Pumpkin Ricotta Lasagna

Pumpkin Ricotta Lasagna

I discovered this recipe a few years ago when looking for more ways to bake or cook with pumpkin during the fall. It was my first time making lasagna and it turned out so incredible! It’s a great vegetarian recipe as well. This lasagna is a perfect dinner to make on a cozy fall night. And if you’re stuck at home, then you’ll have lots of leftovers!

Above: use all of the Swiss chard! It shrinks so much when you cook it.

Below: prepare for lasagna assembling.

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INGREDIENTS

9-12 lasagna noodles
1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 yellow onion
Bundle of Swiss chard
2 tsp. chopped garlic
Salt and pepper
796 ml (17 oz.) can of pumpkin puree
1 cup heavy cream
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. sage
2 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan, divided
475 g (16 oz.) whole milk ricotta
1 egg
Fresh rosemary

YIELD

10 servings

TIME

• Prep - 45 minutes

• Cook - 30 minutes

TOOLS

• 9” x 13” casserole dish

• Large pot (dutch oven)

• Large skillet

• 2 medium bowls

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Bring a large pot of water to boil, add salt.

2. Cook pasta according to package directions minus 2 minutes. Drain and lay out on a baking sheet with olive oil drizzled in between to prevent noodles from sticking together.

3. Finely chop the onion and roughly chop all of the Swiss chard.

4. In a large skillet, heat 1 tbsp. of olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and cook for 3 minutes until onions begin to soften. Add Swiss chard and cook for 7-10 minutes until it’s wilted. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat.

5. In a medium bowl, mix the pumpkin puree, heavy cream, 1 1/2 cups of shredded Parmesan, nutmeg, sage, salt and pepper. Set aside.

6. In another medium bowl, combine ricotta, egg, salt and pepper.

7. Assemble the lasagna:

   1. Spread a quarter of the pumpkin mixture across the bottom of the dish.

   2. Top with a single layer of lasagna noodles.

   3. Add 1/2 of the Swiss chard, spreading out as evenly as you can.

   4. Spread a layer of the ricotta on top.

   5. Add a layer of sliced mozzarella.

   6. Repeat steps 2-5. Add a final layer of noodles.

   7. Top with the remaining pumpkin mixture, covering noodles entirely.

8. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes.

9. Remove the foil and sprinkle the remaining 3/4 cup of Parmesan on top. Sprinkle fresh rosemary. Bake uncovered for another 10 minutes.

10. Remove from the oven and allow to sit for 15 minutes to cool and set. Slice and serve!

Check out my other lasagna post for tips on making lasagna if you need.

Recipe adapted from Food & Wine.