Basil & Artichoke Lasagna

I am so excited to have partnered with The Scotts Company to share how you can garden this winter with the Miracle-Gro AeroGarden. The experiences and thoughts are all mine!

Real quick..... The winner of the AeroGarden Prize pack is Heather Hayes Panjon!!! 

 

 

I wanted to give an update on my AeroGarden. If you follow me on Instagram then you already saw my timelapse video showing the first 4 and half weeks of growth. It has been only been one week since then and look at it now!

 

 About 5 ½ weeks of growth. Pardon the dust.....

I have harvested the basil 3 times now! This was the basil from the last couple of times.

 

 

I used my harvest to make one of my favorite dinners. Basil and Artichoke Lasagna!

 

 

Soon after getting married I found out one of my husband's favorite meals was lasagna. He made it more than I did in the beginning since it was one of the few things he knew how to cook. But over the years I have not only made it more often, but experimented with different types. I have an obsession with both basil and artichokes so it made sense to do a version starring those two ingredients.

 

You can use any sauce you like. I usually make mine. I throw in 2 cans (or bottles) of tomatoes and one small can of tomato paste. Or, if I don't have tomato paste (like this time around) I add three cans of tomatoes but I drain them in a strainer to get rid of the juice. You don't want thin sauce or you will have runny lasagna.

I also add half of a red pepper, a handful of fresh basil (8-10 large leaves), tablespoon of fresh oregano, a tablespoon of olive oil, garlic salt (to taste) and small chunk of onion. I don't like a heavy onion taste so I add less than a ¼ of the onion. Maybe a 1 inch slice would be a better description.

 

 

I chop up some fresh basil and add it to the ricotta cheese. I add around 6-8 tablespoons of basil.

 

 

I buy marinated artichoke hearts for pizza and lasagna and my artichoke bruschetta. I use two of the bigger bottles for this. I cut the artichoke heart into small chunks and take off any leaves that are too tough.

 

 

After cooking the noodles, add sauce to the bottom of your pan. Then begin the layering process starting with noodles. I know most people overlap their noodles, but I don't. I find it is easier to dish up if you don't overlap them. But you can totally overlap if you want.

 

 

Bake it at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes covered in tin foil and then uncover and bake an additional 15 minutes. And if you want gooey yummy cheese, don't buy the part skim, low moisture like I accidentally did.

 

 

 

What is your favorite basil recipe? I would love it if you would share it in the comments. I have a lot of fresh basil I need to use up :)