Chicken & pumpkin lasagne
This is a recipe out of my bestselling cookbook, Homemade Happiness. It’s a superb meal that positively bursts with flavour – with tender chicken (free-range is best) in a rich tomato sauce, creamy pumpkin and lashings of glorious cheesy white sauce.
Serves 8
Prep time – 45 minutes
Cooking time – 40 minutes plus resting
Ingredients
600-700g chicken thighs, boneless skinless
600g pumpkin, chopped into 2cm pieces
1 onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 cup red wine
½ cup tomato paste
1 ½ cups chicken stock
2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes
1 tbsp dried oregano
3 tsp chopped fresh rosemary (2 stalks)
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 cups chopped spinach
1 x 400g packet lasagna sheets
Cheesy white sauce
100g butter
½ cup flour
3 ½ cups milk
1 cup grated Parmesan or cheddar (or a mixture) plus extra for topping
Method
Preheat the oven to 180c regular bake.
Heat 1 tbsp oil over a high heat in a large frying pan. When the pan is hot, add the chicken and brown on each side. Transfer to a large roasting dish or tray. Toss the pumpkin pieces in olive oil and arrange on the try with the chicken. Season everything with salt and pepper and bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until the pumpkin is soft. Set aside to cool slightly, then roughly mash the pumpkin and shred the chicken.
Add a splash of olive oil to the chicken pan with the onion and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes until soft. Add the garlic and cook for another couple of minutes. Add the wine, turn up the heat and let it bubble for 30 seconds. Add the tomato paste, stock, tomatoes, herbs and balsamic. Simmer gently for about 20 minutes, or until reduced to a nice thick sauce still with a bit of juice left. Add the spinach and shredded chicken with 5 minutes to go. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Melt butter with the flour in a large saucepan over a medium-low heat. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes (don’t let it brown). Remove from heat and slowly add all the warmed milk in a thin stream, whisking as you go. Return to heat and cook, stirring, until thickened. Stir through the cheese. Season to taste and remove from heat.
Grease a large baking dish. Spread a third of the tomato mixture on the bottom and add a third of the cheese sauce. Add a layer of lasagne sheets on top. Repeat until ingredients are used up, adding a layer of mashed pumpkin somewhere along the way, finishing with a layer of white sauce. Sprinkle with extra cheese.
Cover with foil, cut a couple of steam holes, and bake for 35 minutes. Remove the foil and grill until the top is golden brown and bubbling. Rest for about 10 minutes before you serve it if you can to let the juices settle.
Hi, could i assemble this the night before and put in the fridge and cook the flowing day? Thanks
yes!
Hi Chelsea, would love to try this but my husband is allergic to pumpkin. Could I use orange kumara?
Yes!
A favourite in our house and everyone else that has dined here and now cooks themselves. Just wanted to add that this freezes well, I have had surgery and knew I wouldnt be able to cook so cut up into serving sizes for hubby and me easy for him to just heat through, he even managed a small salad!!! I can stand for short times and making this today, sitting down after each addition!!
I love this SO much! Only made it once and I’ve thought about it ever since. Best lasagne I’ve ever had. My 20 month old also liked it- bonus!
Hi Chelsea
This recipe sounds amazing, is it in any of your cookbooks?
Thanks
Megan
Yes, it’s in Homemade Happiness.
This recipe rocks and I have made it so many times. It is my go to meal for cooking for friends and a couple of the girls at work have made it after I bought lunch in for them. I haven’t wanted beef lasagne since making this. I add in some mushrooms and use fresh oregano as well as adding some freshly grated nutmeg to the cheese sauce. Comfort food at it’s best!!!
Yum, having your roast chicken from At My Table on Sunday night. Can’t wait to try out the leftover chicken in this on Monday night :)
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Hi I have tried this a few times can you reduce the amount of tomatoes as I find this quite runney or am I doing some wrong cheers
Hi Michelle, if it’s runny just keep simmering until it thickens up :)
I made this a few months ago and it went down a treat. A real crowd pleasure. Even the slightly fussier food critics (kids) demolished it. I’ve been curious as to how this would turn out with duck instead of chicken so we will be giving that a whirl this weekend. I can only imagine it will be even more amazing.
Hi.
I’m wanting to prepare this ahead of time and wondering if I can make the lasagne recipe (up to the stage of cooking it in the oven) the day before and store it in the fridge? If not, what parts do you recommend can be made the day before?
yes you can x
Chelsea this is just delicious! Thank you x
Hi Chelsea
I have a friend having surgery on Friday and another with a daughter in hospital. I would like to make one each for them, but does it freeze ok?
yes it does x
Hi just wondering what i could serve with this dish??
A dressed salad would be perfect x
wow tastes great just took ages to cook!
Is it ok to use baby spinach leaves?
Hi what kind of red wine would you recommend? Can I use dried rosemary?
I like a merlot and yes, that’s fine dried (but better fresh).
Could you use silverbeet instead of spinach?
And when you say ‘large baking dish’, what sort of size are you meaning?
Yes! And I just mean your biggest one :)
Can it be made without the wine? I don’t drink so I don’t want to buy a bottle just for one cup? Could I substitute with something else? A fizzy drink or something idk?
