Michelle’s pumpkin and goat's cheese lasagne

Hey, Michelle here. I’m the Wholesale Sales Manager at Sage x Clare and a self-confessed foodie.

I’d say my kitchen is my place of creativity and it’s no secret at the office that I enjoy cooking at home with my family.

In fact, my pursuit of making the *perfect* loaf of sourdough has become so serious in recent years that I need to share the responsibilities of the 20-hour baking process with my husband. To maximise taste and freshness, we’ve also started milling our own flour. It’s gone beyond a hobby at this point but the extra effort is so worth it.

I love preparing food with organic ingredients where possible and use a lot of homegrown produce from my veggie garden. I am obsessed with fresh herbs, finger limes and mulberries, and most recently had a bumper harvest of pumpkins.

So, to make the most of these beautiful pumpkins I was inspired to prepare one of my favourite comforting and nourishing dishes; pumpkin and goat’s cheese lasagne. Is there any better smell than that of a bubbling cheesy and creamy homemade lasagne wafting through the house on a cool evening? I don’t think so!

As it’s always such a crowd-pleaser at my place, I wanted to share my go-to autumn recipe with you all. Bon appétit.


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Michelle’s pumpkin and goat's cheese lasagne recipe

Serves 6

Ingredients

1kg pumpkin, peeled, seeded and cut into chunks

1 large onion, chopped

1 tbsp butter

2 tbsp chopped chives

2 tbsp chopped sage leaves

A pinch of ground nutmeg

Salt and pepper

250g goat’s cheese

100g mozzarella, grated

350g fresh lasagne sheets

Grated cheddar cheese

Béchamel sauce

50g butter

2 tbsp plain flour

700ml milk

Pinch of salt and pepper

To serve

100g butter

Sage leaves

1 cup walnuts


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Method

Step 1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Place pumpkin in a saucepan with a little water and a pinch of salt and simmer gently until cooked. Drain. Alternatively, you can steam the pumpkin. Place in a bowl and mash.

Step 2. Sauté onion in the butter until soft and add to pumpkin with chives, sage, nutmeg, salt and pepper.

Step 3. Make the béchamel sauce by melting the butter, adding flour and cooking carefully for approximately one minute. Do not brown. Gradually add milk, stirring continuously until you have a smooth white sauce.

Step 4. To assemble the lasagne: Place a layer of lasagne sheets in the bottom and up the sides of a buttered baking dish (approximately 25 cm square). Put in half of the pumpkin mixture and smooth out to the corners. Add a little of the béchamel sauce and sprinkle over half the crumbed goat's cheese and half the grated mozzarella. Place a layer of lasagne sheets and repeat with a layer of pumpkin, a little béchamel sauce, the crumbed goat's cheese and the mozzarella until the dish is full.

Step 5. Fold over the edges of the lasagne sheets and add a final layer of lasagne sheets to neaten the top. Pour over the remaining sauce and top with grated cheddar cheese.

Step 6. Place in a 180°C oven for 30 - 40 minutes until cooked and browned on the top. Allow to rest for 5 - 10 minutes before serving.

To serve: Melt butter in a pan, add sage leaves and fry gently until sage leaves are crisp and butter is golden brown. Lightly toast the walnuts in a dry pan. Pour the butter mixture over the lasagne, sprinkle the walnuts on top and serve.


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Featured: Benita Linen Table Cloth + Bernanda Linen Napkin Set