Pumpkin Lasagna

I have a confession to make.

I have somewhat of a hoarding problem. No, I'm not like the people you see on TV, who are buried in mountains upon mountains of stuff, their addiction alienating friends and family. My hoarding problem involves pumpkin puree. Lots and lots of pumpkin puree. Really. The proof is in the cupboard.

Come every fall, I get wind of some type of pumpkin shortage. Whether this shortage is real, simply a rumor, or caused by crazies such as myself (which I imagine must be the case at least sometimes), I buy a few cans to "stock up" every single time I go to the grocery store.

And no matter how many cans of pumpkin I accumulate, I am still extremely particular about the recipes in which I choose to use my precious stock. I actually have a couple rules regarding it. Rule number one: whatever I make, I don't share it. I usually love sharing the fruits of my baking labor with friends, family, and co-workers. It's better for my waist-line, gives me those "warm fuzzies," and let's face it, all the compliments and "mmmmm's" don't exactly hurt my ego. However, that's not the case with any pumpkin goodies. In the rare occasion that we have some left over after a day or two, they go in the freezer to be enjoyed by H and I at a later date. Selfish, selfish, I know.

Rule number two: I'm very unadventurous in my pumpkin recipes. I usually love trying new recipes and ingredients, but pumpkin recipes have to be for something that I'm absolutely certain that I'll enjoy. God forbid I use up a can of pumpkin puree in something that doesn't turn out well.

So there you have it. Call me crazy, blame me for the pumpkin shortage at your local grocery store, or what have you. But all this does have a point... Last week, I was gazing at all the drool-worthy food porn on foodgawker.com, and I stumbled upon this recipe for pumpkin lasagna. It looked... delicious. But I hesitated in saving it, as it didn't follow the rules. I've only had savory pumpkin dishes a handful of times, and only in restaurants. I've never actually attempted one. But something about it... just drew me in. I decided to bite the bullet and add it to this week's menu.

(Edited: With all the waxing poetic about my love of pumpkin, I completely forgot to mention how this turned out! It was good, and I was really glad to be able to step out of my comfort zone a bit! A piece of advice- don't skimp on the salt. I did, because I am trying to cut back on sodium and I don't really like things too salty, but the salt definitely brought out a good flavor.)

Pumpkin Lasagna

9 lasagna noodles, either the no-boil kind, or the regular ones prepared according to package directions and left submerged in cold water

16 oz. sliced mushrooms, chopped
1 large white onion, chopped
1 Tablespoon of olive oil

2 1/2 cups pumpkin puree
1 cup of half and half
1 1/2 teaspoons of dried sage
salt and pepper to taste

1 1/2 cups of ricotta cheese
1 egg

4 oz. of mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/4 cup of fresh grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375.

Saute mushrooms and onion in olive oil, with a dash of salt and pepper. Allow them to simmer until soft, and then drain of excess liquid. Meanwhile, combine pumpkin puree, half and half, sage, and another dash of salt and pepper into a large bowl. Into a third bowl, mix ricotta cheese and egg and beat until combined.

Lightly spray cooking spray on the bottom of a 9X13 baking pan. Start with the pumpkin mixture and spread about 1/2 cups worth on the bottom of the pan, enough to lightly cover. Layer pasta next, then ricotta cheese mixture, then a couple scoops of the mushrooms and onions. Top again with pumpkin, and continue to layer until you run out of ingredients. Sprinkle mozzarella and Parmesan cheese all over the top.

Cover with foil, then place in the oven and bake for about 40 minutes. Remove cover, and bake for 10-15 minutes more, until the cheese is starting to get golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to sit for about 10 minutes. Enjoy!

Adapted from Prevention RD, original recipe here.

New Recipe Review- Spaghetti with Sausage and Tomato Sauce

For my new recipe this week, I tried "Spaghetti with Sausage and Simple Tomato Sauce" from cookinglight.com. It was delicious, and oh so easy!

Here is the original recipe:

Ingredients

• 8 ounces hot Italian turkey sausage links
• 8 ounces uncooked spaghetti
• 1 (28-ounce) can no-salt-added whole tomatoes, undrained
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 cup torn fresh basil
• 1/2 cup (2 ounces) shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Directions

1. Preheat broiler.
2. Arrange sausage on a small baking sheet. Broil sausage 5 minutes on each side or until done. Remove pan from oven (do not turn broiler off). Cut sausage into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Arrange slices in a single layer on baking sheet. Broil sausage slices 2 minutes or until browned.
3. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat; drain.
4. Place tomatoes in a food processor; process until almost smooth. Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add crushed red pepper and minced garlic; sauté 1 minute. Stir in tomatoes, sugar, and salt; cook 4 minutes or until slightly thick. Add sausage and cooked pasta to pan; toss well. Top with fresh basil and Parmigiano-Reggiano.





I did make a few changes. We actually don't have a broiler pan, so I browned the sausages in the wok (I LOVE using that thing!) and added the garlic olive oil, and tomatoes to that when the sausages were ready. Easy! I also used a can organic fire roasted tomatoes (not low salt), which gave it a great flavor. This was really yummy, and I'll definitely be making it again!

Original recipe found here.

New Recipe Review- White Cheese Lasagna

Thankfully, it's finally starting to feel like spring again. But before spring hits, I had to get one more (and possibly last) warm-you-to-the-bones winter recipe in. So, for my new recipe last week (I've missed a few blog entries, but don't worry I have been doing the new recipes :P) I decided to try white cheese and chicken lasagna. I love traditional red lasagna, so this definitely sounded like a fun way to change it up.

Recipe here.

I made a few changes: I cooked two chicken breasts in the crockpot with chicken stock, garlic, and onion to shred it rather than the using cubed meat. I also used fresh spinach instead of frozen, and added chopped carrots (steamed first) and yellow squash (sauteed first) for some extra veggies. I added both the chicken and vegetables to the ricotta mixture to minimize the layering steps. I also didn't add all that mozzarella cheese in the layers, but I put sliced fresh mozzarella on top. Oh, and I also used the "no boil" lasagna noodles. They worked fine, I just had to bake it covered, unlike the recipe.


It turned out pretty good. The sauce was delicious, and I definitely had more than my fair share.

New Recipe Review- Vegetable Noodle Stir Fry

For my new recipe the week before last- I promise I will get better at blogging these- I chose Rachael Ray's Vegetable Noodle Stir Fry. I have been dying to try the new wok we received as a wedding gift and this sounded perfect for it. It turned out really good. I added chicken to it, to make it a little more substantial. The only changes I would make next time are to substitute mushrooms for the carrots (the carrots tasted kind of out of place) and slice the bok choy a little thinner. The veggies also needed a bit more time to cook than the recipe called for, but no biggie. All in all, very tasty!


Original recipe can be found here.