Recipe Of The Day: Pumpkin Kale Lasagna
With fall right around the corner, your brain is probably swimming with endless pumpkin recipes that you're dying to make. While iconic pies and delicious cookies are usually the autumn go to, this pumpkin kale lasagna is as comforting as it gets.
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Weeknight dinner meals never looked so good. Pumpkin and kale add autumnal notes to a classic meal, turning lasagna into a completely new dish that goes beyond the classic wholesome cooking you got from grandma.
There are a few different steps to this dish, to start you'll need to make the kale and mushroom layer, which is a great opportunity to use leftovers. Then move on to the pumpkin cheese layer. Once the main components are ready, add a can of tomatoes to the bottom of your lasagna dish and top them with frozen raviolis.
When you're ready, pour the pumpkin cheese layer on top and then add the kale mushroom mixture. After topping each layer with cheese, bake the dish for 45 minutes, sprinkle it with olive oil and bake it for a final 10 minutes.
Eat the dish once it's ready or wrap it up and save it for later, after all lasagna is one of the best comfort foods to make ahead and freeze for a weeknight.
For the Kale Mushroom Layer
1 pound cremini mushrooms, chopped into chunks
2 heads of kale, chopped
5 garlic cloves, chopped (nickel size)
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 onion, chopped
6 grates of nutmeg (or 1/2 teaspoon)
For the Pumpkin Cheese Layer
2 (15oz) cans pumpkin purée
1 cup whole milk ricotta
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 garlic cloves, shredded
Three finger pinch salt & pepper
10 sage leaves, finely chopped
6 grates of nutmeg (or 1/2 teaspoon)
For the Lasagna
1 (28oz) can of chopped tomatoes
2 cups grated Parmesan cheese
7 ounces shredded mozzarella
12 frozen mushroom raviolis (approximately)
Directions
For the Kale Mushroom Layer
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.
Heat a large pan on medium-high heat.
Add a few turns of extra virgin olive oil to the pan, then add the mushrooms and cook until they turn a dark brown color (about two minutes).
Season with a three-finger pinch of salt and pepper.
Add the onion, red pepper flakes and a tiny pinch of salt and pepper. Cook until translucent (1 minute).
Add the garlic and stir for 30 seconds. Add the kale.
Grate the nutmeg on top (while slowly counting to 6), add more salt and pepper, and stir until the kale wilts (1 minute).
Set aside to assemble.
For the Pumpkin Cheese Layer
In a large bowl mix all the pumpkin cheese layer ingredients together.
Continue to stir and fold and mix until you get a beautiful holiday orange color – the smell is so deliciously good!
Set aside to assemble.
For the Lasagna
Put 1/2 of the can of chopped tomatoes on the bottom of your lasagna dish.
Lay out the frozen raviolis in a row, covering the bottom of the dish.
Pour the Pumpkin Cheese layer on top and smooth out.
Add the Kale Mushroom mixture.
Sprinkle 1 cup of mozzarella cheese and a handful of Parmesan cheese on top.
Add a second layer of ravioli, covering the cheese layer. Pour the other 1/2 can of chopped tomatos on top, spreading to cover the ravioli layer.
Cover the top with the rest of the Parmesan and mozzarella cheese.
Cover with aluminum foil (if making ahead, stop here and put in refrigerator or freezer until ready to bake).
Bake for 45 minutes. Remove the aluminum foil and drizzle a little extra virgin olive oil on top – and then bake for 10 more minutes until it turns a deep golden color and forms a bubbly crust.
Remove the lasagna from the oven and let it rest for about 20 minutes.
Plate and enjoy this awesome veggie comfort food dish!
Recipe courtesy of Jason Goldstein, Chop Happy