Recipe { Thanksgiving Pumpkin Lasagna }

Happy belated Thanksgiving! I hope you had a good one. D and I had a quiet Thanksgiving at home this year. Since it was just the two of us, I'd thought I'd be adventurous and try a non-traditional Thanksgiving meal of pumpkin lasagna made in a 6-quart crock pot. It turned out so well, I'm sharing the recipe with you.

Thanksgiving Pumpkin and Sausage Lasagna
Ingredients

• 2 15 oz. cans of pumpkin
  
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
  
• 1 cup half and half or light cream
  
• 1 1/2 teaspoons nutmeg
  
• 1 teaspoon dried sage
  
• 1 small red onion, chopped
  
• 1/2 pound sliced baby bella mushrooms
  
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
  
• 5-6 turkey sausage, veggie sausage or Italian sausage links
  
• Freshly cracked pepper to taste
  
• Sea salt to taste
  
• 9 no-cook whole wheat lasagna noodles
  
• 15 oz. ricotta cheese
  
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
  
• 1 cup shredded fresh Parmesan cheese

In a large skillet, saute sausage. Slice and set aside.

In a medium skillet, saute mushrooms, onion and sea salt to taste. Set aside.

In a small bowl, combine ricotta, mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine pumpkin, cranberries, cream, sage, nutmeg, pepper (to taste) and sea salt (to taste)

Cover bottom of crock pot with a layer of pumpkin mix.

Top with a layer of noodles. Cover with a thick layer of pumpkin mixture. Add a layer of cheese mixture. Add a layer of mushrooms. Add a layer of sausage.Repeat until there are three layers. Top with the remaining pumpkin mix and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Cook on high in crock pot for 3-4 hours.Serves 6-8.

Serve with a rich, full-bodied white wine, like Nissley Vineyards Topaz Select (for those of you in PA) or Cakebread Chardonnay.

Happy holidays and enjoy!