Pumpkin Lasagna Recipe- #FreshFinds
It is that time of year when pumpkins are all around us. I was grocery shopping at Lucky Supermarket and they were so beautiful around the store. When we think of fall we think of pumpkins and our favorite recipes using pumpkin. We cook a lot of desserts with pumpkin, but how about something more savory? I LOVE pumpkin lasagna. Pumpkin is so good for you. It is an antioxidant, has lots of vitamin A and C, as well as zinc, potassium and much more.
If this is your first time cooking with fresh pumpkin, don’t be intimidated. It is VERY easy. Remember that the bigger the pumpkin the more you will have to cook with, so buy one according to how many people you want to feed. For this recipe a pumpkin pie size pumpkin is perfect.
Smaller pumpkins tend to be sweeter than huge pumpkins.
Here is the recipe of everything you will need for Pumpkin Lasagna:
1 Small to Medium Sized Pumpkin
1/2 Yellow Onion
1 Zucchini
1 Yellow Squash
2 Cloves Chopped Garlic
2 Cups Spinach (Before Cooking)
1 Box of Lasagna Noodles
1 23.5 oz Jar of Marinara Sauce
1 32 oz Container of Part Skim Ricotta Cheese
2 Cups of grated Mozzarella Cheese (separated into 1 cup servings)
1/2 Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
1/2 Cup Grated Roman Cheese
Salt and Pepper to Taste
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Wash the pumpkin so any dirt is removed. Cut the pumpkin in half and remove the seeds.
2. Place pumpkin with the skin up and flesh down in a baking dish filled with about 1/4 inch of water. Bake for 60 minutes.
3. When done the pumpkin should be a beautiful rust color and tender to the touch. Scoop the soft pumpkin out of the skin and mash it in a bowl. (It should be VERY soft and not need a lot of mashing.)
4. Now time to start the lasagna. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Saute the onion and garlic until the onion starts to become opaque. Add the zucchini and squash. Saute until tender. Add the spinach at the end since doesn’t take long to wilt. Remove from heat when the spinach is wilted.
5. Mix the container of ricotta cheese, the parmesan and romano cheese and 1 cup of the mozzarella. Salt and pepper to taste and stir.
5. Place a small amount of marinara to cover the bottom of lasagna pan. Place a layer of lasagna noodles on top. Next is a layer of the cheese mix. On top of the cheese place a layer of the pumpkin. On top of the pumpkin goes the sauteed veggies. If you want you can sprinkle a little parmesan or romano at this point.
6. Drizzle with some of the marinara and place another layer of noodles. Top with the remaining cheese mix and the rest of the marinara sauce. Finish by sprinkling the remaining cup of mozzarella on top.
7. Cover with tinfoil and bake for 50 minutes. Remove tinfoil and cook for an additional 10 minutes.
Pumpkin Lasagna is so delicious and very festive for the fall. If you want to add meat, ground sausage is a good choice. I always encourage you to add or subtract anything you want and experiment with a recipe. I usually use reduced or low fat cheese when cooking my Pumpkin Lasagna, but you can use whatever kind you prefer.
