Roman-Style Pumpkin Gnocchi: The Secret to a Dense, Non-Crumbling Dough
- ciacookitalianabroad
Pumpkin and Leek Lasagna
- Difficulty: Average
- Prep time: 60 min
- Cook time: 60 min
- Serving: 4
- Cost: Average
- Note + 30 min resting time for the pasta
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PRESENTATION
Pumpkin and Leek Lasagna layers the natural sweetness of pumpkin against the gentle depth of leeks, building a filling that's soft and enveloping between sheets of homemade fresh pasta. Béchamel binds each layer, Parmigiano Reggiano crowns the top, and the oven finishes everything into a golden crust over a rich, flavor-dense interior. It's a fully vegetarian dish with the kind of autumnal specificity that earns a place at a Sunday family table or a special dinner.
Neither ingredient overwhelms the other—pumpkin brings sweetness, leeks bring mild savory depth, and the béchamel holds the whole structure together without masking either. Fresh pasta keeps the layers tender rather than starchy, and the Parmigiano Reggiano crisps into a golden surface that makes the first cut satisfying. The result sits closer to an elegant occasion dish than an everyday bake, which is exactly the point.
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INGREDIENTS
- for the fresh pasta
- Type 00 flour 4 cups (500 g)
- Eggs 5
- Fine salt ¼ tsp (1 g)
- Extra virgin olive oil 1 tsp (5 ml)
- for the filling
- Pumpkin 2 ½ cups (600 g) - cleaned
- Leeks 1.3 lbs (600 g)
- Extra virgin olive oil to taste
- Vegetable broth ½ cup (100 g)
- Fine salt to taste
- Black pepper to taste
- Parmigiano Reggiano PDO cheese 4.6 oz (130 g)
- for the béchamel
- Whole milk 5 cups (1.2 l)
- Butter 8 ½ tbsp (120 g)
- Type 00 flour 1 cup (120 g)
- Fine salt to taste
- Nutmeg to taste
- Black pepper to taste
Preparation
How to prepare Pumpkin and Leek Lasagna
To prepare the pumpkin and leek lasagna start with the egg pasta: pour the flour in a well on a work surface, add the eggs 1, salt and oil 2, then use a fork to gather the ingredients together 3.
Then knead by hand until you obtain a smooth, homogeneous dough, wrap it in cling film and place it in the fridge for 30 minutes 4. Trim the leeks and slice them 5. Clean the pumpkin and cut it into cubes 6.
In a large pan heat the oil 7, add the leeks 8 and the pumpkin 9.
Season with salt 10 and pepper 11 and let them simmer over low heat for about 20 minutes or until tender, adding broth or hot water little by little. Meanwhile prepare the béchamel: melt the butter in a small saucepan 12 and warm the milk separately.
Flavour with nutmeg 13, salt and pepper, then add the flour 14 and stir to obtain a smooth roux. Pour the hot milk in a steady stream 15, continuing to stir to prevent lumps from forming.
Cook for about 5 minutes or until the sauce has thickened 16. Take back the dough 17, remove a piece and pass it through the rollers of the pasta machine, starting on the widest setting 18.
Gradually reduce the thickness 19 until you reach 1-2 mm. Divide the sheet into 5 rectangles of 22 x 16 cm 20 (approximately 8.66 x 6.30 in), and blanch them quickly in salted water 21.
Drain them onto a tray 22. At this point the pumpkin and leek filling will be ready and warm 23. Assemble the lasagna by spreading a thin layer of béchamel on the bottom of a 20 x 34 cm baking dish 34 (approximately 7.87 x 9.45 in).
Lay a sheet of pasta 25 and add more béchamel 26 and the pumpkin and leek mixture 27.
Sprinkle a generous amount of grated Parmigiano Reggiano 28. Continue alternating the ingredients 29 until they are used up, for a total of 5 layers. Finish with a layer of béchamel and filling 30.
Top with Parmigiano 31 and bake in a preheated conventional oven at 356°F for about 25-30 minutes, until a golden crust forms on the surface 32. Remove the pumpkin and leek lasagna from the oven, let them rest for a few minutes and serve still hot 33.
Storage
Tip
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