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Creamy Pumpkin and Swiss Chard Lasagna
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Creamy Pumpkin and Swiss Chard Lasagna

How does layers of Creamy Pumpkin and Swiss Chard Lasagna as a midweek dinner sound to you? Easy and quick to put together and bake, it really cannot get better than that
Course Pasta
Cuisine Italian
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings 6 servings
Author Ashika | Gardening Foodie

Ingredients

  • lasagna sheets
  • 5 ml oil
  • 20 ml butter
  • 3 garlic cloves finely chopped
  • 1 large onion finely chopped
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • 300 g finely chopped swiss chard
  • 500 g pumpkin peeled, de seeded and cut into slices
  • BECHAMEL SAUCE
  • 3 cups milk
  • 5 tablespoons flour
  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon pepper
  • 500 ml grated cheddar cheese or mozzarella or both

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 180°C.
  • Heat the oil in a pan and fry the garlic, onion, salt and pepper until the onion becomes translucent. Add in the chopped swiss chard. Cook for 10 minutes.
  • Steam the slices of butternut for five minutes until slightly tender, but not mushy.
  • BECHAMEL SAUCE
  • Melt the butter and add the flour, stirring constantly to combine and letting the mixture cook, while stirring, for a minute or two. Gradually add in the milk, whisking constantly.
  • Add the salt and pepper.
  • Slowly whisk the white sauce, ensuring it doesn’t burn on the bottom of the pan, while cooking it over medium heat
  • Whisk while the white sauce cooks and thickens quite a bit, about 5-7 minutes.
  • Remove it from the heat and now take your onion swiss chard mixture and the cooked pumpkin and add it all to the cooked bechamel sauce. Stir gently to incorporate altogether. Just be careful not to break the butternut up too much while stirring.
  • LAYERING THE LASAGNA
  • On a lighly buttered oven proof dish, just spread on of the bechamel sauce mixture. Place a layer of lasagne sheets, add another layer of the sauce mixture.
  • Grate cheese over this layer.
  • Then place another layer of lasagna sheets over the grated cheese , and continue in this manner for about 3 layers until you end off with a layer of sheets, and then top with a thick layer of the bechamel sauce mixture and more grated cheese. Sprinkle freshly ground black pepper. Cover the lasagna with foil and bake for 20 minutes. remove the foil and bake for a further 10 minutes until the cheese is melted and golden brown.

Notes

Swiss chard can be substituted for kale or baby spinach
Butternut will make a great substitute for pumpkin.
To add a different flavour to the bechamel sauce and also help it thicken faster, try adding in  a packet of powdered sauce. I sometimes use the Knorr four cheese pasta sauce to my pasta dishes, it is really convenient.
Tried this recipe?Mention @thegardeningfoodie or tag #thegardeningfoodie!