#SamLikesItHot: Pumpkin and sausage lasagna

MANILA, Philippines – Hello, dear reader. How are you? Me? My brain was having a heart attack upon realizing that it’s October but it’s recovering nicely, thank you.

Most of you are probably well under way with the Christmas spirit and carols and all that jazz, but I tend to resist these things until the last minute. While I know that you might already be getting started on edible Christmas gifts, I’ve decided to push that back to next month and devote this one to pumpkin instead.

Because, you know, there’s Halloween before Christmas.

I am very good friends with pumpkin because of my mom. She used to suffer from a kidney condition and my acupuncturist uncle advised that, on top of the acupuncture treatments, she should eat a lot of pumpkin. Our kitchen’s been well stocked with the stuff since [from a quarter of a pumpkin in the fridge to a whole one just hanging out on the kitchen floor] and the combination seems to have worked — she’s well now and only eats pumpkin for maintenance.

My relationship with pumpkin blossomed when my mom asked me to make something delicious with it. It could have been anything at this point — she always had her pumpkin boiled and drank the liquid it was boiled in [boring and kind of gross, really] — so I took up the challenge and started making her pumpkin soup and bread and muffins, much to her delight.

Today’s dish is one I’ve made for her as well. Pumpkin and sausage in lasagna may seem strange, but the sweetness of pumpkin and the spicy smokiness of sausage make a fantastic pairing between cheesy sheets of pasta.

This recipe makes about 6 generous servings and I used:

• 1 kg pumpkin
• Olive oil as needed
• Chili powder to taste
• 4 links Italian sausage (to make about 4 cups, chopped)
• About 4 T chopped fresh basil + more for garnish
• About ¾ cup water
• About 2 cups kesong puti, crumbled
• About 1 cup, shredded mozzarella
• About ½ cup grated parmesan
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• About 5 sheets lasagna, half cooked and tossed in olive oil

1. Preheat the oven to 190 C/375 F. Chop the pumpkin into big chunks and transfer to a baking tray. Drizzle with olive oil and season with chili powder, salt and freshly ground black pepper. Give everything a good toss, cover with aluminum foil and bake in the oven for 40 minutes or until fork tender.

2. While waiting for the pumpkin to cook, take your Italian sausages and remove them from the casing. You can do this by gently running your knife through the length of the sausage and peeling the rest of the way. Once done, chop and set aside. Get a pan going on medium-high heat and add some olive oil. When the pan is ready, add chopped sausages to brown. Set aside.

3. I uncovered my pumpkin when there were about 10 minutes left to get some browning on them as well. When done, leave the oven going at 190 C/375 F.

4. Transfer the roasted pumpkin to a large bowl and mash to a puree. You can also do this in a food processor. This will likely result in a thick paste-like mixture.

5. To thin out the pumpkin puree, stir in water and olive oil [optional] until you reach your desired consistency. I opted to go a little thick but you can go thinner than this as long as it’s not too runny. Add chopped fresh basil and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Because this pumpkin mixture will be layered with sheets of pasta, it should be well seasoned. You can also add more chili powder if you want a kick.

6. Let the layering begin! Start by greasing your baking dish with olive oil and layer with lasagna, sauce, sausage, cheeses and repeat.

I ended with sauce and cheese and attempted to decorate with some whole basil leaves.

This goes in the oven, covered with aluminum foil, to bake for 35 minutes. Try to make some room on top so that the foil doesn’t stick to the cheese. When there’s about 10 minutes left to bake, remove the foil so the cheese can brown and look like this:

Let this cool for about 15 minutes then dig in!

Is it weird to see a slice of lasagna that isn’t screaming bloody tomato? Perhaps. But I think you’ll warm up to it once you’ve tasted it.

I think this would also make a delicious and healthy treat for kids. Feel free to sneak in more vegetables in there. Maybe make it half-pumpkin-half-carrot sauce? Add some wilted spinach? It will be our little secret.

I’m feeling pretty pumped about our little pumpkin fest! So pumped in fact, that I plan to take on a whole one next week. Excited! – Rappler.com

Check out our other recipes:

• #SamLikesItHot: Choco-hazelnut cupcakes with Horlicks mud
• #SamLikesItHot: Seafood laksa
• #SamLikesItHot: Adobo flakes
• #SamLikesItHot: Pizza pot pie
• #SamLikesItHot: Warming chili

Sam Oh is a professional TV and events host, radio jock and foodie. Catch her on radio at First Thing In The Morning with Sam and Gibb on Magic 89.9, Monday to Thursday, 6am to 9am. She is also a food blogger. If you have questions or recipe requests, email desk@rappler.com with subject heading SAM LIKES IT HOT.