Pumpkin Lasagna

Pumpkin Lasagna (adapted from Epicurious, Servings: 8; Total Time: 90 minutes)

Ingredients

·         2 ½ Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

·         1 small onion, finely chopped

·         ½ tsp. red pepper flakes

·         1 pound Morning Star Farms Burger Crumbles

·         1 (29-ounce) can tomato sauce

·         3 tsp. dried oregano

·         2 tsp. salt

·         1 small crook-neck pumpkin

·         1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese

·         ¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper

·         ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (2 ounces)

Directions

1.       Preheat the oven to 375°F.

2.       In a large straight-sided skillet set over medium heat, heat 2 Tbsp. of the oil. Add the onion and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is tender, about 8 minutes. Add the burger crumbles and cook, breaking up any large pieces with the back of a spoon, until warm throughout, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the tomato sauce and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until it thickens, about 20 minutes. Stir in the oregano and salt. Let cool.

3.       Slice the pumpkin lengthwise into thin strips (about 1/8 inch thick). Put 5 or 6 slices, overlapping slightly, in the bottom of an 11 x 13-inch baking dish. Top with 1 cup of the sauce. Dot with ¼ cup of the ricotta. Repeat the layers twice, alternating the direction of the pumpkin. Top with the remaining pumpkin and brush the top with the remaining ¼ teaspoon oil. Dot with the remaining ¼ cup ricotta and season with the black pepper. Top with the Parmesan cheese.

4.       Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until the lasagna is bubbling and the top is brown. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

I made a lot of changes to the recipe to make it vegetarian and based on what I had in our kitchen.  My mom had given me this huge crook-necked squash (pumpkin), so I decided to use that instead of zucchini in this recipe.  It’s really difficult to cut into thin slices through a mandolin, so be careful if you use it!  Other than that, the dish was pretty easy to put together and the result was tasted.  I was worried that it might be a little too pumpkin-y, but it wasn’t!  It was delicious.  The oregano is really up and front in this dish ( I used dried instead of fresh) and each mouthful is very creamy and cheesy.  The pumpkin falls apart when you cut into it – perfectly tender.  I really enjoyed it!

Ricotta, Spinach, Tomato, & Mushroom Pizza

Ricotta, Spinach, & Mushroom Pizza (6 servings, total time approx. 45 minutes)

(adapted from Kraft Recipes and AllRecipes)

Yummy deliciousness!  Thick pizza crust (just the way I like it) and tasty toppings.  Cannot wait to make it again and again (while trying different toppings, too).

Ingredients

• Crust:

• 1 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

• Toppings:

o       1-1/2 cups shredded Part Skim Mozzarella Cheese, divided

o       ¾ cup Part Skim Ricotta Cheese

o       ¼ cup grated Parmesan Cheese

o       1 tsp. dried basil leaves, crushed

o       ½ tsp. dried oregano leaves, crushed

o       ¼ tsp. garlic salt

o       ¼ tsp. ground black pepper

o       1 cup fresh spinach leaves, torn and patted dry

o       ½ cup fresh mushrooms, chopped and patted dry

o       1-2 roma tomatoes, sliced and patted dry

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Stir water, sugar and yeast together until dissolved. Add the olive oil and the salt. Stir in the flour until well blended. Let dough rest for 10 minutes.
3. Pat dough onto a pizza stone.
4. Mix 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese, the ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese and seasonings; spread evenly onto pizza crust.
5. Top with spinach, mushrooms, tomatoes, and remaining ½ cup mozzarella cheese.
6. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until cheese is melted and edge of crust are slightly browned.

The center of my crust took a little long to bake, so I added “patted dry” to the vegetable ingredients. I also added some vegetarian pepperoni to the top of my pizza because I had some leftover.  If you’re looking to increase protein, you can add the pepperoni, burger crumbles, or crumbled sausage-less sausage (either Trader Joe’s or Morningstar Farms would be my preference).

I like that this is a cheesy pizza, but it also very filling.  The thick crust (which is very thick even though I rolled it out to almost the edge of the pizza stone) and vegetables on top help the filling of fullness – I only needed one slice!  The ricotta/mozzarella mixture is quite tasty and works well with the veggies that I used.  A healthy pizza which is also tasty = a winner in my book!