Healthy veggie-packed vegetarian Lasagna.
INGREDIENTS:
For the noodles:
10 lasagna noodles
For the ricotta mixture:
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
6 ounces spinach (from 1 bag spinach)
1 (15 ounces) container part-skim ricotta
1 egg
½ teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
For the pumpkin layer:
2 (15 ounces) cans of pumpkin puree
½ cup milk (or dairy-free milk)
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ginger
¼ teaspoon allspice
3/4 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
For the layers:
3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1 cup grated parmesan cheese, divided
To garnish:
Fresh chopped parsley or small sage leaves
INSTRUCTIONS:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a 9x13 inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.
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.
Cook the spinach: add ½ tablespoon olive oil to a medium pan over medium heat. Add spinach, season with a little salt and pepper, and cook until spinach wilts down. Allow to cool for a few minutes.
In the bowl add the spinach, ricotta, egg, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Set aside.
Next, make the pumpkin mixture: add pumpkin, milk, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice, salt, and pepper to a large bowl. Mix to combine.
To assemble the lasagna, spread 1 heaping cup of the 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 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese.
Repeat layers. Finally, top with the remaining 1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese.
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.
Sourced from www.ambitiouskitchen.com