Pumpkin Lasagna

Italian-Americans often serve lasagna or another pasta dish before their Thanksgiving turkey, and it got us thinking – what would happen if we cooked pumpkin, the most iconic Thanksgiving food, in lasagna. The result is a delicious blend of traditions. Made heartier with the addition of ricotta cheese, mushrooms and greens, this vitamin-A rich pumpkin lasagna can be served as a sophisticated side dish or a substantial vegetarian entrée (perfect for the vegetarians at your holiday table, too).

• Ready In: 1 hr 35 mins
• Serves: 12-18

Ingredients

• 1  tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, divided
• 2  large onions, chopped
• 1 (4 ounce) can  sliced mushrooms, drained
• 3  garlic cloves, minced
• 1⁄4 teaspoon  dried Italian  seasoning
• 1 (15 ounce) can  mixed greens, drained
• 1 (15 ounce) can  100% pumpkin
• 1 (15 ounce) container ricotta cheese, preferably whole milk
• 3⁄4 cup  freshly grated parmesan cheese, divided
• 1⁄2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1⁄4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1⁄8 teaspoon  grated nutmeg
• 1  cup alfredo sauce
• 15  lasagna noodles, cooked according to package directions (about 3/4 pound)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Heat 2 teaspoons of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and sauté until golden brown, 5 to 10 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook until browned, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and Italian seasoning, and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the greens and heat through; set aside.
3. Mix pumpkin and ricotta cheese in a large mixing bowl. Stir in Parmesan cheese, salt, black pepper and nutmeg until well combined.
4. Grease the inside of baking dish with the remaining teaspoon of olive oil. Spread 1/2 cup Alfredo sauce over the bottom of the baking dish. Top with 3 noodles, covering the bottom of the dish. Spread 1/4 of the pumpkin mixture over the layer of noodles and scatter 1/4 of the green mixture over the pumpkin. Repeat layers of noodles, pumpkin and greens, until you have 4 layers of each. Top with the remaining 3 noodles; spread the remaining 1/2 cup Alfredo sauce over the top. Cover with a sheet of foil and bake for 45 minutes until bubbling around the edges. Remove foil; top with remaining Parmesan cheese and return to the oven for about 15 minutes, until lightly browned.
5. Rest for 15 minutes and cut in 12 to 18 squares.