Pumpkin Lasagna

Alright, I admit, this probably would have worked better if I weren't so far behind in my posts and had published back in the cold winter months when I first cooked it. However, it turns out that having homework hinders the upkeep of blogs, so hopefully I'll be forgiven once you taste this feel-good meal. I prepared a hot, hearty, and healthy pumpkin lasagna. I made the noodles from scratch for extra flavor and health, but you can always substitute dried pasta if you want to shorten the time-span of this involved dish considerably. I did, however, start with canned pumpkin rather than an actual whole pumpkin. With no added salt, it's a reasonable shortcut to take!

I served this dish with a fresh pear and goat cheese salad, but really anything light and crisp would go well. The lasagna is thick and creamy so you'll want something to contrast it on the side. And, you may want to make extra.. you'll definitely be wanting this for lunch again the next day!

Difficulty: medium-hard
Time: 1 hr 45 min



Pumpkin Lasagna
Ingredients:
3/4 c whole wheat flour
1/4 c all purpose flour
1 egg
1 tbsp canola oil
1/4 tsp cardamom
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp coriander
1/8 tsp cloves
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 c sweet onion, diced
8 oz fresh mushrooms, sliced
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 c whole chestnuts, roasted and peeled
15 oz pumpkin
3/4 c fat free half and half
1 tsp sage, dried
1 3/4 c fat free ricotta
1 3/4 c fat free shredded mozzarella
1/4 c reduced fat parmesan, grated

First, you'll need to make the pasta dough since that is the most time consuming part of the process. Combine the whole wheat flour, all purpose flour, egg, canola oil, and 1 tbsp water in a bowl. Add the cardamom, cinnamon, cumin, coriander, and cloves. Mix until you can knead and then knead until the dough is elastic, smooth, and no longer sticky. You may need to add another 1-2 tbsps of water. Form into a ball and let rest for 15-20 minutes.

You can prep the filling as your pasta sets. First, heat a pan over medium high heat. Add 1 tsp of olive oil, swirling to coat. Add the onion, mushrooms, and black pepper. Saute for 7-8 minutes or until fully cooked with most of the liquid evaporated. Stir in the chestnuts. Set aside to cool.

Combine the pumpkin, fat free half and half, and sage in a large bowl. Mix well.

You can now go back to your pasta. Remove a small portion of the ball of dough and flatten slightly with your hand. Run it through your pasta machine at the 0 setting. Continue to refold and rotate and run through until you have a nice sheet. Run through at 1, 3, and then 5. You can stop at 5 or continue onto 7 for a thinner noodle. Cut the strip to size (if needed) and hang on a pasta rack. Continue with the rest.

Bring a large pot of water to a gentle boil. Add the pasta and boil for just 1-3 minutes or until done. Drain, rinse with cool water, and you have lasagna noodles!

When the pasta is ready you can now continue and build your lasagna. Before you do, get your oven pre-heating to 375 degrees. Grease a glass pan. I used a 13x9 inch pan.

Spread a tiny bit of pumpkin mixture in the bottom of the pan in a very thin layer to prevent sticking. Lay 3 noodles on top. Spread 1/3 of the remaining pumpkin mixture on top of the noodles. Add 1/3 of the mushroom mixture, 1/3 of the ricotta, and 1/3 of the mozzarella. Repeat two more times until you have used up all of those. Cover with foil, but loosely to keep the foil from sticking to the cheese on top as it melts. Bake, covered, for 45 minutes.

Uncover the lasagna and sprinkle the parmesan evenly on top. Put back in the oven and bake for an additional 10-12 minutes. Enjoy!

Servings: 9
Serving size: about 3"x4" square
Nutrition: calories 227; carbs 31g; fat 4g; protein 17g; sodium 362mg; iron 8mg