Pumpkin Lasagna Gives The Italian Classic A Fall Twist
When fall rolls around and you hear the first crunch of leaves under your feet during your morning commute, you know it's time to bring back everything pumpkin. The orange squash is synonymous with sweater weather and Halloween, and every fall its flavors make their return into our favorite food items — like the Pumpkin Cream Cold Foam that just made its comeback at Starbucks. Where you may not be used to seeing pumpkin is in a staple Italian dish — lasagna.
A cheesy pumpkin lasagna incorporates all of the flavors of fall into the warm and comforting classic pasta dish. It features sage, pumpkin puree, maple syrup, and nutmeg — all festive fall flavors that you might not expect would appear in a lasagne, but that work all the same. If you're feeling hesitant about this combination, don't be. Pumpkin has been featured in other popular pasta dishes, like this pumpkin carbonara that also highlights nutmeg as a pairing, or these pumpkin ravioli that incorporate sage.
How does the pumpkin work in a lasagne?
You might be wondering how pumpkin fits into the picture — how can you create a creamy and cheesy lasagne while incorporating pumpkin and other fall flavors? The key is that the pumpkin is in puree form and takes the place of what would be tomato sauce in a traditional lasagne recipe. To create the pumpkin mixture piece of this lasagne, you'd cook the garlic and onion in butter, then add sage, pumpkin puree, maple syrup, and nutmeg.
In a separate bowl, the classic lasagne cheese layer is mixed to perfection by combining ricotta, mozzarella, and fontina cheeses with egg. Once all of the components are ready, it's time to assemble your autumnal lasagne. First is a layer of the pumpkin mixture which is then covered with noodles — you can opt for no-bake noodles to cut down on steps as well. Next is one-third of the pumpkin mixture, then one-third of the cheese mixture, all topped again with noodles. This process is repeated twice more until you've assembled the lasagna and it's ready to bake. Wait fifty minutes, and you've got the perfect fall twist on an Italian classic to enjoy for dinner.