I am a sucker for pumpkin pie, pumpkin kaddo bowrani, pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, pumpkin pancakes (my new favorite)…you get the hint. So when it is in season, look out for that crazy girl hoarding all the pumpkins at the farmers market. I’m always looking for more ways to prepare savory pumpkin dishes, so when I came across this pumpkin lasagne recipe, I had to give it a try. The only thing was that I wanted to cut way back on the heaviness of it. So instead of using heavy cream, I substituted for half and half, then I tried again and substituted with whole milk. I didn’t recognize a major difference in richness. Also, i cut way back on the Parmesan cheese, but added more aromatic spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. I also utilized the swiss chard stems in the dish. I get so annoyed when these vibrant, Chihuly-colored stems are forgotten about, and discarded. Look for some thin-stalked swiss chard from the farmers market.

A bonus is that this pumpkin and swiss chard lasagna is a relatively quick-fix meal, especially if you make the pumpkin puree ahead of time or use canned pumpkin. This is an unexpectedly hearty and delicious meal to serve on a cold winter night.

From my family to yours, wishing you all a happy and prosperous 2014!

Farmers Market Pumpkin & Swiss Chard Lasagna

Adapted from: Food & Wine magazine

Prep Time : 30 minutes
Cook Time : 35 minutes
Yield : 6

Ingredients

Olive oil – 2 Tablespoons
yellow onions – 2, chopped
swiss chard – 2 pounds, stems chopped small, leaves chopped
salt – 2 1/4 teaspoon
pepper – 1 teaspoon
ground sage – 1 teaspoon
nutmeg – 1/2 teaspoon, nutmeg
cinnamon – 1 teaspoon
ground cloves – 1/2 teaspoon
pumpkin puree – 3 cups (28 oz can or fresh)
whole milk – 1 3/4 cups
Parmesan cheese – 3/4 cup, grated
lasagna noodles – 9 no-boil lasagna noodles (i like Barilla)
butter – 1 Tablespoon

Instructions

Drizzle olive oil in a large skillet on medium heat. Add onions and swiss chard stems while stirring occassionally for approximately 5 minutes.
Add swiss chard leaves, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, 1/2 teaspoon sage, and 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg. Cook until the chard is wilted, and no liquid remains in the pan; approximately 5 to 10 minutes.
Heat the oven to 400 degrees F. In a medium bowl, mix 2 cups pumpkin puree, 3/4 cup of whole milk, 1/2 cup parmesan, and remaining 1 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, 1/2 teaspoon sage, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, and 1/2 teaspoon cloves.
Pour 1/4 cup of milk into the 9×11 baking pan. Place 1/3 of noodles on the bottom of the pan on top of the milk. Spread half the pumpkin mixture on top of the noodles, layer half the swiss chard mixture on top, then top with noodles. Repeat with pumpkin layer, swiss chard layer, and another noodle layer.
Combine remaining pumpkin puree with 3/4 milk, and spread evenly on top of lasagna noodles. Top with 1/4 cup of Parmesan, and dot with the butter.
Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake until golden for another 15 minutes.