Pumpkin-Salmon Low-Fat Lasagna

Pumpkin-Salmon Autumn Lasagna

Lasagna is one food that is enjoyed by people from all walks of life. There is nothing like a panful of pasta sheet goodness serenading into your kitchen or dining room–and even better, into your mouth! And at this time of the year, while I’ve still got my pumpkin on at high season, my mind–going awhir–tries to devise some nutritiously rewarding, palatable ways to put this season into use.

…And so I find myself tossing in some of that orange glory in between lasagna sheets, adding in both flavor and nutrition!

Not only is this lasagna low in calories (around 225 kcal per large slice), but it is also rich in vitamins A and C and minerals selenium, manganese, phosphorus, calcium, and copper–to name a few!

And as always, great nutrition should be reflected through great taste. I just love how the herbaceous al dente layers of pumpkin/spinach blend with the salmon and tomato sauce fillings–just plain fantastic!

Why?

Simply put, the melt-in-the-mouth texture and the herby-marine fragrance together are strong enough to satisfy the most die-hard seafood and pasta lovers alike. You’ll see that for yourself 😉

Filling Ingredients:

Around 12-15 lasagna sheets

200 grams smoked salmon

2 cups spinach

1 large onion

1 clove garlic

1 cup chopped mushrooms

150 ml almond cream (or any other cream you prefer)

1 cup chopped pumpkin

1 cup shredded low-fat or part-skimmed mozzarella

Tomato sauce ingredients:

2 cups organic tomato juice or puree

1 large onion

2 tbsp fresh basil

1 tbsp fresh chopped parsley

1 tsp oregano (or thyme)

pinch of black pepper

salt, to taste

2 tbsp olive oil

To make the tomato sauce: Heat the olive oil in a casserole, add the onions and garlic, and stir-fry for 3 minutes (until the onions are translucent). Add the herbs and pepper, stir for 2 minutes, and pour in the tomato puree. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.

For the creamy pumpkin-spinach-mushroom filling: Heat the olive oil in a pan, ans stir-fry the onion until translucent. Add the garlic and mushrooms, and stir-fry until the mushrooms are slightly brown. Toss in the pumpkins and 1/2 the almond cream, bring to a boil. Cover, lower the heat,  and let them cook for around 10 minutes. Add the chopped spinach, pepper, and salt, and cook for another 10 minutes.

To fill in the sheets: 1. Spoon some tomato sauce at the bottom of the casserole, and then cover them with a layer of lasagna sheets.

2. After that, spoon half the portion of the pumpkin-spinach-mushroom filling, and cover it with another layer of lasagna sheets.

3. Spread enough cream to cover the lasagna sheets, and then cover it with the smoked salmon. pour some more cream over the salmon (just enough to cover it), pour some tomato sauce, and then put another layer of lasagna sheets on top.

4. Repeat step 2 to make another layer of pumpkin-mushroom-spinach filling, and when done, cover with lasagna sheets, and spoon some tomato sauce over before adding the shredded mozzarella.

Bon appetit!

Roula 🙂