Vegetarian Spinach Pumpkin Lasagna

• servings: 12 servings
• active time: 30 minutes
• total time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Ingredients

For the noodles:

10 lasagna noodles

For the ricotta mixture:

½ tablespoon olive oil

6 ounces spinach (from 1 bag spinach)

1 (15 ounce) container part skim ricotta

1 egg

½ teaspoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon salt

Freshly ground black pepper

For the pumpkin layer:

2 (15 ounce) cans pumpkin puree

½ cup milk (I like unsweetened almond milk, but any milk will work)

¼ teaspoon cinnamon

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

¼ teaspoon ginger

¼ teaspoon allspice

¾ teaspoon salt

Freshly ground black pepper

For the layers:

3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided (approximately 12 ounces)

1 cup grated parmesan cheese, divided

To garnish:

Fresh chopped parsley or small sage leaves

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a 9x13 inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.

Cook the noodles: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook the lasagna noodles for 5-6 minutes, then drain. Immediately lay the noodles flat on an oiled baking sheet or cutting board so you can easily assemble the lasagna when ready. Another option is to soak the lasagna noodles in very warm (hot) water for 20-30 minutes if you do not want to boil them. (You can also use no cook lasagna noodles, but they aren't my favorite!)

Cook the spinach: While the lasagna noodles are boiling, add ½ tablespoon olive oil to a medium pan or skillet and place over medium heat. Add spinach, season with a little salt and pepper and cook until spinach wilts down. Add to a medium bowl and allow to cool for a minute or two.

Mix the ricotta layer: In the same bowl as the cooled spinach, add ricotta, egg, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Mix to combine.

Make the pumpkin mixture: Add pumpkin, milk, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice, salt and pepper to a large bowl. Mix to combine.

Assemble the lasagna: Spread 1 heaping cup of pumpkin mixture over the bottom of the baking dish. Place 5 of the cooked lasagna noodles on top laying 4 vertically and 1 horizontally. Spread half of the spinach-ricotta cheese mixture on top of the noodles, then top with ¾ cup shredded mozzarella.

Next, add 1 heaping cup of the pumpkin mixture on top of the mozzarella and then sprinkle with ½ cup of parmesan cheese.

Repeat layers once more: adding remaining noodles, remaining spinach-ricotta mixture, ¾ cup shredded mozzarella, then top with any remaining pumpkin and ½ cup parmesan cheese. Finally, top with remaining 1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese.

Bake: Cover with foil and bake covered for 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 15-20 minutes until cheese starts to brown just a bit. Garnish with extra parmesan and either chopped sage or parsley. Cool for 15 minutes before cutting and serving. Serves 12.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 slice
• Calories: 311 kcal
• Total Fat: 12.1 g
• Saturated Fat: 5.3 g
• Total Carbohydrate: 31.3 g
• Dietary Fiber: 4.4 g
• Total Sugars: 4 g
• Protein: 19.1 g