1 Tbs plus 1 tsp olive oil
9 lasagna sheets, fresh or dried
2 (8.5oz) jars sun dried tomatoes, drained
1 1/2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
1 1/4 cups freshly grated parmesan cheese
1/4 pound pancetta, diced
1 medium onion diced
2 garlic cloves minced
3 bunches of asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
6 artichoke hearts (I used frozen ones) chopped
1 (15oz) container whole milk ricotta cheese
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 cups shredded whole milk mozzarella cheese
2 Tbs unsalted butter but into small pieces
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the teaspoon of olive oil. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, 8 to 10 minutes for dried pasta or 2 to 3 minutes for fresh pasta. Drain the pasta. In a food processor, combine the sun dried tomatoes and basil. Pulse until the mixture is combined. Transfer to a small bowl and stir in 1/2 cup of the parmesan cheese. Set aside.
In a large skillet, brown the pancetta until crisp. Remove from the pan using a slotted spoon. Add the tablespoon of olive oil, the onion and garlic to the same skillet and cook until tender about 4 minutes. Add the asparagus and artichokes and cook until tender about 4 minutes, then transfer the mixture to a large bowl. Add the ricotta, pancetta, salt and pepper and stir to combine.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Sprinkle some of the sun dried tomato mixture over the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Place a layer lasagna sheets on top of the sun dried tomato mixture and spread the noodles with half of the asparagus mixture . Sprinkle with a third of the mozzarella cheese and a third of the remaining 3/4 cup parmesan cheese. Make another layer in the same fashion. Top with a third layer of lasagna sheets, some sun dried tomato mixture, and the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan. Dot the top with the butter. Bake until the lasagna is heated through and the cheese is melted, about 25 minutes.
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