Lasagna Valdostana (Lasagne alla Valdostana)

5 from 34 votes

Lasagna Valdostana (Lasagne alla Valdostana)

This super simple lasagna recipe from the Aosta valley is made with Fontina cheese and ham. It doesn't involve a lot of prep or cooking, so perfect for weeknights and family meals!

Prep Time5

Cook Time45

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Aosta Valley, Italian, Northern Italy

Keyword: authentic Italian pasta recipe, fontina, lasagna, lasagne al forno, valdostana

Servings:

Calories: 874kcal

Author: Jacqui

Ingredients

300 g lasagne pasta sheets (10-11oz) dried or fresh. Dried lasagne may need to be precooked very al dente before assembling the lasagna.
300 g Fontina cheese (10-11oz) cut into small cubes. See notes
200 g cooked ham (7oz) cut into cubes. You can also use pancetta
150 g Parmigiano Reggiano or Grana (5oz) grated
½ glass white wine
butter as required
1 teaspoon grated nutmeg
500 ml fresh milk (1 pint)
salt to taste
ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

Prepare the ingredients

Cut the ham and Fontina into small cubes

Cook the ham

Brown the ham in a non-stick pan with a little butter, then add half a glass of white wine and a little pepper. Once the alcohol has evaporated set aside.

Make the cheese sauce

Put the Fontina cubes in a saucepan with the milk, a pinch of salt and the grated nutmeg, and cook on a medium/low heat until the cheese has completely melted. You will need to stir continuously until all the cheese has melted.

Put your lasagna together and bake.

Start by spreading a little fontina sauce in the bottom of your oven dish. Then add a layer of pasta and on top of that, add some tablespoons of fondue and ham. Sprinkle with grated cheese and then make the other layers the same way. Finish with a generous dose of fontina fondue and a sprinkling of grated cheese and black pepper. I made 4 layers of pasta but 3 is okay too. Depends on the depth of your dish.
Bake the lasagna alla Valdostana in a preheated oven at 180 °c for about 35 minutes, and once ready, let it rest out of the oven for 5-10 minutes before serving. If using dried pasta that hasn't been precooked, cover the dish for the first 15 minutes with aluminium foil. Otherwise the top will brown but the pasta won't be cooked! Dried pasta all needs plenty of liquid. If your Fontina sauce is too thick add some more milk!

Notes

Instead of Fontina you can use Emmental, Gruyère, provolone or Gouda. All oven temperatures are in Celsius. 180°c = 356°f

Some Italians also sprinkle the dish with breadcrumbs before baking. I didn't do this but it helps to make the top crispier!

Nutrition