Southwest, meet Italy. It’s a spicy, smoky, creamy match lasagne lovers with a taste for feisty fusions.

Be sure to make your Poblano Pesto and Chipotle-Tomato Sauce ahead of time.

For more, see also our classic, easy vegetarian lasagna recipe.

  • Yields: 12 servings
  • Difficulty: Medium
  • Total: 1 hr, 15 mins, plus time to make the pesto and sauce
  • Active: 30 mins

Ingredients (9)

  • 32 ounces whole-milk ricotta cheese
  • 1/2 to 1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg, to taste
  • 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, to taste
  • 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black or white pepper, to taste
  • 1 cup Chipotle-Tomato Sauce
  • 12 “no boil” lasagna noodles
  • 1 1/4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (optional)
  • 1 recipe Poblano Pesto

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
  2. Mix the ricotta, nutmeg, and Parmesan cheese, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
  3. Brush the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with a little extra-virgin olive oil and spread 1 cup of the Chipotle-Tomato Sauce over the bottom of the dish. Place three of the noodles over the sauce, leaving a little space between them. Spread 1 cup of the ricotta mixture over the noodles. Repeat with sauce, noodles and ricotta twice more, ending with noodles and sauce. Cover the dish tightly with foil and bake on the middle shelf for 40 to 45 minutes. Remove the foil and sprinkle the top of the lasagne with mozzarella cheese. Bake, uncovered, for 15 minutes more, or until golden and bubbly. Remove the dish from the oven and let the lasagne stand for 10 minutes before cutting. Cut into 12 equal portions.
  4. To serve, warm the remaining Chipotle-Tomato Sauce and ladle 4 tablespoons onto each dinner plate, spreading it out to cover the center. Place a portion of the lasagne in the middle of the plate and garnish with a spoonful of Poblano Pesto. Serve immediately.

Beverage pairing: Drylands Sauvignon Blanc, New Zealand. The combination in this dish of chiles and tomato calls for a heady mixture of herbaceousness and fruitiness, which is the signature of Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand’s Marlborough district. This Drylands wine perfectly fits the profile, offering pepper, tropical fruits, and a juicy, mouthwatering finish that’s perfect for the lasagne.