Thanksgiving Pumpkin Lasagna
Across Italy, lasagna is a party food. We enjoy for Christmas, Carnival and why not also Thanksgiving! The most famous version overseas is Lasagna Bolognese, which hails from Bologna in the Region of Emilia Romagna. While this version is delicious, there are many other types of lasagna that feature seasonal produce. The warm flavors of the pumpkin, nutmeg and sage in this lasagna make for the perfect Thanksgiving pasta dish.
One important thing to note about any lasagna is the sauce to pasta ratio. If you do not properly bind the pasta layers (usually with béchamel as in this recipe), the lasagna dries out and turns into a giant cracker. Make sure your lasagna is really covered in sauce. Also, I avoid using no-boil lasagna sheets. They tend to turn into hard matzo like crackers and lack finesse. Finally, I do not suggest the curly ridged lasagna. It seems circus like and that is just not right! Lasagna is an elegantly festive dish, especially popular throughout the holiday season. I suggest using fresh pasta sheets or buying the flat unridged dry sheetsto make lasagna.
With pumpkin lasagna it is important that you use the right pumpkin. A Halloween sugar pumpkin is too sweet. Save that for your pumpkin pie. What you need is a Japanese kabocha pumpkin or butternut squash. You can enjoy this as a main course on a weeknight. For thanksgiving I suggest serving as a first course or side dish.
Ingredients
For the pumpkin puree
3 lbs. kabocha pumpkin or butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into large chunks
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt
2 teaspoons freshly grated nutmeg
1 tablespoon finely chopped sage
For the béchamel
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour
2 1/2 cups milk, heated
Salt
Freshly ground pepper
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
For the Lasagna
1 lb. fresh or dried pasta sheets
4 cups pumpkin puree
2 cups béchamel
1 cup grated Reggiano Parmesan cheese
Instructions
To make the pumpkin puree
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
Toss pumpkin chunks with olive oil and salt and spread across two baking sheets
Roast pumpkin for 45 minutes or until fork tender
To make the béchamel
While pumpkin is roasting begin béchamel
Melt butter in a heavy bottom sauce pan
While butter is melting gently heat milk in a separate heavy bottom sauce pan
Stir the flour into butter and cook, stirring constantly, forming a paste—do not brown!
Gradually add the milk to butter paste and stir constantly as sauce thickens
Add nutmeg, salt and pepper to béchamel sauce
To make the lasagna
While squash is in final 20 minutes of roasting, bring a generously salted pot of water to boil
Add lasagna sheets and a drizzle of olive oil (this will prevent the sheets from sticking together)
Stir the water with a wooden fork to separate the sheets
Cook pasta until just under al dente (one minute less than package instructions). Fresh pasta is finished cooking when it rises to top of water and usually take three to four minutes. Dried pasta takes about eight to nine minutes
Drain pasta over colander and rinse with cold water to prevent from sticking together
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
Spread a layer of béchamel over the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch baking dish and top with lasagna layer
Spread a cup of pumpkin puree over lasagna, top with béchamel and cheese
Continue creating layers of pasta, pumpkin, béchamel and cheese until you reach the top of your baking dish
Sprinkle assembled lasagna with a final layer of cheese
Bake for forty five at 350 degrees
Raise the oven temperature to 400 degrees and bake an additional 15 minutes until lasagna has a crispy golden top
Remove lasagna from oven and let sit for 30 minutes before cutting. Just as meat needs to rest, lasagna needs time to absorb flavors and retain its shape before cutting. If you immediately cut and serve it will turn into an unappealing blob
After lasagna has rested cut into rectangles, garnish with sage a grated cheese and serve.
*WINE: This lasagna pairs well with a nice Catalanesca volcanic wine. We suggest La Cantina del Vulcano Catalanesca.
