This lasagna is ideal for fondant cheese. The sweet delicate flavors of the cheeses and pumpkin is well balanced by the opposing lemonish-spinach and especially by the spiced, and lightly chilly, sausage.
It was a real success when I served it to my guests last night. Therefore, I hope you will enjoy it too 🙂
Ingredients
- 1 lbesciamella sauce
- 800 gpumpkin pulp
- 600 gfresh spinach leaves
- 300 gSicilian or Maltese spiced pork sausage
- 250 gSicilian provolone cheese
- 250 ggrated Pecorino cheese (or Parmesan cheese)
- 200 gfresh lasagne
- 35 gbutter
- 2 spoonsbreadcrumb
- 2 pinchestable salt
- 2 spoonsextra virgin olive oil
- 1medium onion
- 1 sprigfresh rosemary
- 1small lemon
Preparation
– wash and rinse well the spinach;
– bring to boil abundant salted water and simmer the spinach for about 5 minutes;
– drain the spinach and squeeze them well to remove all the water in excess;
– transfer them in them in a bowl and season them with the lemon juice;
– keep them aside for when you will assemble the lasagna;
– chop the onion finely and put it into a large saucepan;
– add 2 pinches of table salt, 2 full spoons of extra virgin olive oil and mix well;
– chop the pumpkin in small cubes and put them onto the onion;
– top with the rosemary and crushed garlic clove;
– put the saucepan on the stove on medium heat;
– as soon as the oil starts to saute lower the heat to minimum, cover the saucepan and let the vegetables simmer slowly;
– when the vegetables become soft (it will take around 20 minutes) remove the lid and put the heat to medium and stir well for a few seconds;
– the pumpkin will be ready when most of the water will have evaporated. You must obtain a creamy sauce, not a liquid one;
– remove the saucepan form the stove;
– remove the garlic and rosemary from the stewed pumpkin;
– transfer half of the stewed pumpkin into a food processor together with the besciamella sauce, and blend everything together till you get a nice smooth and thick orange sauce;
– chop the provolone cheese and the sausage in cubes and keep them aside;
– grease a 14 inch baking tray with butter, and sprinkle it with one spoonful of breadcrumbs;
– spread a thin layer of sauce at the bottom of the tray;
– now lay one sheet of lasagna, cut a second one into stripes to cover all the base of the tray;
– pour enough sauce to cover the lasagna sheets, and spread a handful of spinach bites, stewed pumpkin, provolone cheese, sausage and top everything with a generous sprinkle of grated cheese;
– lay another layer of lasagna, then sauce, spinach, pumpkin, cheese, sausage and grated cheese;
– carry on with this process till you finish the sauce (you should make around 4 layers);
– sprinkle the top with a spoonful of breadcrumbs and one of grated Parmesan cheese;
– cut the remaining butter into small pieces and spread it on top;
– bake at 175 degrees for about 1 hour;
– when ready, remove the lasagna from the oven and allow them to rest for about 30 minutes before serving them.
