Pumpkin, Spinach, and Apple Turkey Sausage Lasagna is savory, rich, and has just a hint of sweetness to make your tastebuds happy.

This has been a very dry year in means of pumpkin filled confections in this household, and I fully blame the ridiculous amounts of apples that I over enthusiastically clutched to my breast as I went apple hunting. The consumption of my beloved Pumpkin Spice Latte has been steady, though admittedly much less frequent than a few years ago, though I do think that my husband is excited our coffee spending has decreased. While I desperately wish I could subside solely on sugary lattes and crinkled cookies or pho (my personal favorite get over feeling sick remedy other than this delightful soup), I told my inner child to figure out something nutritious to eat that involved pumpkin so I could at least get a fix of that delicious Autumn vegetable.

So often you see pumpkin make appearances in the sweet side of things, making brief appearances in scones, muffins, and quick breads. Pumpkin Pies are also a staple of the Autumn season, though personally I am drawn more to a good pumpkin muffin. However, if you turn to the savory side of things, pumpkin often is overlooked and relegated to things like Pumpkin Ravioli, paired with a browned butter sauce and fried sage leaves. I was seeking something a tad more inspired than a traditional seasonal dish, and then I remembered this lasagna I made for a Resident Event at my old job a couple years ago.

This Lasagna takes an untraditional route with absolutely no tomato used.

That lasagna incorporated butternut squash rather than pumpkin, and was completely vegetarian. However, I knew that I most likely would need to include meat to not create a sad husband. He is definitely a carnivore - if you give him a Veggie Pizza he calls it a nice snack, and asks where the “real” pizza is. Since I do not eat red meat nor most pork products, and would be perfectly happy with a soft boiled egg over vegetables for dinner, you can imagine it was an adjustment for both of us when we first started seeing each other. So if you say the word lasagna to him, he will think “Red sauce, tons of cheese, and most likely a ton of meat”. That type of lasagna is delicious, and merits many moments of gratitude to the old school grandmothers that passed along those recipes, but this lasagna I came up with is not that lasagna.

This Pumpkin, Spinach, and Apple Turkey Sausage Lasagna is perfect for a crowd, but freezes well if you want to plan ahead for future dinner disaster days (they happen to the best of us).

This Pumpkin, Spinach, and Apple Turkey Sausage lasagna is a play off of that butternut squash lasagna. Made so long ago. There are three different types of fillings used - first a delicately spiced, slightly sweet Pumpkin and Ricotta filling. The nutmeg is a quiet note that helps enhance the sweetness of the pumpkin, but the chicken broth used to help thin out the mixture helps accentuate the savory aspect of the squash. Then, there is the Spinach Ricotta filling, which is rich, savory, and the garlic sneaks a sharp punch to help tame the luxuriousness of the mozzarella. Lastly, the Apple Turkey Sausage you make from scratch is the element that ties together the richness from the medley of cheeses and the sweetness of the pumpkin.

Now I know what you are thinking. Making sausage from scratch? Do not panic! This is not a link sausage, rather a loose sausage, so there is no fussing with casings and a machine to stuff them. Honestly, it takes no more time to put this together than it does to put together a marinated burger meat recipe. You literally mix together all of the prepped ingredients (which the minced apple is the most time consuming part) and voila! You marinate that meat for a few hours and it pan fry very quickly without sticking because of the Olive Oil used to moisten the meat. Ground turkey has a pretty low fat percentage, which is why I used 85% lean, and then added the Olive Oil to help keep the meat nice and juicy after cooking.

Once you get over the shock and awe of making your own sausage, the lasagna that results is light, nuanced, and completely delicious and very different from what you might think about traditional lasagna. The fillings complement each other and each bite you end up with a bit of creamy, sweetness from the pumpkin and ricotta, and a bit of tang and Unami from the Pecorino Romano cheese and the garlic. The sausage adds a nice savory hum to the palate without being completely overwhelming - which sometimes sausage can do. This is excellent for a normal Thursday dinner, however it definitely looks fancy enough to be a company dinner. Served with a nice leafy green salad (maybe with some apples in it ha!) this recipe is a keeper, and I know it will make it back in rotation again before the 2 year mark like that other meatless lasagna

I paired this lasagna with a simple Mixed Green Salad that contained Apples, Feta Cheese, and a Dijon Mustard Vinaigrette!

Pumpkin, Spinach, and Apple Turkey Sausage Lasagna

Author: Iris Anna Gohn

Servings: 12

This lasagna has three main components, and at first glance it may seem like a lot of work. I certainly thought so when I envisioned this lasagna. However, each component only takes a few minutes each to put together - the longest portions of the preparation were mincing the garlic and apples. I take the extra step and grate my cheeses by hand as I prefer the texture, but I absolutely understand using the pre shredded cheese to save time.

