It’s my Spinach Pesto Lasagna and my family can’t get enough of it. Make this keto lasagna with almond flour lasagna noodles. Or use regular non gluten free lasagna sheets if you’re not doing the low carb diet. Either way, this dish is bright and flavorful.
I’ve been on a low carb diet kick lately, which goes well with my keto friendly sous vide recipes. But after many nights of pairing proteins with make ahead salads, I was wondering: what about keto friendly sides?
Then I stumbled upon almond flour lasagna sheets from Capello’s and began weeks of recipe testing this easy pasta side dish. It was so easy the first time I made it, but the family was happy to have it again and again. The no carb lasagna noodles in this recipe just like regular lasagna pasta, it’s remarkable.
Ingredients for this low carb spinach pesto lasagna
The keto lasagna noodles
You can definitely swap out regular pasta for the keto friendly pasta used in this recipe. But as you’ll see in the recipe demonstration photos, I used an entire 9 oz box of Cappello’s Lasagna Sheets. This made 3 layers of two sheets per layer.
Some lasagna noodle sheets come ready to assemble. Others need to be cooked (boiled) first, then added to the lasagna. Read the box to learn how to prepare the lasagna sheets. If you use Cappello’s gluten free lasagna sheets like I did in this recipe, you don’t need to cook them first.
The ricotta cheese filling
Using low fat ricotta works fine for me in this recipe, but some people swear by using regular fat ricotta for lasagna.
About that delicious spinach pesto sauce
Just a few ingredients brings the pesto sauce together – including a plentiful amount of spinach, fresh lemon, and walnuts.
So, it’s like a salad and pasta dish in one, right?
For more details on making the pesto, check out this in-depth tutorial on my popular spinach basil pesto recipe.
Once you become addicted to it, try this recipe for spinach pesto pasta with bacon.
How to make keto friendly spinach pesto lasagna
Step 1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Set out an 8×11 oven safe casserole dish for the lasagna. This recipe makes 3 layers of lasagna noodles in this size dish.
Step 2. Prepare the pasta noodles if needed.
See the spinach pesto lasagna recipe notes at the bottom of this page for details… Long story short, some varieties of lasagna sheets do not need to be pre-cooked. Other brands need to be boiled before adding them to the casserole dish. The box will tell you what to do.
Step 3. Make the spinach basil pesto.
Add walnuts to a small skillet on the stove and heat on medium-low for about 3-5 minutes until walnuts are lightly browned and fragrant.
Then add fresh basil, spinach, toasted walnuts, olive oil, lemon zest and juice, salt, pepper, garlic, red pepper flakes, and water to a food processor. Puree pesto ingredients until smooth.
Step 4. Assemble the first layer of lasagna.
Spread ½ cup of spinach pesto with a spatula to cover the bottom of the casserole dish. Add a layer of lasagna noodles. Each layer of the low carb gluten free lasagna sheets from Capello’s took 2 sheets of pasta.
You will probably need to cut the sheets to make them fit in a flat layer, which is perfectly fine. Add a flat layer of half the ricotta, ¼ cup pesto, and ¼ cup mozzarella cheese.
Step 5. Assemble a second layer of lasagna noodles.
Add the noodles so they form a flat layer. Then add the remaining ricotta, half of the remaining spinach basil pesto, and half the remaining mozzarella cheese.
Step 6. Assemble the top layer of regular or gluten free lasagna noodles.
Add the final layer of lasagna sheets topped with the remaining spinach pesto sauce and mozzarella cheese. Add the sliced cherry tomatoes (cut side down) to the top.
Step 7. Bake the spinach pesto lasagna.
Add the lasagna dish to the oven, covered with tin foil, and bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 5 minutes.
Let cool for 5 minutes. To serve, use a spatula around the edges to separate the melty and delicious “lasagne pesto ricotta” from the edges of the baking dish.
Then cut the lasagna through the middle in pieces and enjoy your lasagne al pesto e spinaci, as the Italians say!
More easy recipes that use pesto…
- Pesto pasta
- Grilled romaine salad
- Tomato pesto pasta salad
- Spinach pesto pasta
- Spinach pesto lasagna
- Pesto pizza
Need a steak recipe to serve alongside this delicious pasta dish? Check out this sous vide T bone steak. And if you’re looking for a low carb meatball recipe that the whole family will love, try these porcupine meatballs… They’re made of beef, not porcupine, but my addition of cauliflower rice and kale gives them a super light texture.
