I can’t say there are many people who don’t love lasagne of some sort, and this pumpkin and pesto one ticks lots of boxes. It’s easy to make, and is quite economical. Plus it’s great to pop into the freezer in single portions. Quick to reheat in the microwave when you’re tired at the end of the day but still want something healthy. One of the tricks to making this super creamy is to use a creamy ricotta, rather than the harder set one. And a good quality jar of pesto. Mind you, in the summer, when the basil is going berserk, you can make your own!
Pumpkin and pesto lasagne
Equipment
- roasting tray
- large deep baking dish
- mixing bowl
Ingredients
- 1.5 kg pumpkin
- 600 g ricotta soft ricotta is best
- 375 g fresh lasagne sheets
- 200 g basil pesto
- 400 g tinned tomatoes diced, not whole
- 1 cup grated cheese
- 300 ml cream
Instructions
- Slice pumpkin into 4cm wedges, season and roast for 40 minutes in oven at 180c
- In your large baking dish, cover the base with a small amount with some diced tomato, to prevent the first layer of lasagne sheets doesn't stick.
- In a mixing bowl, put the ricotta and pesto, and mix gently together.
- Now to make your layers. Cut the lasagne sheets to fit your baking dish. You should have enough for five layers. Start with pasta, then ricotta mixture, then finely sliced roast pumpkin and a small amount of diced tomatoes. Hint: water down the tomatoes a bit when you get half way down the tin. It helps cook the pasta.
- Finish with a layer of pasta, then pour the cream over, and then sprinkle the grated cheese evenly over the top. Bake for 40 minutes
Nutrition
Roasting your pumpkin
There are so many ways that people do their roast pumpkin. With this recipe, I leave the skin on because it protects that outer layer of flesh. That way it is all nice and soft for the lasagne. Plus, it’s so much easier and safer to peel it off when it’s cooked.
One tip, is to roast more than you think you’ll need. If you have leftover, there are always plenty more recipes to use it up on. Here’s another one of mine.