I created this recipe when I was trying to come up with a vegetarian entree for a recent Thanksgiving potluck. It’s a twist on traditional lasagna that features seasonal vegetable and bit of pumpkin. It was a hit at the potluck, and my six-year-old gobbled it up as well. This recipe can be easily adapted to suit your family’s dietary needs. If your family is gluten-free, thin slices of eggplant baked in the oven until tender can be a nice substitute for noodles. If you are avoiding dairy, you could crumble tofu in place of the cottage cheese and use tomato sauce or vegan pesto sauce instead of the Alfredo sauce I used. Vegan cheese could be subbed in for the mozzarella and parmesan. Enjoy!
Ingredients
Noodles
- 12 oz box of oven ready lasagna noodles (the kind that don’t have to be cooked in advance)
Filling
- 1-16 oz container cottage cheese
- 1-15 oz can pumpkin
- 2 eggs
- ¼ cup parsley finely chopped
- 1-24 oz jar Alfredo sauce (hold back a few tablespoons for the top of the lasagna)
- 1 T olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic
- ½ onion, peeled and finely chopped
- 2 cups raw chard (chopped) and kale (removed from stalk and chopped)
- ½ cup mixed vegetables (I used leftover cauliflower and broccoli)
- ½ delicata squash, peeled and cubed
Cheese
- 1 cup mozzarella chees
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Directions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- In a large bowl, combine cottage cheese, pumpkin, eggs, parsley, and the Alfredo sauce.
- Saute the onion and garlic in olive oil until translucent, then add the chard, kale, squash, and mixed vegetables. Continue to saute until the greens have wilted and the squash is soft but not squishy.
- Combine the vegetable mixture with the rest of the filling and allow it to cool for a few minutes.
- On the bottom of a 9” by 13” pan, spread one third of the mixture then layer four noodles on top. Add another third of the filling mixture on top of the noodles and add 1/3 cup of the mozzarella cheese. Top with noodles. Layer one more time with the last bit of filling and 1/3 cup mozzarella. Top with noodles.
Add the Alfredo sauce to the top of the lasagna and add the rest of the mozzarella cheese and the Parmesan cheese. - Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake for 50-55 minutes until the lasagna noodles are tender and the cheese is completely melted and starting to b
rown. - Let the lasagna cool for 10 minutes before serving.
- Refrigerate any leftovers.
Featured image photo credit: Flickr