Are you a foodie, too?
Leave a comment here or find me on Instagram @sipbitego to let me know what you think about this recipe. Want to make restaurant-style food at home? I’ll teach you how, with in-depth video guides on the Sip Bite Go channel.
See how to make Traeger smoked lasagna in 1 hour.
The perfect condiment makes the meal
Anyone who knows me, knows I’m a true believer in pairing the perfect condiment with a meal to make it feel “complete”. For real — I’ll order a dish at a restaurant just because I’m excited to try the sauce or dressing.
Here are some of my favorite kitchen supplies for making sauces on the fly:
- Shun chef’s knife
- Nice olive oil
- Mandoline
- A finishing salt, like Jacobsen’s black garlic sea salt
- Bamboo cutting boards
- Pyrex glass mixing bowls with lids
- Aerogarden for having fresh herbs on hand
- Mini mason jars for storing dressings in the fridge
Inspire the inner home chef in you. Grab a copy of my free Sous Vide Beginners ebook and free cooking with herbs ebook.
Spinach Pesto Lasagna Recipe (Keto Friendly) | Sip Bite Go
Ingredients
Ingredients for Spinach Basil Pesto
- ½ cup walnuts
- 1 cup basil fresh
- 4 cups spinach fresh
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 lemon zest and juice
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
- 1 tbsp garlic minced
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
- ¼ cup water
Ingredients for Spinach Pesto Lasagna
- 9 oz lasagna noodles gluten free almond flourpasta or regular noodles
- 15 oz ricotta (low fat or regular),divided
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese divided
- 6 cherry tomatoes halved
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Set out an 8×11 oven safe casserole dish for the lasagna. This recipe makes 3 layers of lasagna noodles in this size dish.
- Prepare the pasta noodles if needed. See notes for details… Long story short, some varieties of lasagna sheets do not need to be pre-cooked. Other brands need to be boiled before adding them to the casserole dish. The box will tell you what to do.
- Make the spinach basil pesto. Add walnuts to a small skillet on the stove and heat on medium-low for about 3-5 minutes until walnuts are lightly browned and fragrant. Then add fresh basil, spinach, toasted walnuts, olive oil, lemon zest and juice, salt, pepper, garlic, red pepper flakes, and water to a food processor. Puree pesto ingredients until smooth.
- Assemble the first layer of lasagna. Spread ½ cup of spinach pesto with a spatula to cover the bottom of the casserole dish. Add a layer of lasagna noodles. (Each layer of the low carb gluten free lasagna sheets from Capello’s took 2 sheets of pasta.) You will probably need to cut the sheets to make them fit in a flat layer, which is perfectly fine. Add a flat layer of half the ricotta, ¼ cup pesto, and ¼ cup mozzarella cheese.
- Assemble a second layer of lasagna noodles. Add the noodles so they form a flat layer. Then add the remaining ricotta, half of the remaining spinach basil pesto, and half the remaining mozzarella cheese.
- Assemble the top layer of regular or gluten free lasagna noodles. Add the final layer of lasagna sheets topped with the remaining spinach pesto sauce and mozzarella cheese. Add the sliced cherry tomatoes (cut side down) to the top.
- Bake the spinach pesto lasagna. Add the lasagna dish to the oven, covered with tin foil, and bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 5 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes. To serve, use a spatula around the edges to separate the melty and delicious “lasagne pesto ricotta” from the edges of the baking dish. Then cut the lasagna through the middle in pieces and enjoy your lasagne al pesto e spinaci, as the Italians say!
Notes
- Prepping regular flour or gluten free lasagna noodles. For the Sip Bite Go photos in this recipe demonstration, I used a 9 oz box of Cappello’s Lasagna Sheets. This made 3 layers of two sheets per layer. You can make this recipe with regular flour lasagna noodles as well. Some lasagna noodle sheets come ready to assemble. Others need to be cooked (boiled) first, then added to the lasagna. Read the box to learn how to prepare the lasagna sheets. If you use Cappello’s gluten free lasagna sheets like I did in this recipe, you don’t need to cook them first.
- Using low fat ricotta works fine for me in this recipe, but some people swear by using regular fat ricotta for lasagna
Leave a Reply