This lasagna is quickly becoming a Halloween tradition for Molly. She made it for the first time for Bernie’s second Halloween, when all the grandparents came over and they went trick-or-treating in the different buildings on the farm. It’s hearty, filling and full of fall flavors—a satisfying cheesy treat after a night full of tricks.
| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 2 hr 10 min |
| Active: | 1 hr |
| Yield: | 8 servings |
Ingredients
- Extra-virgin olive oil, for the baking dish
- 6 slices center-cut bacon
- 2 medium yellow onions, sliced
- Kosher salt
- 2 large bunches Swiss chard (about 2 pounds), tough stems trimmed, leaves coarsely chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- One 15-ounce can pure pumpkin
- 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon chopped chipotle in adobo
- 1 1/2 pounds whole-milk ricotta cheese
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf Italian parsley
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 1 cup grated Parmesan
- 12 oven-ready/no-boil lasagna noodles (an 8-ounce box)
- 4 cups shredded whole-milk low-moisture mozzarella
- Crushed red pepper flakes, for garnish
Instructions
- Set an oven rack in the middle position. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Grease a 9-by-13-inch glass or ceramic baking dish with olive oil. Set aside.
- To cook the bacon: Arrange the bacon in an even layer in a large skillet or Dutch oven. Heat the pan over medium heat and cook the bacon for 4 to 5 minutes per side until crispy. Remove the bacon (leave the fat in the pan for the chard) to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Crumble or chop the bacon into bite-sized pieces and set aside.
- To cook the chard: Remove all but a thin layer of bacon fat from the pan and heat over medium heat. When hot, add the onions. Season with a couple pinches of salt. Cook until the onions are softened, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the chard in batches, letting each batch wilt before adding the next. Once all the chard is added, season with salt and nutmeg. Cook, tossing occasionally, until the chard is wilted and no liquid remains in the bottom of the pan, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a strainer in the sink to drain.
- For the sauce: In a large mixing bowl, combine the pumpkin, chicken broth, cream and chipotle. Season with 1 teaspoon salt and whisk until smooth. In a separate, large mixing bowl, combine the ricotta, parsley, egg and 1/2 cup of the Parmesan.
- To assemble the lasagna: Press out excess liquid from the chard with the back of a wooden spoon.
- Spread 1 cup of the pumpkin sauce in the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Lay 3 noodles side-by-side on top of the sauce. Dollop with a third of the ricotta mixture and spread evenly on top of the noodles with the back of a spoon. Top with a third of the chard mixture and then a third of the crispy bacon followed by 1 cup of the mozzarella. Top with another layer of 3 noodles, and then 1 cup of sauce. Repeat layering with another third of the ricotta, a third of the chard, a third of bacon, 1 cup of mozzarella and another layer of noodles. Make a final layer of sauce, ricotta, chard, 1 cup mozzarella and noodles. Spread the remaining sauce over top. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 cup mozzarella and the remaining 1/2 cup grated Parmesan.
- Cover the baking dish with foil, tenting it slightly so it doesn’t stick to the cheese, and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake until the edges are bubbly and the top is browned and crusty, 15 to 20 minutes more. Season with crushed red pepper flakes and allow to rest for at least 20 minutes before cutting into squares to serve.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 8 servings |
| Calories | 783 |
| Total Fat | 53 g |
| Saturated Fat | 27 g |
| Carbohydrates | 38 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 5 g |
| Sugar | 7 g |
| Protein | 40 g |
| Cholesterol | 168 mg |
| Sodium | 1109 mg |
Reviews
I have made this many times- I have substituted spinach for chard, added cremini mushrooms, switched bacon out for Italian sausage and every time it comes out amazing! My friends beg me to make this all winter long! Thank you Molly for a fabulous recipe!
I used veggie sausage and vegetable broth to keep it vegetarian, it is rich but has great flavor! I will be making this again!
We don’t have a full-sized oven, so I made two 8 x 8 versions.
I used our home-grown little pumpkins, steamed whole in the Instant pot. My roommate can’t eat chipotle, so I used Trader Joe’s “Everything But the Leftovers” seasoning because all of my homegrown herbs died in the heatwave.
For the first lasagne, I ended up using all of the bacon AND all of the chard, with half the onions. (Note that instructions say use 1/3 of bacon, but it’s only used on 2 layers. On TV, Molly says use a third, but she uses 3 slices, which is HALF of the recipe and she only uses it for two layers.)
Because the 8×8 pans are larger than 1/2 the large pan, I had to use extra pumpkin sauce to cover the noodles. Only used 3 layers of noodles to fit pan.
To make the second batch a few days later, I made more pumpkin sauce to make up for previous “Rob Peter to pay Paul” and 2 large bunches of chard.
There was PLENTY of cheese and I usually add extra cheese to EVERYTHING, my favorite part.
It is extra good cold the next day or heated to get that cheese crisp and melty again.
This was so delicious! The smokiness from the chipotle in adobo really makes this. The chard at my grocery store didn’t look great so I used kale. Worked wonderfully as a substitute. I will definitely make this again.
This was delicious. I used Italian sausage instead of bacon, and I added a tablespoon of fresh sage to the ricotta mixture to embrace fall flavors. I would make ie again.
It was excellent! I made a few substitutions that I liked a lot. I used turkey pepperoni, very tasty, less greasy. And I used frozen chopped spinach. I didn’t have chipotle adobo, but I did have some Herdez chipotle salsa cremosa. Worked great, and I was able to make it gluten free with Barilla gluten free lasagna noodles. Happy I found this recipe.
I made this recipe last night for dinner with friends. Following the directions was easy and it’s no more time-consuming than any other lasagna. Wish I’d taken a picture of it when I took it out of the oven. It looked beautiful and I know it was appealing to my guests. All of them said they enjoyed it and two even had seconds. So first, if I made this again I would use spinach or kale instead of the chard. I’d also use turkey bacon instead of regular bacon. Not a pork fan; it makes such a disgusting mess when cooking it, but I wanted to stay true to the recipe the first time. I’ll have leftovers for lunch but overall, not sure this is for me. There was a lot of ricotta in the sauce. Mixed with the pumpkin and egg made it overly rich. I also found myself missing the tomatoes. Not trying to criticize the recipe; the feedback is just based on my personal preferences. This lasagna is definitely a reminder of fall though.
I made this recipe exactly as posted and it was delicious. The only thing I would change for a time saver, is I would use a couple of large packages of fresh, cleaned spinach – the chard tasted just like spinach. And maybe cut back a little on the chipotle if cooking for someone who doesn’t appreciate the spiciness. Other than that, I wouldn’t change anything.
Just made this and it’s outstanding, I substituted smoked paprika for the chipotle sauce, about a tablespoon to taste.
I needed more sauce because it is great i made 2 pans in loaf pans so i can share so good.we don’t do spicy but used smoked paprika to give it the smoky ness chipotle gives i could use this sauce by it self We wiii be having this again and sharing the other pan with a lucky family