Vegetable Lasagna with a Twist

by sascha hutt.

Toddlers are notoriously picky eaters, so if your charge is having a difficult time with the menu, you’re practically forced to be creative. Try this lasagna recipe to sneak some veggies into your toddler charge’s tummy.

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups piece pumpkin, peeled and chopped
• 2 cups spinach, trimmed and chopped
• 150g angel hair pasta
• 2 tbs vegetable oil
• 1 small onion, thinly sliced
• ¾ cup ricotta cheese
• ¾ cup cream
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 ½ cups bottled tomato pasta sauce
• ¾ cup coarsely grated tasty cheese
• ¾ cup vegetable stock

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2. Boil, steam, or microwave pumpkin until just tender; boil, steam, or microwave spinach until slightly wilted. Drain vegetables separately. Mash pumpkin in a small bowl. Spread spinach over sheets of paper towel, cover with more paper towel to absorb excess water.

3. Meanwhile, cook pasta in medium saucepan of boiling water until tender.  Drain and rinse with cold water.

4. Heat oil in medium saucepan; cook onion until softened. Add pumpkin and stock; cook, covered, stirring occasionally until liquid is absorbed.

5. Combine spinach in bowl with ricotta, cinnamon, and cream.

6. Spread pumpkin mixture over the bottom of a 2-liter shallow baking dish; cover pumpkin mixture with half the pasta. Spread pasta sauce over pasta; then cover sauce with remaining pasta. Pour spinach mixture over pasta, completely covering the pasta. Sprinkle cheese over surface of lasagna. Place on an oven tray and bake for about 30 minutes or until lasagna is heated through and the cheese is browned slightly.

7. Watch as your charge devours veggies and loves it!

Serves 6 – 8

TIP: The lasagna can be assembled in advance and refrigerated over night or frozen.

Photo courtesy of Sascha Hutt.