Pumpkin & Spinach Lasagne

Pumpkin & Spinach Vegetarian Lasagne is a healthy and delicious family dinner made with layers of creamy pumpkin and ricotta, spinach, lasagne sheets and tomato sauce.

5 from 18 votes

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Course: Dinner

Cuisine: Vegetarian

Prep Time: 30

Cook Time: 1 30

Total Time: 2

Servings: serves

Calories: 399kcal

Author: Lucy - Bake Play Smile

Equipment

Stove-top or Thermomix
Oven

Ingredients

1.5 kg pumpkin peeled and diced into 1.5cm cubes
2 tbs olive oil to drizzle
salt and pepper to season
450 g ricotta low fat
150 g baby spinach leaves see notes
375 g fresh lasagne sheets

For the tomato sauce:

2 tbs olive oil
2 brown onions diced
2 tsp minced garlic
500 g passata
400 g diced tomatoes
1 tsp dried Italian herbs parsley, oregano, basil
1 tbs raw sugar
salt and pepper to season
tasty cheese grated, for sprinkling

Instructions

Conventional Method

Preheat a fan-forced oven to 200 degrees celsius (fan-forced).
Place diced pumpkin on a lined baking tray. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake in the oven for 30-40 minutes or until soft.
In a large saucepan on a low-medium heat, add a splash of olive oil and the diced onions. Cook until they are soft and translucent. Add the garlic and cook for another two minutes.
Add the passata, tinned tomatoes, dried herbs, salt, pepper and sugar. Stir and place back on the heat. Simmer for 15 minutes or until slightly thickened. Set aside (see notes).
Once the pumpkin has cooked, remove it from the oven and allow to cool slightly. Place the pumpkin in a large bowl, add the ricotta cheese and a pinch of salt and pepper. Use a stick blender or a fork to break up pumpkin and mix with the cheese to form a smooth consistency. Set aside.
To assemble the lasagne, grease a medium-large baking dish (approximately 40cm X 25cm) and start by adding a layer of fresh lasagne sheets, followed by a layer of tomato sauce, a layer of the pumpkin/cheese mixture and then spinach leaves. Repeat until you have used all of your mixture (finish with a layer of lasagne sheets topped with the pumpkin mixture and then sprinkle over the grated cheese).
Place in an oven preheated to 180 degrees celsius (fan-forced) and cook for 25-30 minutes or until the cheese has melted and the pasta is cooked through.

Thermomix Method

Preheat a fan-forced oven to 200 degrees celsius (fan-forced). Place diced pumpkin on a lined baking tray. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake in the oven for 30-40 minutes or until soft.
Place the halved onions into the Thermomix bowl. Chop on Speed 6, 5 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Add the olive oil and minced garlic and saute on 80 degrees, Speed 2, 3 minutes. Add the passata, tinned tomatoes, dried herbs, salt, pepper and sugar. Cook on Varoma, 15 minutes, Speed 2. Set aside in a seperate bowl (see notes).
Once the pumpkin has cooked, remove it from the oven and allow to cool slightly. Place the pumpkin in a clean Thermomix bowl. Add the ricotta, salt and pepper and mix on Speed 4 until smooth.
To assemble the lasagne, grease a medium-large baking dish (approximately 40cm X 25cm) and start by adding a layer of fresh lasagne sheets, followed by a layer of tomato sauce, a layer of the pumpkin/cheese mixture and then spinach leaves. Repeat until you have used all of your mixture (finish with a layer of lasagne sheets topped with the pumpkin mixture and then sprinkle over the grated cheese).
Place in an oven preheated to 180 degrees celsius (fan-forced) and cook for 25-30 minutes or until the cheese has melted and the pasta is cooked through.

Notes

RECIPE NOTES & TIPS

Variety of pumpkin - You can use absolutely any variety of pumpkin you like – Kent, Jap, butternut or Jarrahdale are all great options.

Ricotta - The best kind of ricotta for this recipe is the smooth ricotta that you can buy in the refrigerated cheese aisle of the supermarket. You can use either low fat or full fat ricotta cheese.

Baby spinach alternative - You can use chopped English spinach or larger spinach leaves. Alternatively, you can use a packet of frozen spinach that can been defrosted and the liquid squeezed out.

Passata - Passata is pureed tomato. It can be bought in the pasta aisle of any major supermarket. If you can’t buy passata you can use an equal amount of diced tomatoes.

Fresh lasagne sheets - Because the lasagne only needs to cook for 25-30 minutes, I recommend using fresh lasagne sheets as they cook much quicker. Instant lasagne sheets take longer to cook and aren’t as soft as fresh lasagne sheets.

Storing and freezing - This can be cooked and then stored in the refrigerator for up to 48 hours or frozen for up to 3 months. If you have any leftover tomato sauce, this can be frozen for up to 3 months.

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