I’m in the middle of a salad love affair right now.
I know — odd.
Don’t panic. You probably know the type of salads I prefer: the nearly vegetable-free kind. The ones loaded with cheese, chips, bacon and more cheese. I have another one coming, and while it might feel like a copout, it’s ridiculously good.
That said, lately I’ve also wanted something hearty and soul-warming. Which is how I justified making lasagna in the middle of summer — time-consuming, cheesy comfort food that normally feels like a winter thing. But sometimes you just want comfort, even in June.
This lasagna is basically a riff on my white pizza dip, the same dip four of us once ate in one sitting. I adore those flavors, and I wanted to turn them into a full, cozy meal.
We don’t make lasagna here often — Italian food isn’t my go-to because I’m not a huge fan of tomato sauce — and for a while my husband insisted he hated ricotta. Over time, with some sneaky help, he’s eaten enough ricotta that the argument doesn’t hold up anymore. Marriage tip: trick your spouse into liking things.
This might be a strange time to share a lasagna recipe — many Junes are packed with graduations and party food like rigatoni, lasagna and fried chicken — but that’s also why this dish works. It’s perfect for a Sunday dinner, and you can prep a large pan, freeze leftovers and have a ready meal later.
The lasagna is built with whole wheat noodles, oven-roasted grape tomatoes, plenty of garlic and basil, and heaps of cheese. Multiple cheeses, in fact — mascarpone, mozzarella, provolone and fontina — plus a creamy white sauce. It’s a total cheese fest, in the best possible way.
Give it a try.
White Pizza Lasagna
1 (9×13) dish
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Ingredients
Roasted tomatoes
- 4 pints grape tomatoes, halved
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Lasagna
- 12 whole wheat lasagna noodles
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 2 1/2 cups whole milk
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 4 ounces mascarpone cheese
- 4 ounces freshly grated mozzarella cheese
- 4 ounces freshly grated provolone cheese
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 12 ounces freshly grated fontina cheese, separated into 4 equal portions
- 1/2 cup freshly chopped basil
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 375°F. Place the halved grape tomatoes on a nonstick baking sheet, toss with salt, pepper and olive oil, and roast for about 20 minutes until they begin to burst. Once roasted, set them aside; dividing them into three portions on the sheet makes assembly easier.
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While the tomatoes roast, bring a pot of water to a boil and cook the lasagna noodles only halfway according to package directions — they will finish cooking in the oven.
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Make the cheese sauce: in a saucepan over medium-high heat, melt the butter and whisk in the flour to form a roux. Cook 1–2 minutes until golden. Gradually whisk in the milk and cook until slightly thickened. Reduce heat to medium-low and stir in mascarpone, minced garlic, mozzarella and provolone until the sauce is smooth and creamy. Season with oregano, thyme, salt and pepper.
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Assemble the lasagna in a 9×13 baking dish: place three noodles on the bottom, spread one portion of roasted tomatoes over them, sprinkle with some basil and one portion of the fontina, then ladle on some cheese sauce. Repeat this layering two more times, placing four noodles on top for the final layer. Finish with the remaining fontina (and any extra cheese or sauce). Bake for 35–40 minutes until the top is golden and bubbly. Let the lasagna rest for 15 minutes before cutting so it holds together.
Notes
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