Kiddipedia
Thanks to Australian Eggs
Prep time: 50 min (plus resting time)
Cook time: 1.5 hours
Serves: 6
Ingredients:
Pasta Dough
- 3 cups (450g) ‘00’ flour, plus extra for dusting
- 1 tsp salt
- 4 eggs (60g each)
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 3kg Kent pumpkin, seeds removed and peeled
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh sage
- 2 tsp garlic salt
- 2 x 250g packets (500g) frozen spinach, thawed
- 3 cloves garlic, crushed
- 375g smooth ricotta
- 200g feta, crumbled
- 50g butter, diced
- ⅓ cup (50g) plain flour
- 3 cups (750ml) milk
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cup (180g) grated cheddar cheese
Method:
Pasta Dough
- Spoon flour and salt onto a clean work surface in a circular mound. Make a deep well in the centre.
- Crack eggs, egg yolk into the flour and drizzle in oil. With a fork, whisk eggs dragging the flour from the sides. Continue in until all the flour has been incorporated and dough forms a sticky shaggy dough.
- Using floured hands, knead the dough together, bringing any flour from the bench to form a firm but sticky dough.
- Sprinkle a little more flour on the bench and knead the pasta by pushing down and forward. Continue for 5-10 minutes or until the dough is silky smooth, elastic and springs back when pressed with a finger. Flatten the dough into a disk and wrap with plastic wrap. Rest for 30-60 minutes at room temperature.
- Once the dough has finished resting, cut into 4 portions and cover with a tea towel to keep moist. Take out one portion and cut this into two.
- Dust kitchen bench with flour. Using a rolling pin, roll out dough into approx. 45cm long strips. With each roll, lift the dough up, re-dust, and flip it over. Pasta should be strong enough to be lifted off the countertop but thin enough for you to see the outline of your hand through it.
- Trim ends and cut rolled pasta sheets into sections to fit the size of your lasagne dish. Place onto a floured tray. Repeat with remaining pasta dough portions. Allow lasagne sheets to dry for around 15 minutes before using.
Filling
- Preheat oven 200°C/180°C (fan-forced) and line a large baking tray with baking paper.
- Cut pumpkin into 1-1 ½ cm thick wedges and place onto prepared trays. Combine oil, sage and garlic salt. Brush over the pumpkin. Bake 20 minutes or until golden and cooked through. Set aside.
- For your spinach ricotta filling, squeeze excess liquid from spinach and mix with garlic, ricotta and feta then set aside.
- For your bechamel sauce, melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Slowly add the flour, stirring until combined.
- Add milk and whisk constantly until the sauce is well combined. Cook and continue to whisk for another 5 minutes until the sauce is thick and glossy. Stir through ½ cup of the cheese and season to taste.
- Spoon a 1 cup of the béchamel over the base of a large (3 litre capacity) lasagne dish. Place a layer of lasagne sheets over the top of the béchamel.
- Divide spinach mixture into two and spoon in one portion, spreading evenly. Cover with a second layer of lasagne sheets.
- Arrange half the roasted pumpkin over the top and cover this with another layer of lasagne sheets. Repeat the spinach and pumpkin layers again.
Finish with a layer of lasagne sheets. Spoon over béchamel and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake 50-55 minutes or until pasta is tender and top is golden. Stand 10 minutes before
