Dave's Home Grown Kale Lasagna

Dave's Home Grown Kale Lasagna

Preparation time: 30 minutes

Cooking time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Serves 8 people

• 1kg/2lbs butternut pumpkin, peeled, cut into 1cm-thick slices

• 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

• 1 medium brown onion, finely chopped

• 4 cloves garlic

• 1 large red capsicum chopped (I used two small ones)

• 1 large green capsicum chopped (ditto the above)

• 2 zucchini chopped into 50c pieces and the same thickness

• 1 medium eggplant or 3 Japanese eggplants

• 200g/7ozs. button mushrooms

• 3 large red chillies

• 400g/14oz. can of Italian diced tomatoes

• 1 bunch of curly or Tuscan kale chopped (even the stem although I left off the last inch or so at the end)

• 3 tablespoons of butter

• 3 table spoons of flour

• 2.5 cups of skim milk

• 1 cup of grated mozzarella

• 2 large balls of buffalo mozzarella sliced into 50 cent pieces to layer throughout

• 1 bunch of brocollini chopped finely

• 1 hand full of raw pepitas

• 500g best pasta sheets

Low carb idea: replace pasta sheets with thinly sliced eggplant.

Step 1 - Preheat oven to 180°C/160°C fan-forced. Line a baking tray with baking paper. Arrange pumpkin in a single layer on tray. Drizzle with two teaspoons oil. Bake for 20 minutes or until tender. Set aside.

Step 2 - Heat remaining oil in a heavy-based frying pan over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, capsicum, zucchini, eggplant and mushroom. Cook, stirring, for 10 minutes or until eggplant is just tender. Stir in the tin of diced tomatoes. Bring to the boil and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 10 minutes or until sauce has thickened. Remove from heat and stir in kale. Cover. Set aside for two minutes or until kale has wilted. Season with salt and pepper.

Step 3 - Meanwhile in a separate pan melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat until foaming. Add flour. Cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, for 1 minute or until bubbling and smooth. Remove from heat. Gradually add milk, stirring to prevent lumps forming. Return pan to heat. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until sauce boils and thickens. Remove pan from heat. Stir in half the cheese. Set aside.

Step 4 - Lightly grease a 7cm-deep, 25cm (base) square baking dish. Spoon half the sauteed vegetable mixture into dish. Arrange half the pumpkin over saute vegetable mixture and then some of the sauce. Add discs of buffalo mozzarella throughout. Place half the lasagna sheets over pumpkin, breaking sheets to fit. Repeat layers. Spoon sauce over top. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.  Then add raw brocollini on top layer and sprinkle with raw pepitas. Bake for 40 minutes or until golden and the pasta tender. Stand for 10 minutes. Serve.