spring lasagne
another not-winter lasagne, to send the season off in style
Today I’m sharing another Not-Winter Lasagne, the third installment of what I’ve decided should become an official series. We started with summer’s pesto lasagne, an unsung hero of the Italian Riviera and delicious proof that lasagne cannot be caged in the cold. Then there was autumn lasagne, burnished and bubbling with sweet roasted squash and jewel-like jammy onions, crowned, of course, with crackling sage. And now, before the summer sun settles in for good, I offer you a spring lasagne: a kaleidoscope of spinach pasta dough, lemony béchamel, rustic asparagus pesto, and buttery smoked salmon, with its coral-colored ribbons peeking prettily through each slice.
Although baked pastas like lasagne are, for most of us, firmly associated with winter cooking, in Italy these dishes shift with the seasons. In Veneto, home to the country’s highest production of asparagus, you’ll find no shortage of lasagne agli asparagi (or pasticcio di asparagi) on spring tables, some made simply with asparagus, fresh pasta, and béchamel, and others bolstered with seafood like salmon and shrimp. In Emilia-Romagna, baked pasta rosettes called nidi di rondine (“swallows’ nests”) are often adapted to warmer weather by swapping the typical prosciutto cotto and fontina for smoked salmon and stracchino, a mild and milky fresh cheese that, like ricotta and mascarpone, feels equally at home in dessert. This recipe draws inspiration from both traditions while also paying homage to lasagne at its most iconic: Emerald-tinged pasta sheets are a hallmark of Emilia-Romagna’s formidable lasagne verdi, where ragù alla Bolognese and béchamel become all the more striking between layers of green.
Like most fresh pasta dishes, this lasagne looks far more complicated than it is. It might even be one of the easiest lasagne recipes I’ve developed, made easier still by breaking the preparation into stages: Spend just half an hour making the spinach base for the pasta and the asparagus pesto the night before, and you’re already well on your way to a satisfying lunch or brunch the next day (might I suggest it as an elegant alternative to quiche or frittata?). Better yet, bake the whole thing ahead of time and let the flavors meld overnight—or forgo the green pasta altogether and use store-bought sheets. You’ll find storage notes throughout to help tailor the process to your schedule (I promise it’s worth it!).
I’d originally intended to share something else today (it’s my birthday; I had a “birthday pasta” post in mind), but considering the long weekend and slightly cooler weather ahead, this lasagne felt like the right kind of spring send-off. Equal parts fresh and comforting, simple and celebratory, it’s a dish that rewards an unhurried afternoon in the kitchen—my preferred way to spend a birthday, now that I’m 36—and a reminder that lasagne season never really ends, it just slips into something new.
While we’re at it, here are 10 other long-weekend pasta recipes for your consideration:
Funghetti (little mushrooms) with shallots, crème fraîche & crispy chickpeas
Gnocchi alla sorrentina (Sorrento-style gnocchi) with mozzarella & tomatoes
Paglia e fieno (green & yellow tagliatelle) with lamb, peas & mint salsa verde
Ricotta gnocchi, cacio e pepe-style, with citrus butter & asparagus
Turle (Ligurian potato & cheese dumplings) with butter & mint
Umbricelli (chubby hand-rolled spaghetti) with summer sugo finto
Spring Lasagne
Serves 6 to 8