Gluten-Free Low-Fructose Pumpkin Sage Lasagna
Servings: 6-8
Prep Time Cook Time Total Time
30 minutes 60 minutes, + 10 minutes to cool 1 hour 40 minutes
Ingredients
1 package oven-ready gluten-free lasagna noodles
15 oz ricotta cheese
1 can (15 oz) pumpkin puree
2 cups freshly grated parmesan cheese, divided
1/4 cup garlic-infused olive oil (favorite brands here)
Spices:
1 teaspoon dried sage
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 egg
Creamy sage sauce:
1/4 cup butter
3 tablespoons gluten-free flour (favorite brands here)
2 cups of milk, cream, half and half, or coconut milk
1 tablespoon of dried sage
Additional spices to taste
2 cups of grated mozzarella cheese or an Italian blend
~20 fresh sage leaves
2 tablespoons butter
Extra parmesan cheese to serve
Optional: Spinach powder or chopped fresh spinach.
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 425° F. Grease a medium casserole dish.
In a bowl, combine the ricotta, pumpkin, 1 cup parmesan cheese, dried sage, dried basil, salt, pepper, and egg. Add 1/4 cup garlic-infused olive oil. Mix well.
Make the creamy sage sauce: Melt 1/4 cup butter in a saucepan. Stir in the GF flour until combined and then slowly add the milk/cream and 1 tablespoon dried sage. Bring to a low boil and stir until thickened. Optional: Add a pinch of nutmeg.
Spoon about 1/2 cup of the sauce into the bottom of the pan, then layer the GF lasagna noodles across the pan. Spoon 1/3 of the pumpkin mixture evenly across the noodles. Sprinkle with about 1/3 of the mozzarella or Italian cheese blend. If desired, sprinkle with more sage and pepper and/or some dehydrated or fresh chopped spinach (see notes). Drizzle about 1/3 cup of the sauce across this layer and then top with another layer of noodles.
Make two more layers of pumpkin mixture, cheese, sauce, and noodles.
Spread the remaining creamy sage sauce evenly over the top of the noodles, ensuring all edges are covered in sauce. Sprinkle with another cup of parmesan cheese.
Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes at 425° F. Remove the foil and lower the temperature to 375 degrees. Cook for another 15 minutes, keeping an eye on the cheese.
Let the lasagna cool for at least 10 minutes after removing from the oven. While it cools, melt 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Cook the sage leaves until crispy, 2-3 minutes.
Top the cooled lasagna with crispy sage leaves and more parmesan cheese.
Fructose Forward
You could add low-FODMAP marinara to each layer.
Fine with Fructose?
Glutenous lasagna noodles are always easier to work with! Adjust the cook time based on package instructions.
Chopped garlic and/or shallots would be delicious in this. Cook for a couple minutes in olive oil and then add to the pumpkin mixture.
Notes
Spinach: I’m always looking for ways to sneak low-fructose vegetables into meals. I dehydrated several cups of spinach by laying it out on a cookie sheet in the oven at 170° for about 3 hours. Then, I ground it into a powder in my blender. 1 tablespoon of spinach powder is equivalent to a 1/2 cup of fresh spinach and contains nearly all of the original nutrients! You can also buy spinach powder. Or, finely chop some fresh spinach and sprinkle that over each layer.
