Ingredients
700 gms chicken thighs, boneless skinless
600 gms pumpkin, chopped into 2cm pieces
1 onion (finely chopped)
4 cloves garlic
½ cup tomato paste
1 ½ cups chicken stock
800 gms chopped tomatoes
1 tbsp dried oregano
3 tsp fresh rosemary (chopped)
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 cups spinach
400 gms packet lasagna sheets (store bought)
Cheesy white sauce
100 gms butter
½ cup flour
3 ½ cups milk
1 cup grated parmesan or cheddar (or a mixture)
Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Heat one tablespoon of oil in a large frying pan over a medium flame. Once the pan is hot, add the chicken and cook it until golden. Transfer the chicken to a large roasting dish or tray. Coat the pumpkin pieces with olive oil and add them to the tray with the chicken. Season everything with salt and pepper, and bake in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until the pumpkin is soft. Let it cool slightly, then mash the pumpkin and shred the chicken.
Add olive oil to the same chicken pan with the onion and stir fry for 5 minutes until soft. Add the garlic and cook for a couple of minutes. Add the tomato paste, stock, tomatoes, herbs, and balsamic. Simmer gently for about 20 minutes or until it thickens into a sauce. Add the spinach and shredded chicken with 5 minutes left. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
In a large saucepan over medium-low flame, melt butter with the flour. Stir 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 flame and cook, stirring, until thickened. Stir through the cheese. Season to taste and remove from flame.
Now, 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 the ingredients are used up, adding a layer of mashed pumpkin somewhere along the way, finishing with a layer of white sauce. Sprinkle extra cheese on top.
Cover with foil, cut a couple of steam holes, and bake for 35 minutes. Remove the foil and broil until the top is golden brown and bubbling. Let it rest for about 10 minutes before serving.
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