Pumpkin, Tomato & Ricotta Lasagne …

There’s no doubt that Beef Lasagne is on the list of favourites in my house, but for a long time I’ve wanted to create a vegetarian variation of the traditional Lasagne and here it is … Pumpkin, Tomato & Ricotta Lasagne! I was a little nervous with this recipe because my husband loves his meat but even he was impressed AND came back for seconds … so that’s not a bad recommendation!

This recipe is quick and easy to prepare and absolutely delicious. Enjoy!


Pumpkin, Tomato & Ricotta Lasagne …
 
Author:
Ingredients …
  • 1 kg butternut pumpkin, peeled & cut into small chunks
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • Cracked black pepper, pinch
  • ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
  • 375g ricotta
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup parmesan cheese, grated
  • Lasagne Sheets
  • 2 x 410g cans crushed tomatoes (I used Ardmona)
  • Mild cheese, grated
  • Parmesan cheese, extra
  • Fresh basil
Method …
  1. Preheat oven to 170C.
  2. Peel pumpkin and chop into small chunks. Bring a pot of water to the boil, add ½ teaspoon salt and pumpkin. Cook for approximately 8 minutes or until pumpkin is just tender (be careful not to overcook).
  3. Once cooked, drain well, mash and add olive oil, cracked black pepper and nutmeg. Allow to slightly cool.
  4. Combine ricotta, egg and parmesan and mix well with a fork.
  5. Lightly spray the base of a deep square dish with cooking spray. (For this recipe I used a square ceramic dish measuring 21cm x 21cm and 6cm deep.) Place lasagne sheets on the base, spread with a thin layer of pumpkin mixture, followed by a thin layer of crushed tomatoes. (Tip: hold the dried lasagne sheets in place with your fingers as you spread the pumpkin mixture to prevent the sheets from moving around too much.)
  6. Place more lasagne sheets over the tomatoes, spread with a thin layer of the ricotta mixture, followed by a thin layer of crushed tomatoes.
  7. Repeat and alternate pumpkin and ricotta layers until you almost reach the top of the dish, finishing with a layer of tomatoes. (Tip: leave a small gap between the top of the lasagne and the top of the baking dish. The lasagne needs to be covered with alfoil for the first 40 minutes of cooking time and if the top layer of the lasagne finishes too close to the top of the baking dish, the alfoil will stick to the final layer of cheese which will come off when the alfoil is removed.)
  8. Lightly sprinkle a final layer of grated mild cheese and extra parmesan.
  9. Cover finished lasagne with alfoil and bake for 40 minutes. After this time, remove the alfoil and bake for a further 20 minutes or until the top is lightly browned and golden.
  10. Remove from oven and allow to stand for 15 minutes. Garnish with fresh basil, cut into pieces and serve.

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