Pumpkin Lasagna With Sausage Recipes

SMOKED SAUSAGE, PUMPKIN, AND COLLARD GREENS LASAGNA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Cook lasagna noodles in boiling salted water until just al dente, about 8 minutes. Drain well and transfer noodles to a baking pan. Toss the noodles with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil to prevent them from sticking together.
• Heat remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add sausage; cook about 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned. Add onion, reduce heat to medium, and cook 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened. Add collard greens and cook about 8 minutes, stirring frequently, until wilted and liquid has evaporated. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Season with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Remove from heat and cool slightly.
• In a medium bowl, stir together 1 teaspoon salt, remaining 1/2 teaspoon pepper, pumpkin puree, heavy cream, nutmeg, and cayenne pepper. In another bowl, stir together remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, ricotta, eggs, 1 1/2 cups Parmesan, and 1 cup fontina.
• Coat a 9x13-inch (3-quart) broiler-proof baking dish with cooking spray. Spoon 1/2 cup of the pumpkin mixture into the dish; spread in an even layer. Arrange 3 or 4 lasagna noodles over pumpkin mixture, overlapping slightly. Spread 1/2 of the remaining pumpkin mixture over the noodles in an even layer. Top with 1/2 of the sausage mixture and another layer of 3 to 4 noodles. Spread 1/2 of the ricotta mixture over noodles. Repeat layering with noodles, remaining pumpkin mixture, remaining sausage mixture, another layer of noodles, and remaining ricotta mixture.
• Cover lasagna with foil and bake until bubbly around the edges and thoroughly heated in the center, about 50 minutes. Remove from the oven and uncover. Preheat broiler. Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan and remaining 1 cup fontina on top of the lasagna and broil about 4 inches from heat source until browned, about 4 minutes. Let stand 15 minutes before serving.

PUMPKIN LASAGNA WITH SAUSAGE

Steps:

• 1. In a skillet, cook the bulk italian sausage, diced onions and sage together on medium-high heat. The onions should be very tender and the sausage should develop some browning. Set aside to be added to the sauce later.
• 2. In a large 5-quart pot on medium high heat, add pumpkin, sweet potato and chicken stock and stir well to blend ingredients thoroughly. Continue to add cream cheese, syrup/sugar, balsamic vinegar and spices and stir well. Taste sauce for seasoning and add salt/pepper if desired. Stir frequently until mixture starts to simmer and remove from heat. Add meat mixture to the sauce and stir together.
• 3. Prepare lasagna noodles according to package directions. (I do this stove-top step last and I place the noodles in cold water so they don't stick together during the assembly of the lasagna.)
• 4. Preheat oven to 350F. Oil a lasagna pan (a 13 x 9 x 2 inch pan is not quite large enough - but if you don't mind leftover noodles and sauce, it'll do just fine.)
• 5. Drop a layer of the pumpkin-sausage sauce in the bottom of the lasagna pan. Cover with a single layer of noodles. Ladle another layer of sauce over the noodles. Sprinkle on a quarter-cup of parmigian, a quarter-cup of romano and about a half cup of cheddar-jack cheeses over the sauce.
• 6. Continue layering noodles, sauce and cheese until the pan is full or you run out of ingredients. Place the lasagna pan on a baking sheet (to catch any spills or bubble-overs) and cook on the center rack of the oven for 30-40 minutes. Cheeses should be fully melted, edges should be bubbling. Remove lasagna from oven and let set for 5-10 minutes before serving.

PUMPKIN LASAGNA

Steps:

• In a small skillet, saute the mushrooms, onion and 1/4 teaspoon salt in oil until tender; set aside. In a small bowl, combine the pumpkin, cream, sage, pepper and remaining salt., Spread 1/2 cup pumpkin sauce in an 11x7-in. baking dish coated with cooking spray. Top with 3 noodles (noodles will overlap slightly). Spread 1/2 cup pumpkin sauce to edges of noodles. Top with half of mushroom mixture, 1/2 cup ricotta, 1/2 cup mozzarella and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Repeat layers. Top with remaining noodles and sauce., Cover and bake at 375° for 45 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese. Bake 10-15 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting. Freeze option: Cover and freeze unbaked lasagna. To use, partially thaw in refrigerator overnight. Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Preheat oven to 375°. Bake as directed, increasing time as necessary to heat through and for a thermometer inserted in center to read 165°.

PUMPKIN SAUSAGE LASAGNA

Steps:

• preheat oven to 375°F.
• heat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat with 2 tablespoons EVOO, about two turns of the pan. Add the sausage and cook until golden brown, breaking the meat up as it cooks with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula. Push the meat to one side of the pan and add the eggplant, onion and garlic. Cook 7-8 minutes, until tender, then season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
• While the veggies are cooking, place a medium-size sauté pan over medium-high heat and melt the butter. Whisk in the flour and cook the mixture for about 1 minute. Whisk the milk into roux, breaking up any clumps. Bring the mixture to a bubble and add the pumpkin puree and nutmeg. Season the sauce with salt and freshly ground black pepper, reduce the heat and simmer the sauce for 2-3 minutes, until slightly thickened.
• Spread about 1 cup of the sauce into the bottom of a 13 x 9" casserole dish. Layer three lasagna noodles over the sauce, then top them with about 1 cup of the meat mixture, a cup or so of the sauce and a palmful of cheese. Repeat these layers two times, topping the casserole with a layer of lasagna noodles. Spoon the remaining sauce over the noodles, sprinkle the remaining grated cheese over top. Cover with aluminum foil and bake the lasagna until the sauce is bubbling and pasta is baked through, about 45 minutes.
• During the last ten minutes of baking, remove the aluminum foil to brown the cheese. Once out of the oven, allow the dish to rest a few minutes before serving.