Extra stock is fine.
Okay, silly question I know but can I’m thinking of adding this to my xmas day menu. Can I make it a few days in advance and freeze it …defrost and re-heat it
You sure can!
Hi Chelsea,
I have a very fussy husband who doesn’t like pumpkin, would Kumara work instead? Thanks
Yes indeed.
Hi Chelsea. I want to make this gluten free, does rice flour work in a cheese sauce? Thanks heaps.
Yes, it does.
Hi Chelsea, I’m going to attempt this gluten free, what flour would you suggest for the cheese sauce? There’s so many different types! Also attempting dairy free bar the parmesean, would you recommend soy or almond milk to make the cheese sauce? Many thanks
Made this with kumera instead of pumpkin… was sooooo goooood! I love that this recipe makes enough to feed the family for two nights – takes a bit longer to prepare so getting the extra day out of it is great, and it tastes even better the next day!
Anyone have any hints to make cutting the pumpkin easier? Maybe I just need a better knife
Microwave it for a minute first!
Give it a good throw on the ground which should split it. Then cut as usual
My family love this recipe but even though I reduce the mixture to a ‘nice thick sauce’ I seem to have extra liquid when it’s cooked and the layers slide instead of staying stacked as in your image. What am I doing wrong here? Any suggestions appreciated.
Hey i’m not a pumpkin fan so would kumera (sweet potato) work?
Yummy!! I had this recipe out to make and my husband (who hates pumpkin but I absolutely love) grumbled when he saw it saying “what am I going to eat, I don’t like pumpkin” in his grumbly man voice. I made it as per recipe (just added some mozzarella to the top as had some that needed using) and he (still grumbling) sat down and polished off the lot!!! And said he really liked it!! Thank you for an awesome recipe so I get to have my pumpkin :-) Both of your books ordered – can’t wait to try more recipes!
That’s so great to hear, thanks Debbie!
Hi Chelsea, On a recent holiday to NZ from Oz I caught a glimpse of you cooking on a NZ morning show. After coming home last week I & decided to become a VIP member. The first recipe I tried was your Chicken and Pumpkin Lasagne, my hubby even helped by shredding the chicken. It was the most delicious lasagne we have ever had. The sauce was amazing and I can’t believe how easy the cheesy white sauce was to make. My husband was so impressed. Thank you, I cant wait to try some more of your fabulous recipes!!
Can this recipe be made ahead to a certain point and then frozen? It looks delicious and I am looking for some meals I can freeze before our second baby arrives.
Yes, you can freeze it before or after cooking!
hi chelsea
i made this on thursday and it was DELISH!!! thank you so much!
hi Chelsea, is it ok to use white wine with this sort of dish? I don’t have red wine on hand at home. thank you :)
Yes, it just won’t be as rich.
Opps I meant I doubled the recipe
Hi Chelsea
This is a very delicious recipe
I made it last week and it the recipe and made my own pasta
yummy
Mmmm,,,more than yummy – thanks Chelsea – Helen’s partner Rob ;)
I made this tonight using peahen instead of chicken. You are right, it does take a long time but it sure is delicious.
I made this tonight and it was excellent! I made it gluten free and used lactose free milk. I also used 1/2 cup of red wine and 2 cups of the stock as I don’t like too much wine. It is hard work and took a lot longer than 45 minutes to prep (but I am a slow cook).
Thanks Chelsea, nailed it and impressed the missus!
We made this recipe and it was amazingly delicious! It was a big hit with our family.
this was delicious! I made it gluten & dairy free! I’m thinking sneak for seconds could be on the cards! : )
Hiya, Just wondering how you made it dairy free :) Thanks!!
Sorry it’s not dairy-free :)
What is the dimensions of the baking dish please?
A dish between 30-40cm in length will work
Hi Chelsea can you use frozen spinach for this recipe?
Yes!
This recipe is the bomb. Delicious ;)
This was just delicious! Tried it for the first time, with friends over, and not bit was left on plates. Made it the night before and just cooked nit on the day. Loved it and this will now be my go to lasagne. Thanks Chelsea. I added a little nutmeg in the sauce as I only had Edam cheese. Look forward to trying it next with Parmesan cheese next time. Felt as good as a restaurant meal!
Hi do we need the wine. ..what could we use instead of the wine?
Extra stock. Although using wine there will be no alcohol in the dish at the end of cooking – wine adds a depth of flavour.
Can use mince in this recipe instead of chicken sometimes, I have a fussy husband!!
I made it a couple of weeks ago gluten free and was lovely!!
Will it make a difference if I don’t add the 1 cup of wine?
This looks amazing. Could I use chicken breast instead or would they dry out too much?
Yes you could :)
Looks delicious. What could I use instead of red wine?
Extra stock :)
Hi Chelsea – this sounds delicious – I am going to try a gluten free modification to this one as we have loads of pumpkins about at the moment :-)
Looks lovely & easy to follow recipe
Yum! That looks amazing. Can’t wait to try it. Are the lasagne sheets the instant dried ones or fresh?
It’s up to you really – I just use instant sometimes!