My grandfather used to prepare this Mexican casserole each Thanksgiving and Christmas. Simply the aroma makes me feel like a six-year-old eager for dinner. My Grandpa, my Dad, and I have all received this recipe from him. The original recipe used ounces and pounds rather than teaspoons or tablespoons. The chorizo can be omitted if desired. It’s a fantastic recipe for vegans, although I prefer it with chorizo alternative made from soy.
| Prep Time: | 30 mins |
| Cook Time: | 1 hr 20 mins |
| Additional Time: | 15 mins |
| Total Time: | 2 hrs 5 mins |
| Servings: | 12 |
| Yield: | 1 9×13 lasagna |
Ingredients
- 1 pound uncooked lasagna noodles
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 (12 ounce) package Hillshire Farm® Rope Smoked Sausage, cut in 1/4″ cubes
- 1 ½ cups finely chopped yellow onion
- 10 cups chopped collard greens
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- 2 ½ teaspoons kosher salt, divided
- 1 teaspoon black pepper, divided
- 3 (15 ounce) cans pumpkin puree
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 (16 ounce) containers ricotta cheese
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 2 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese, divided
- 2 cups freshly shredded fontina cheese, divided
- Cooking spray
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Cook lasagna noodles in boiling salted water until just al dente, about 8 minutes. Drain well and transfer noodles to a baking pan. Toss the noodles with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil to prevent them from sticking together.
- Heat remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add sausage; cook about 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned. Add onion, reduce heat to medium, and cook 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened. Add collard greens and cook about 8 minutes, stirring frequently, until wilted and liquid has evaporated. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Season with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Remove from heat and cool slightly.
- In a medium bowl, stir together 1 teaspoon salt, remaining 1/2 teaspoon pepper, pumpkin puree, heavy cream, nutmeg, and cayenne pepper. In another bowl, stir together remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, ricotta, eggs, 1 1/2 cups Parmesan, and 1 cup fontina.
- Coat a 9×13-inch (3-quart) broiler-proof baking dish with cooking spray. Spoon 1/2 cup of the pumpkin mixture into the dish; spread in an even layer. Arrange 3 or 4 lasagna noodles over pumpkin mixture, overlapping slightly. Spread 1/2 of the remaining pumpkin mixture over the noodles in an even layer. Top with 1/2 of the sausage mixture and another layer of 3 to 4 noodles. Spread 1/2 of the ricotta mixture over noodles. Repeat layering with noodles, remaining pumpkin mixture, remaining sausage mixture, another layer of noodles, and remaining ricotta mixture.
- Cover lasagna with foil and bake until bubbly around the edges and thoroughly heated in the center, about 50 minutes. Remove from the oven and uncover. Preheat broiler. Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan and remaining 1 cup fontina on top of the lasagna and broil about 4 inches from heat source until browned, about 4 minutes. Let stand 15 minutes before serving.
- Substitute kale for the collard greens if desired.
- The unbaked lasagna can be refrigerated overnight. Let return to room temperature before baking.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 573 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 47 g |
| Cholesterol | 111 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 6 g |
| Protein | 30 g |
| Saturated Fat | 14 g |
| Sodium | 1377 mg |
| Sugars | 7 g |
| Fat | 31 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
Made a few changes. Added diced mushroom and used Italian sausage instead of the smoked. A little pinch of fennel from our garden (we love it). Used Gruyere cheese instead of the Fontina. We are at sea level so we cooked it an additional 30 minutes (with the foil off). Used red pepper flakes instead of the cayenne pepper. We were nervous at first about trying this. And now glad we did. We loved it and will definitely be making it again. The only thing we will do different next time is add more heavy cream. And maybe another can of pumpkin.
I am not sure on this one. The pumpkin was different, but I think I would find another substitute for it.