Pumpkin & Lentil Lasagne

This little gem is yet another recipe, adapted from a Coles Magazine recipe. When we are sitting around writing a shopping list, struggling to brainstorm seven dinners to have that week, this lasagne steps up to the plate. It freezes well. It will cover three of our weekly meals. It makes Chris happy because, when paired with homemade garlic bread, it's carbs on carbs...his favourite. Let me clarify...

Carbs on carbs was discovered as we were travelled on our trusty motorbike, Big Red, through India. Each meal had us exclaiming with genuine joy that "this is the best thing we have ever eaten!" That bar would stand until lunch when the whole process started again and whatever we were shovelling into our mouths (with our hands of course) would claim the "best thing we have ever eaten" title. This went on for two months. Whilst trying to analyse the deliciousness we discovered carbs on carbs. Not only was Indian food blessed with a myriad of spices that nowhere else in the world seems to be able to replicate, it is also blessed with a whole lot of carbohydrates. Each time we entered a roadside restaurant we would order some form of rice (probably a vegetable biriyani), a curry or two (generally paneer or vegetable base and quite often aloo-potato based). In fact, aloo was one of those words we very quickly learnt to recognise on a menu. Add to that a side of naan or roti and we were eating carbs on carbs on carbs and bloody loving it. Hence, our love affair with carbs on carbs began and Chris' love for all things pasta served with bread has me thinking that Italy can't be too far down his bucket list. After all, I've told him my anecdote about eating potato pizza in Rome. Or should I say aloo pizza?

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil

1 brown onion, finely chopped

1 tbsp crushed garlic

900g pumpkin, peeled and cut into 1.5cm cubes

2 x 400g cans brown lentils, drained and rinsed

1/2 cup vegetable stock

690g tomato passata

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp oregano

Lasagne sheets

150g baby spinach

1 1/2 cups tasty cheese, grated

80g butter

4 tbsp plain flour

4 cups milk

1 tsp nutmeg

Method

Heat oil in a large saucepan. Add onion and cook until soft and lightly golden. Add garlic and cook for a further minute. Add spices and cook for 1 minute or until fragrant. Add pumpkin, lentils and stock. Reserve 1 cup of pasta and add the remaining passata to the pumpkin mixture. Stir and add additional water, if required, to cover the pumpkin. Cover and bring to the boil. Reduce heat slightly and cook covered for 20 minutes or until the pumpkin is tender and the mixture is thick. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.

To make béchamel sauce, place the butter in a saucepan over medium heat and allow to melt. Add flour and whisk to a smooth paste. Slowly add milk and continue to whisk over heat until sauce is smooth. Add nutmeg and season with salt and pepper.

Preheat oven to 180°C. Line the base of a large rectangular baking dish with a layer of lasagne sheets. Cover with half of the pumpkin mixture then top with another layer of lasagne sheets. Spread half of the béchamel sauce over the lasagne sheets with the back of a wet spoon. Cover with spinach, another layer of lasagne sheets and remaining béchamel sauce. Spread over the remaining pumpkin mixture and a final layer of lasagne sheets. Cover with reserved passata then top with cheese. Bake until golden brown and cooked through.

Serves 6.

Notes:

If using dry lasagne sheets, ideally leave the lasagne to sit in the fridge overnight before baking.
If you're not a fan of the traditional white sauce, mix 500g ricotta with 1 tsp nutmeg and use in place of the white sauce.

For easy reference, the layers from the bottom of the pan to the top are as follows: