This courgette pesto and walnut lasagne is the perfect, lighter option for summertime. We’re finely slicing the courgettes, which allows them to soak up the pesto sauce beautifully whilst keeping it fresh. Using a mix of mascarpone, stock, and homemade pesto makes the sauce creamy but not heavy. And for texture, we have the crunch of the walnuts. It’s the perfect way to use up a glut of courgettes, and it adds a lovely summery twist to a classic comfort dish.
Lasagne but lighter
There’s something wonderfully comforting about a lasagne that doesn’t weigh you down, and this courgette, pesto and walnut version is exactly that. Thin layers of courgette melt into a creamy mascarpone sauce, lifted with a splash of stock so it stays light rather than heavy. It’s rich in flavour but gentle enough for warm‑weather cooking – the kind of lasagne you can happily eat on a summer evening. It’s simple, comforting and a lovely way to use up a glut of courgettes while still feeling a little bit indulgent.
Is homemade pesto worth the effort?
The homemade pesto is what makes it special. Fresh herbs of your choice, pine nuts, lemon, a hint of garlic, parmesan, and good olive oil bring brightness and depth. The pesto helps cut through the creaminess of the sauce in all the right ways. As it bakes, the pesto seeps into the courgette and lasagne layers, giving you pockets of herby, nutty flavour in every bite.
Other courgette recipes
Here is a list of other courgette recipes you might want to try:
- Turkey and courgette meatballs
- Courgette Parmigiana
- Jammy courgettes and ricotta on sourdough
- Courgette and feta fritters
Growing courgettes
Courgettes are remarkably easy to grow in the UK and are perfect for beginner gardeners. They thrive in the British climate when planted after the last frost (typically late May or early June) and can produce abundant harvests from just two plants throughout the summer months, making them one of the most easiest and rewarding vegetables to plant at home.
Courgettes like a rich, well composted soil, and above all else constant watering – especially in hot weather – as plants can produce 1-2 courgettes per day which requires a lot of water. Ensure you regularly harvest the courgettes to encourage further production.
Absolutely! I’ve used walnuts here as I love them and they complement the sage pesto beautifully. However, you can substitute them with pine nuts, as an example, which would go well with any herb pesto but especially basil.
I’ve used fresh pasta to keep the cooking time down. If using dried pasta, I would double the stock to 500ml to increase the amount of sauce, as the pasta will absorb more, and up the cooking time to 45 minutes. You will need to cover the lasagne loosely with some foil for the first half of the cooking time to stop it browning too much.
Courgette, Pesto and Walnut Lasagne
Ingredients
- 25 g sage or you could use rocket, basil, or kale
- 1 garlic clove
- 25 g pine nuts
- 50 g parmesan or pecorino
- ½ lemon juiced
- 75 ml extra virgin olive oil
- 500 g courgette
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves grated
- 250 g tub of mascarpone
- 250 ml vegetable or chicken stock
- 1 tsp dried oregano or 1 tbsp fresh finely chopped
- 12 fresh lasagne sheets
- 100 g walnuts roughly chopped
- 50 ml milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C.
- First, make your pesto. Put your herb of choice into a small blender along with the roughly chopped garlic, pine nuts, 25g of the grated cheese (reserve 25g to sprinkle on top of the lasagne), lemon juice, and extra virgin olive oil. Blitz until you have a paste. You might need to add a little more oil to get the right consistency. Season to taste, and put the pesto to one side. You can also use a jar of ready-made pesto; you will need 150g.
- Thinly slice the courgettes, either by hand or with a mandolin (carefully), and fry in the oil over a medium heat for 5-6 minutes until softened and taking on a little colour. Add the grated garlic, 1/2 tsp sea salt and a good grinding of black pepper, and cook for another 2 minutes.
- In a separate saucepan, add 200g mascarpone, 250ml vegetable or chicken stock, and 150g of your pesto – either homemade or from a jar. Heat gently, stirring until smooth, then add the fresh or dried oregano and set aside.
- In a baking dish (roughly 18 x 25cm), put ⅓ of your creamy pesto sauce, a ⅓ of the sliced courgettes, and finally ⅓ of the walnuts. Layer on 4 of the fresh lasagne sheets. Repeat these layers twice, ending with a layer of lasagne.
- Stir the milk into the remaining 50g of mascarpone in the tub. Pour this white sauce all over the lasagne, ensuring it’s well covered. Sprinkle on the Parmesan/Pecorino cheese. Place in the middle of the oven (not at the top as it will brown too quickly) and bake for 30-35 minutes until golden on top and bubbling well.
- This dish goes well with a crisp green salad and perhaps some garlic bread.