Blend
Pumpkin Lasagna with Fried Sage
- Prep time 25 minutes
- Cook time 50 minutes
- Serves 6-8
Author Notes
This vegetarian lasagna is made with homemade pumpkin puree, baby spinach, plenty of cheese, and sage leaves fried in butter. Like most lasagnas, this recipe doesn’t come together immediately, but the required steps are easy, and it’s the perfect rustic comfort dish to make in the fall. First I roast a small sugar pumpkin, then add it to a Vitamix along with ricotta, mire poix, and seasonings. Then blend using the “custom blend” setting to create the perfect saucey consistency.
Tips and Tricks:
Don’t stress if you don’t have exactly 2 ½ cups of pumpkin. As long as you’re not more than a ½ a cup off it won’t make too much of a difference. You can also use butternut squash, just make sure it’s the same weight.
I use vegetable broth to keep it vegetarian, but you can easily swap out with chicken or beef broth. (Combining bouillon with water will also work.)
Make this 2 days ahead and store it in the refrigerator until ready to bake. Alternatively, store it in the freezer until ready to bake, up to 2 months (just double check your baking dish is freezer friendly). —Nea Arentzen
Test Kitchen Notes
This recipe is presented in partnership with Vitamix. —The Editors
Ingredients
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PUMPKIN SAUCE
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1
small (2 lb) sugar pumpkin
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1 tablespoon
extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
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1
pinch of Diamond crystal kosher salt, plus more to taste
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freshly ground black pepper
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1
small yellow onion roughly chopped (1 cup)
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1
large carrot, roughly chopped (½ cup)
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1
large celery stalk, roughly chopped (½ cup)
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2
garlic cloves, smashed
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1
sprig fresh sage
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1 cup
vegetable broth
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1/2
whole milk ricotta
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1 tablespoon
apple cider vinegar
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1 teaspoon
ground nutmeg
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TO ASSEMBLE
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1
package ruffled lasagna sheets (16 ounces, I used Barilla)
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2 cups
whole milk ricotta
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2 cups
baby spinach leaves
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1/2 teaspoon
kosher salt
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1 cup
grated Parmesan cheese (4 oz)
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1 cup
grated low moisture mozzarella (4 oz)
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5-6
slices fresh mozzarella, torn into pieces
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1 tablespoon
salted butter
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6-8
sage leaves
Directions
- Roast the pumpkin:
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF with the rack in the center position. Line a 14x9-inch oval (or rectangle) baking dish with parchment paper.
- Cut the sugar pumpkin in half through the stem end and scoop out the seeds. Lightly drizzle with olive oil and season with salt, then place cut side down on the prepared baking dish. Bake until you can easily poke it with a knife, 30 to 35 minutes. Let it cool slightly, then scoop out the pumpkin (you should have a bout 2½ cups–see tip) and transfer directly to the Vitamix blender (discard parchment but save baking dish).
- Build the sauce:
- Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a medium skillet over medium high. Saute the onions, carrots, and celery until the vegetables are softened and slightly translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and sage sprig; cook until fragrant, another 1 minute. Remove the sage.
- To the Vitamix with the pumpkin, add the sauteed vegetables (reserve skillet), ricotta, apple cider vinegar, nutmeg, and salt and pepper to taste.
- Assemble the lasagna:
- Reduce the oven to 350ºF. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the lasagna sheets until al dente according to the package directions, then place them on lightly oiled rimmed baking sheet or piece of parchment paper. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, mix together 1 cup ricotta and spinach; season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Using the same baking dish, spread ⅓ of the pumpkin sauce across the bottom. Sprinkle with some of the grated Parmesan and mozzarella. Cut lasagna sheets in half, then place some of the noodles in a diagonal pattern overhanging from the edge by about 1 inch. Spread ½ of the ricotta-spinach mixture across the sheets. Sprinkle with more Parmesan and mozzarella. Repeat both layers twice more, finishing with the last third of of the pumpkin sauce.
- Sprinkle with a little more Parmesan, then tear mozzarella slices into 2-inch pieces and assemble on top. Cover with tin foil, making sure to cover the overhanging lasagna sheets, and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and continue baking until the noodles are golden brown, another 20 to 25 minutes (keep an eye on them and cover the edges with tin foil again if they’re browning too quickly). Increase oven temperature to a broil and broil, completely uncovered until the cheese is charred in spots, for 2 to 3 minutes.
- In the reserved skillet over medium-high, melt 1 tablespoon butter. Add 6 to 8 sage leaves depending on side and cook, flipping occasionally, until lightly darkened and crispy, about 4 minutes. Place on top of the lasagna and serve.
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