Pumpkin Lasagna

I am in the mood for PUMPKIN! So I went on a search and although I found many yummy sounding things, this one really caught my attention. Has anyone ever made and/or eaten Pumpkin Lasagna? Me neither! But I actually think it sounds quite tasty. Now of course this is where I should say that I am going to go whip up a batch for dinner this very evening. The only problem is, I've never made lasagna before....any lasagna! In fact, it was just two weekends ago that I watched and learned how to make Eggplant Parmesan from my Mom. So I'm not sure if I have what it takes to bridge the gap between a classic Italian staple such as lasagna and the fruits of autumn, the pumpkin. It could be a disaster in the making. But I do intend to give it a try at least once in the next few weeks. Because if it turns out well....I will have a very cool theme worthy entree to serve guests at this year's Halloween festivities. If any of you have tried this...I'd love to know what you think of it. I've posted the recipe below....Bon Appetite!

Pumpkin Lasagna

Serves 12

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, divided
2 large onions, chopped
1 (4-ounce) can sliced mushrooms, drained
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
1 (15-ounce) can mixed greens or spinach, drained
1 (15-ounce) can 100 percent pure pumpkin
1 (15-ounce) container ricotta cheese, preferably whole milk
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1 cup Alfredo sauce
15 lasagna noodles (about 3/4 pound), cooked according to package directions

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Heat 2 teaspoons of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and saute until golden brown, 5 to 10 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook until browned, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and Italian seasoning, and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the greens and heat through. Set aside.

2. Mix pumpkin and ricotta cheese in a large mixing bowl. Stir in Parmesan cheese, salt, black pepper and nutmeg until well combined. Grease the inside of baking dish with the remaining teaspoon of olive oil. Spread 1/2 cup Alfredo sauce over the bottom of the baking dish. Top with 3 noodles, covering the bottom of the dish. Spread 1/4 of the pumpkin mixture over the layer of noodles and scatter 1/4 of the green mixture over the pumpkin. Repeat layers of noodles, pumpkin and greens, until you have 4 layers of each.

3. Top with the remaining 3 noodles and spread the remaining 1/2 cup Alfredo sauce over the top. Cover with a sheet of foil and bake for 45 minutes or until bubbling around the edges. Remove foil and top with remaining Parmesan cheese. Return to the oven for about 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Rest for 15 minutes and cut into 12 squares.

Nutrition Information Per Serving: Calories 270; Total fat 11g; Saturated fat 5g; Cholesterol 30mg; Sodium 440mg; Carbohydrate 30g; Fiber 4g; Protein 12g; Vitamin A 130%DV*; Vitamin C 8%DV; Calcium 20%DV; Iron 10%DV
*Daily Value