Name: Pumpkin Lasagne
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 1 h 10 min
Yield: 4 (increase qty to make larger tray)
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: ½ medium Kent pumpkin, skin removed, cut into chunks; 1 onion, diced; 1 sprig rosemary, whole; 2 leaves sage, whole; Olive oil; 85g (6 tbs) salted butter; 70g (½ cup) plain flour; 4½ cup whole milk, warmed with rosemary, bay & sage; 2 cups cheese (1 cup parmesan / 1 cup cheddar - or melting cheeses of your choice), reserve a little cheese, to top the lasagne; Walnut ricotta; ½ cup walnuts; 500g fresh ricotta; Rosemary & sage, finely chopped; 5 fresh lasagne sheets

Pumpkin Lasagne

That cool weather fix when you don't want the classic bolognese style lasagne - the pumpkin gives a nice sweetness which is then offset by the savoury herbs and cheeses.

Serves

4 (increase qty to make larger tray)

Prep

20 mins

Cook

50 mins

Difficulty

Capable Cooks

Oven

180°C fan-forced

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C fan-forced. Drizzle pumpkin pieces with olive oil and season with salt. Toss to coat and then place onto a roasting pan and into the oven for 20–25 minutes or until pumpkin is soft.
While the pumpkin is cooking, cook the onion in a little olive oil along with rosemary and sage. As you cook your onion, begin the walnut ricotta by quickly blitzing the nuts in a blender and then adding to a large bowl with the ricotta, herbs and sea salt. Set aside until needed.
For the béchamel starting with butter, then adding flour and cooking out for 1–2 minutes, then add the warmed, herb milk a little at a time working with a whisk to get a super smooth sauce. Add cheeses and if needed any extra milk to ensure the correct silky smooth consistency.
Blitz together the pumpkin and onion mix (remove rosemary stalk) until a chunky purée (you don't want to turn the pumpkin into soup). Now it is time to build, you can really choose your own adventure here but I start with some béchamel, then lasagne sheet, followed by the pumpkin, another lasagne sheet, ricotta walnut mix, topped with béchamel, then lasagne sheet again, more pumpkin, a further lasagne sheet, then again the ricotta mix, topped finally with a last sheet of lasagne and topped with béchamel and cheese.
Into the preheated oven and bake for 25 minutes or until hot, bubbling and golden on the top.