I swear I’ve been cooking and eating a lot lately. (Really, eating too much lately!) But you wouldn’t know it by the sparse posts on my blog! I have been busy: dessert bar for a wedding with 200 guests, attending a black tie event for Michael’s work, putting together catering proposals, entertaining the thought of private chef opportunities, dinner club with a Greek theme….plus my “real” job and culinary school. Even with all that, a girl’s gotta eat (and cook!). I had time this past Friday to whip up some delicious pumpkin lasagna.

Read more plus get the recipe after the jump.

Pumpkin Lasagna night went something like this: Michael comes home to me in the kitchen, frying up some onions. The usual question ensued, “That smells good, what are we having for dinner?” I reply enthusiastically, “Pumpkin Lasagna!” His response….which I knew was coming, “Does it have any meat in it?” I was ready for this one. I say, “No, but we’ll be just fine without meat for one dinner.” And we were. He had a couple servings and was completely satisfied. Nothing like lots of noodles and heavy cream to fill up a growing boy…er….man.
If you have that October/November itch for all things pumpkin, you’ll like it too. The original recipe called for Swiss chard, but I substituted collard greens (same thing anyway, right?). I think baby spinach might be a nice change in this as well. Mushrooms would be a welcome addition too….or maybe some feta or ricotta cheese? I added some funky spices too (cardamom, cinnamon…and some other stuff I can’t remember now). Play it up and enjoy!

Pumpkin Lasagna

Adapted from Food & Wine magazine
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 onions, chopped
2 pounds collard greens, tough stems removed, leaves washed well and chopped
2 1/4 teaspoon(s) salt
1 teaspoon(s) fresh-ground black pepper
1 teaspoon(s) dried sage (I backed off on this a bit because I’m no fan of sage)
1/2 teaspoon(s) grated nutmeg
3 cup(s) canned pumpkin puree (one 28-ounce can)
1 1/2 cup(s) heavy cream
1 1/2 cup(s) grated Parmesan
1/2 cup(s) milk
9 no-boil lasagna noodles (about 6 ounces) (I used the type you boil first…the no-boil ones give me the heebie jeebies.)
1 tablespoon(s) butter

1) In a large nonstick frying pan, heat the oil over moderately low heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 5 minutes. Increase the heat to moderately high and add the greens, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, 1/2 teaspoon sage, and 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg. Cook, stirring, until the greens are wilted and no liquid remains in the pan, 5 to 10 minutes.
2) Heat the oven to 400°F. In a medium bowl, mix together 2 cups of the pumpkin, 3/4 cup cream, 1/2 cup Parmesan, and the remaining 1 1/4 teaspoons salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, 1/2 teaspoon sage, and 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg.
3) Pour the milk into an 8-by-12-inch baking dish. Top the milk with one third of the noodles, then spread half the pumpkin mixture over the noodles. Layer half the greens over the pumpkin and top with a second layer of noodles. Repeat with another layer of pumpkin, greens, and noodles. Combine the remaining 1 cup of pumpkin and 3/4 cup of cream. Spread the mixture evenly over the top of the lasagna, sprinkle with the remaining 1 cup of Parmesan, and dot with the butter. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake until golden, about 15 minutes more.