Pumpkin Lasagna #PumpkinWeek

One of my favorite things about Pumpkin is that it can be used in both sweet and savory applications.  Today I would like to share a savory recipe with you that I guarantee your family will enjoy.

This ooey gooey lasagna is chock full of fiber, vitamin C and antioxidants from the pumpkin and protein, zinc and niacin from the spinach.  All of this nutritional benefit is hidden by the comforting pasta and cheese so your family never realizes that you are sneaking in all that goodness.

This is day 2 of Pumpkin Week.  A fun celebration of all things pumpkin, hosted by our friend Terri of Love and Confections. We will be getting together each day to share our favorite savory and sweet pumpkin concoctions with you, just in time for the Fall Harvest.

I used oven ready pasta for this lasagna, making it perfect for a weeknight meal.  It can be ready from start to finish in less than an hour.  Have games right after school?  No worries, you can assemble this the night before and it holds perfectly in the refrigerator.  When you get home, just pop it in the oven for a half hour while you throw together a salad and viola......dinner is served.

This is a perfect Meatless Monday meal that we enjoyed immensely.  Even my sous chef, who sneered and turned up his nose while we were making it and even asked if I wanted to go out for dinner to avoid trying it.  Then he ate crow along with this wonderful dish that he had to admit was truly amazing.

I adapted this from a recipe I found so that it made a serving for four.  We enjoyed it for dinner one evening and lunch the following day.

Pumpkin Lasagna

adapted from Food&Wine

6 sheets (#399) oven ready lasagna

2 t. olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

5 oz. baby spinach leaves

1 clove garlic, minced

salt and pepper to taste

1 (15 oz) can pumpkin puree

2 T. heavy cream

small pinch of nutmeg

small pinch of cayenne

small pinch of rubbed sage

8 oz. ricotta cheese

1 egg

3 oz. parmesan cheese

4 oz. mozzarella, thinly sliced

Heat the olive oil in a small skillet over med high heat.  Add the onion and garlic. Cook until tender and fragrant.  Add the spinach, season with salt and pepper and cook until wilted.  Set aside to cool.

Combine the pumpkin, cream, nutmeg, cayenne and sage.  Set aside.

Combine the ricotta, egg and parmesan cheese in a small bowl.  Set aside.

Spray a 7x7" baking pan with cooking spray.  Spread 1/3 cup of the pumpkin mixture onto the bottom of the baking pan.  Add two of the lasagna sheets, side by side, over the pumpkin.  Add 1/3 of the remaining pumpkin onto the lasagna followed by 1/2 of the spinach mixture and two more lasagna sheets.  Add another 1/3 of the pumpkin followed by, the remaining spinach, 1/2 of the ricotta mixture and 1/2 of the mozzarella slices.  Cover with the last two lasagna sheets.  Cover these sheets with the final third of the pumpkin, topped by the second half of the ricotta and finished with the second half of the mozzarella slices.

Cover with foil and bake in a preheated 350* oven for 30 minutes, until hot and bubbly.  Uncover and place under the broiler for 4-5 minutes, until cheese is golden brown.  Let rest for 15 minutes before serving.  Print Recipe

More Pumpkiny Goodness

Savory Pumpkin Recipes:

Bacon Pumpkin Waffles from Caroline's Cooking.
Pumpkin Lasagna from A Day in the Life on the Farm.
Pumpkin Pie Hummus from Mildly Meandering.
Pumpkin Polenta from Cindy's Recipes and Writings.
Savory Pumpkin Bread from Rants From My Crazy Kitchen.

Sweet Pumpkin Recipes:

Bourbon Caramel Pumpkin Roll from The Crumby Kitchen.
Maple Glazed Pumpkin Spice Doughnuts from Love and Confections.
Old-Fashioned Pumpkin Bread from Palatable Pastime.
Pumpkin Casserole with Roasted Marshmallows from Daily Dish Recipes.

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls from Cookaholic Wife.

Pumpkin Cookies from Making Miracles.