Creamy Pumpkin & Spinach Lasagne
This cosy lasagne might seem like the ultimate comfort food, but it’s secretly a nutritional powerhouse, thanks to its diverse mix of polyphenol-rich plants. Packed with antioxidants, iron, protein and fibre, it’s perfect for a weekend or a cook-once-eat-twice midweek meal.
- Prep time
- 27 min
- Cook time
- 1 hr 30 min
- Yield
- 6 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 1 whole Delica pumpkin
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 whole leeks
- 1 whole bay leaf
- 1 handful of thyme
- 4 tablespoons plain flour
- 1.75 pints soya milk
- 1 pack spinach
- 1 whole lemon
- 17.7 oz jar Carlin peas
- 9 sheets dried lasagne sheets
- 1 pinch of flaky sea salt & black pepper
Instructions
- 1
Preheat the oven to 200°C / 425°F. Place the pumpkin on a large baking tray, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt. Roast for 30–35 minutes until tender and golden. Set aside to cool, then peel and roughly chop into large chunks.
- 2
Warm the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for 1–2 minutes until fragrant. Stir in the leeks, bay leaf, thyme and a pinch of salt. Cook for 10 minutes until softened but not coloured.
- 3
Add the flour and cook for 2–3 minutes, stirring to prevent it sticking. Remove the pan from the heat and gradually add the milk, stirring until completely smooth – it’s best to add it bit by bit to avoid lumps. Return to the heat and simmer for 8–10 minutes, stirring often, until thickened. It should coat the back of a spoon.
- 4
Turn off the heat and stir in the lemon zest, the juice of half the lemon and the spinach, until wilted. Remove the bay leaf, then blend until smooth using a stick blender, or transfer to a high-speed blender. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- 5
Turn the oven down to 160°C fan / 350°F. In an approx. 26cm / 2.4 L baking dish, add a quarter of the béchamel sauce, followed by a layer of 3 lasagne sheets, then half of the pumpkin and half of the carlin peas. Repeat the layers – pressing the sheets down to ensure they’re fully covered by the sauce – finishing on a generous layer of béchamel.
- 6
Bake for 40–45 minutes until bubbling and golden.