Pumpkin White Bean Lasagna

I love autumn foods and pumpkin is one of my favorites.  I find it to be a very versatile ingredient.  This last week I got it in my head that I wanted to make a pumpkin lasagna.  I toyed with the idea of playing with the flavors of butternut squash ravioli in a brown butter sage sauce.  I read half a dozen recipes for pumpkin lasagna and, diva that I am, was sure I could throw together my own recipe based on some of the ideas I read.  Here is what I came up with.  Since I didn’t measure anything, this is all an approximation, along with some notes about what I would change for next time.  Because I was just testing the flavor combinations, I didn’t go all out and I used canned products. 

1 Can White Beans (reserve the liquid or if you use broth like I did, save that water.)

I began by cooking these in vegetable broth to give them extra flavor

1-2 tbl. Butter

1 large white onion (I used only a half and it could have used more)

Melt the butter in a large skillet on medium high then sauté the onions until they just start to turn golden.

Add minced together seasonings:

·         8 sage leaves

·         Rosemary

·         Thyme

·         A little Ginger

·         3 cloves garlic

Heat about 30 seconds.  Reduce heat.  Add about half the beans to the skillet.  Moosh them up.  Add the other half of the beans, leave them whole.  Add some of the liquid (or whatever was in the can) because you’re making a sauce.  You might want to add more later.  Heat about a minute or less.  Add:

1 can pumpkin puree

Mix this all up.  Taste and season as needed.  Salt, pepper, more of the seasonings from earlier, etc.  Heat about three minutes.  Then add the following:

¼ - ½ cup Apple Cider Vinegar

¼ - ½ cup White Wine

Stir together.  Taste again.  Add more liquid if necessary.  I wish I had made mine more liquid-y to bake into the noodles.

Preheat your oven to 350.

Make your cheese filling.

16 oz. Ricotta

2 eggs

¼ cup Parmesan cheese

A handful of shredded mozzarella

(I like to add a little garlic and Italian seasoning too)

Layer your lasagna with no boil noodles

A little sauce to cover the bottom of your casserole, layer in noodles, top with 1/3 of the sauce, then half the cheese mix.  More noodles, 1/3 sauce, other half of cheese.  More noodles, remaining sauce.  Top with generous mozzarella and parmesan cheese.  Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.  Remove foil and bake 15 more.

You might consider some additions to your lasagna such as lightly sautéed mushrooms (remember they are going to bake so don’t overcook them) or some spinach.  Either would make a nice layer between the sauce and cheese.  Otherwise, a fresh spinach salad would be a lovely accompaniment.  Especially with some freshly toasted pumpkin seeds!