I have graduated to full-size pumpkins (from the teeny ones I was posting last week).
This would be equally good made with a butternut squash.
Pumpkin is wonderful vegetable that works well in a lot of savory dishes.
I use moist, pink ham in this lasagne and fresh sage from my garden. I love the combination of ham, sage and winter squash.
You can leave the ham out for a vegetarian version.
The recipe was designed for using no-cook noodles.
Pure canned pumpkin makes this go together quickly – if you can get it. I have to roast, then mash mine.
Pumpkin, Sage and Leek Lasagne
Total time: 60 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 onion, thinly sliced
- 2 leeks, trimmed, rinsed and thinly sliced
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1 tsp butter
- 1 cup (8oz, 240gr) pumpkin, cooked and mashed
- 15 – 20 fresh sage leaves
- 8oz (240gr) baked ham
- 1 tsp butter
- 1 cup (4oz, 120gr) shredded cheese Swiss, Gruyère, Emmenthal
- Béchamel:
- 3 tbs butter
- 1/4 cup (2oz, 60gr) flour
- pinch of nutmeg
- 2 cups (16oz, (480ml) milk
- 9 – 12 sheets ‘no-cook’ lasagna noodles
- 1/4 cup (1oz, 30gr) grated Parmesan
Instructions:
- Heat oil and butter in large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add onions, leeks and sauté, stirring, for 1 minute.
- Cover the pan, reduce heat to medium low and cook for 10 minutes.
- Uncover, increase heat to medium, continue to cook until onions are golden and tender, about 10 minutes longer.
- Add the pumpkin, stir well to combine and heat through.
- Cut the ham into thin strips, then the strips into smaller squares.
- In another skillet heat 1 tsp butter. Add sage leaves and sauté until starting to get crisp.
- Add ham, sauté until heated through and dry (it can give off a bit of water).
- Béchamel:
- In a medium saucepan heat 3 tbs butter over low heat.
- Add flour, nutmeg and stir with a whisk for 1 minute.
- Add a little (1/4 cup) of the milk, whisk to combine.
- Turn heat up to medium and keep adding milk, a little at a time and whisking. You should have added all of the milk in a minute or 2.
- When all of the milk is in, bring to a boil (should almost be there), whisking. Then remove from heat.
- To assemble: in a 10″ (25cm) square baking dish, or 9 X 11 oblong, make the following layers:
- 1/3 béchamel sauce
- 2 – 3 noodles, you may have to break a third one up to get good coverage
- 1/2 onion, leek, pumpkin mixture
- 2 – 3 noodles or so
- 1/3 béchamel sauce
- all of the ham and sage
- 1/2 of the shredded cheese
- 2 – 3 noodles or so
- 1/2 onion, leek, pumpkin mixture
- 2 – 3 noodles or so
- 1/3 béchamel sauce
- 1/2 of the shredded cheese
- Parmesan
- To finish:
- Cover and bake 425F (215C) for 20 minutes, or until noodles are done. Test in center with a sharp knife.
- Uncover and bake 5 minutes longer to brown cheese.
- Remove and let rest for 5 minutes. Cut into squares (or oblongs) and serve.
I’m back home, but I have a houseful of family so I’m still ‘on vacation’.
I’ll entertain you with Moroccan street scenes while I play:
And Moroccan streets can be very entertaining…
The biggest problem for me was that there was so many interesting people and things I was at great risk of being run over by the people and things.
There were motor-scooters, bikes, horses, donkeys, cars and people everywhere.
And street vendors and repair people and stray cats and dogs…..
Trailers hauling goods and supplies were pulled by humans, horses, donkeys and scooters.
And they all seemed to go in every direction at once.
At first, when we were crossing a street, we actually ‘looked both ways’ and waited for a lull in the traffic.
Then we learned to do it ‘Moroccan style’ – stride out into the melee with confidence and rely on the competence of the natives not to run us over.
I was not, however, foolish enough to stand in the street absorbed in my camera, to take a photo of the chaos.
Amazingly, I never saw an accident…..
I would not have driven a car in Marrakesh for anything!
Katie – love your street scenes! By the way, I have made this dish…we all loved it! I have not made it in a while so this is a great reminder. 🙂
Oh this looks absolutely delicious!!! Welcome back home!!!
Ina, thanks and thanks…. it’s a fall favorite.
Anna, and thanks to you, too 😉 It’s good to be back (but the quiet is deafening)