Yeah, another pumpkin dish. The best part about this pumpkin ricotta lasagna is that it’s filling, holds well in the fridge all week, and can pretty much be stuffed with anything you want. I ate this on election night so…definitely counts for comfort food.
This is ANOTHER recipe from my mom (she has some really good staple dishes) that she commonly makes on Thanksgiving. I am not a huge turkey fan. Give me pasta, bread, corn and this lasagna on the table instead!
The Italian sausage in this dish adds a hearty bite, but the pumpkin adds to the creaminess of the tomato sauce and ricotta cheese. It definitely has a heavy autumn twist, but it’s not an overbearing pumpkin taste. It all blends together quite well!
How to make pumpkin ricotta lasagna
All you need for this lasagna is sausage, lots of cheese, and a good cup of wine. I recommend Rough Day’s cabernet sauvignon (use code THYME10 at checkout for 10% off at checkout!).
Here some important tips:
- Drop in your lasagna noodles one at at time: be careful when dumping in your noodles in the boiling water. If they are touching, they will stick together and will be ruined! It will be almost impossible to tear the noodles apart without ripping them up, so make sure your pot is big enough!
- Remove the casings on sausage: To do this, just run a sharp knife across the surface of each sausage and you should be able to peel it away pretty easily. From there, the sausage will break up easily in the pan.
- Layer it up! Lasagna is a layers game, so be ready to divvy up layers of pumpkin, cheese, and tomato sauce. The rest is super easy!
Definitely a great family dish but also perfect if you want leftovers for days.
What you need: A 9×13 baking dish, a large skillet, a large pot and a colander, cheese grater, a sharp knife and a couple normal bowls
Time: About 25 – 30 minutes plus 40 minutes to bake.
Makes: About 10-12 servings
How to store your pumpkin lasagna
The best part of this lasagna is that you can leave right in the baking dish! Cover with saran wrap or foil and leave covered in the fridge for up to a week.
If you enjoyed this pumpkin ricotta lasagna, here are some other recipes to try:
Pumpkin Ricotta Lasagna
Equipment
- 9×13 baking dish
- a large skillet
- a large pot
- colander
- cheese grater
- sharp knife
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 cup pumpkin purèe
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 4 garlic cloves peeled and minced
- 1 lb Italian sausage casings removed
- ½ cup red wine like cabernet
- 28 oz crushed tomato sauce
- ¼ cup basil chopped
- 1 lb lasagna noodles
- 1 egg
- ½ tsp oregano
- 2½ cups ricotta cheese
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella
- ½ cup parmesan and romano blend cheese grated
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Fill your pot with water and set on high heat. Bring water to a boil and cook around 12 lasagna noodles until al dente. Be careful to make sure they don’t stick together while boiling! Drain.1 lb lasagna noodles
- In the meantime, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until softened, about 6 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes more. Add the sausage and cook until browned, around 6-7 minutes. Break up the meat into bite sized pieces with a spatula as it cooks.1 yellow onion, 4 garlic cloves, 1 lb Italian sausage, 2 tbsp olive oil
- Pour in the wine and cook until reduced by half. Stir in the tomato sauce, basil and oregano and bring the sauce to a simmer over medium heat. Add salt and pepper to taste, and then reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally (uncovered).½ cup red wine, 28 oz crushed tomato sauce, ¼ cup basil, ½ tsp oregano, salt and pepper
- In another bowl, mix the pumpkin together with the egg, and season it more salt and pepper. In a separate bowl, mix the ricotta, 1 cup of mozzarella and the parmesan Romano blend.1 cup pumpkin purèe, 1 egg, 2½ cups ricotta cheese, 2 cups shredded mozzarella, ½ cup parmesan and romano blend cheese
- Build the lasagna. In your baking dish, start with a layer of red sauce and meat, and then top with four lasagna noodles. Evenly spread half the pumpkin filling over the noodles, and then top with that with half of the cheese mixture. Cover with more red sauce.
- Repeat the layers once more (noodles, pumpkin, cheese, the last of the noodles, and the remaining sauce).
- Sprinkle the top with the remaining mozzarella. Bake in the oven uncovered for 40 minutes or until bubbly.
- Let cool for 15 minutes before serving.
