Often we have delicious baked vegetables left over. This recipe uses a small amount of some beautiful caramelised pumpkin to make a wonderful lasagna. Crumbled crispy fried sage leaves are perfect with the pumpkin.

I have also used some dill peas left over from another meal but freshly cooked baby peas can be used.

A few mushrooms from the fridge, cooked in a little tomato sauce and the ham off the bone fried in olive oil to bring out the sweetness make up the other topping elements for this lasagna.

The resulting lasagna was truly delicious with the flavours of each of the elements coming through with each creamy and cheesy bite.

This lasagna is a simple to make, with only the bechamel sauce and crispy fried sage to be made on the day and the other ingredients prepared ahead from left over baked vegetables and ham.

Try other variations with any small quantities of left over vegetables that you have at hand and really make sustainable use of all the effort that has gone into their preparation by creating another delicious main meal from them.

Roast Pumpkin, Pea and Ham Lasagna

Ingredients:

• Barilla, lasagna sheets
• 1 cup roasted pumpkin, cut into 1cm cubes
• 1/2 cup baby peas, cooked
• 1/2 cup ham off the bone, chopped and fried in olive oil
• 5 medium sage leaves
• Grated Parmesan cheese
• Freshly grated black Pepper

Mushrooms in Tomato:

• 1 cup Button mushrooms, sliced thinly
• 1/4 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1  clove of garlic, minced
• 1 Tblsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 knob of butter
• 1Tblsp tomato paste
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• Chicken stock

Bechamel Sauce:

• 500 ml whole milk
• 60g salted butter
• 1/3 cup plain flour, sifted
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Pinch of nutmeg
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Roast Pumpkin, Pea and Ham Lasagna

Method:

Crispy Fried Sage Leaves:

1. Heat some olive oil in a small skillet over a medium high heat
2. Fry the sage leaves for a couple of seconds until crisp
3. Remove with a slotted spoon to kitchen paper to cool off

Preparing Mushrooms:

• In a heavy based saucepan, heat Extra Virgin Olive Oil and a small knob of butter over a medium heat
• When the butter foams add the chopped onion and cook until transparent, then add the finely minced garlic and cook for a further minute
• Stir in through the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute
• Increase heat and stir in the white wine and cook briskly until the wine has evaporated
• Add the sliced mushrooms, parsley and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Cover with stock and simmer for a few minutes till sauce is reduced
• Set aside and then make the bechamel sauce

Bechamel Sauce:

1. In a heavy based deep pan, melt the butter on a low heat till bubbling
2. Remove from the heat then make a roux by whisking in the flour, mixing well and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper
3. Return to the heat and cook for one minute
4. Using the whisk, add the milk all at once, whisking well to dissolve the roux
5. Keep stirring over a medium heat until the mixture comes to the boil then lower the heat and continue cooking till the mixture is thickened
6. Take off the hotplate, stir in grated Parmesan cheese,  a pinch of nutmeg and cover

Assembling the Lasagna:

1. Pre-heat oven to 180⁰ C Fan Forced
2. Spoon some of the tomato sauce from the mushrooms into the bottom of your chosen lasagna dish
3. Place the lasagna sheets over the tomato sauce
4. Then spoon some of the bechamel sauce over the lasagna sheets and using a spatula spread the bechamel evenly over the sheets and into the corners well
5. Place pieces of pumpkin over the bechamel

6. Spoon the peas around the pumpkin and scatter the cooked ham as well

7. Place some of the mushrooms over the top

8. Crumble some crispy fried sage and freshly ground black pepper across the top

9. Then sprinkle Parmesan cheese over everything.

10. Continue layering the lasagna sheets, bechamel and toppings till the lasagna dish is full and finish with a layer of bechamel sauce.

11. Scatter a few scant pieces of pumpkin, peas and mushroom over the top. Then sprinkle more grated Parmesan cheese over the top and a little ground black pepper

12. Place the completed lasagana into the pre-heated oven and bake for 30 minutes. Then cover the top loosely with foil and continue baking for a further 10 minutes.

13. When the top is nicely browned and the baking time complete, remove the lasagna from the oven and set aside to rest for 10-12 minutes before serving. This allows it to set and make it easier to cut for serving

14. Serve the lasagna with some crusty bread and leafy garden salad