I put together the sausage early in the morning and let the uncooked meat ruminate in the fridge for a good 6 hours before actually cooking it up in the skillet. Sausage is one of those things that tastes better the longer it sits before cooking, so it’s something that would be great to do ahead the night before. You could also do ahead the Pumpkin and Spinach fillings, but it is fine if you do it right before assembly - I noticed there was not a huge difference either way.

If you put together this lasagna ahead of time and wait to bake it - take note that your covered bake time will be much longer than the hour. You’re heating up a huge casserole from a cold temperature, so check it at an hour and a half - it will probably take 2 hours to heat up properly from straight from the fridge (I have not tried this, so I am guesstimating the amount of time.).

Lastly, I froze half of the lasagna after baking it off as we are a 2 person household. I separated it into 2 pieces per microwave safe container, and suggest you take the freezer meal out and thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating in the microwave. I think, since this is not a super saucy lasagna, the pasta might be compromised if you heat it straight from the freezer!

Ingredients

For the Turkey Sausage:

1 pound Ground Turkey, 85% Lean
1/2 Cup finely minced Apple (Use a firm, tart Apple such as Braeburn or Granny Smith or Honeycrisp)
1/2 Tsp Granulated Garlic
1/4 Tsp Onion Powder
1/2 Tsp Ground Sage
1/4 Tsp Italian Seasonings
1/2 Tsp Sweet Paprika
1/2 Tsp Sea Salt
1/4 Tsp Fresh Ground Black Pepper
2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

For the Pumpkin Filling:

1 15 ounce can of Pureed Pumpkin (NOT Pumpkin Pie filling)
1 Cup Ricotta Cheese (Whole Milk)
1/2 Cup Chicken Stock
1 Tsp Minced Garlic
1/4 Tsp Sea Salt
1/4 Tsp Ground Nutmeg

For the Spinach Filling:

1 Cup Ricotta Cheese (Whole Milk)
1 Cup Shredded Mozzarella
8 Ounces Fresh Baby Spinach
1 Tbsp Minced Garlic
1/2 Tsp Sea Salt
Fresh Cracked Pepper to Taste

Additional Ingredients:

10 ounce box Lasagna Noodles
2 Cups shredded Mozzarella
1/2 Cup Pecorino Romano Cheese
Dried Italian Seasoning
Fresh Chopped Parsley

Directions

For the Turkey Sausage:

Peel and finely mince the Apple. Use a firm, tart apple such as Braeburn or Granny Smith. The finer you mince the apple, the more incorporated it will be and cook down well in the final sausage.
In a medium bowl, add the ground Turkey, apple, spices, and olive oil. Gently mix together with your fingers. Cover with Saran Wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours to allow the meat to absorb the spices well.
Once the meat has ruminated for at least 4 hours, pan fry sausage over medium high heat in a large skillet. Set aside or refrigerate once cooked through until ready to assemble lasagna.

For the Pumpkin Filling:

In a medium bowl, mix together the Pumpkin puree, Ricotta cheese, chicken stock, minced garlic, nutmeg, and sea salt.
Taste. And adjust salt if needed. Set aside/refrigerate until ready to assemble lasagna.

For the Spinach Filling:

In a large bowl, mix together the Ricotta Cheese and Mozzarella Cheese thoroughly.
Add the garlic, salt, and pepper tot he bowl and mix thoroughly.
Roughly chop the spinach and thoroughly incorporate into the cheese mixture.
Taste, and adjust salt if needed. Set aside/refrigerate until ready to assemble lasagna.

For Lasagna Assembly:

Preheat oven to 350 F.
In a large pot, cook lasagna noodles until just under al dente in boiling water, roughly 5-6 minutes. It is okay to undercook them slightly as the noodles will continue cooking and softening while the lasagna bakes in the oven.
In a 9x12.5 inch (I used this) or 9x13 inch pan, spread a very thin layer of the butternut squash filling on the bottom of the pan.
Layer cooked lasagna noodles on top of the butternut squash filling, overlapping the edges slightly and making sure the entire bottom of the pan is covered.
Layer more pumpkin filling on top of the noodles, and sprinkle some pecorino Romano cheese and mozzarella cheese.
Layer more lasagna noodles, and spread half the spinach filling evenly on top of the noodles. Evenly spread half of the turkey sausage on top of the spinach filling, then sprinkle more pecorino Romano cheese and mozzarella cheese on top. Then, sprinkle a bit of the Italian Seasoning on top.
Layer more lasagna noodles on top and then evenly spread the pumpkin filling, spinach filling, turkey sausage, and cheeses.
Place the final layer of lasagna noodles on top and spread a very thin layer of the pumpkin filling on top. Sprinkle with Italian Seasoning and then sprinkle the rest of the cheeses evenly over the top.
Cover lasagna dish loosely with Aluminum Foil and bake for 1 hour, covered.
After an hour, check to see that the cheese has fully melted and the casserole is bubbling slightly. If it is, remove the Aluminum Foil and set the oven to broil at 400 F.
Broil for 10-15 minutes, until cheese is nice and brown.
Remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes before serving.