Category Archives: Dinner

Pumpkin Sausage Lasagna

Dinner, , ,

I’m back with the perfect fall dinner for you! This Pumpkin Sausage Lasagna has sweet, earthy pumpkin, savory Italian sausage, and plenty of creamy, gooey cheese! It’s a great weeknight meal, especially if you assemble it ahead of time, or perfect for those lazy fall weekends when you want to spend a little time in the kitchen.

Pumpkin Sausage Lasagna - The Archaeologist Bakes

If you’ve never made homemade lasagna, don’t be intimidated. There are a number of steps, but each one is very easy. You can spread it out over two days if that’s easier for you, or go for it all at once. Just organize yourself from the beginning, and it’s really an easy dish to make.

This lasagna starts with an easy pumpkin and sausage sauce, instead of the typical marinara. As always, there are substitutions you can make. For the pumpkin, feel free to use cooked and pureed butternut squash, acorn squash, or even sweet potatoes. Each of them has a different level of sweetness, so use something you’ll enjoy in a savory dish. I used mild Italian sausage, but you can certainly use a hot sausage, or even half mild and half hot. Again, use the sausage that you enjoy.

The cheese mixture is a simple mixture of ricotta and Parmesan, with a sprinkle of mozzarella. If you prefer cottage cheese instead of ricotta, or maybe that’s what you have on hand, that’s a great substitution. Parmesan can be replaced with Romano, Asiago, or any other hard, sharp cheese that you enjoy. And Provolone, Swiss, or other good melting cheeses can take the place of the mozzarella.

Pumpkin Sausage Lasagna - The Archaeologist Bakes

Just a few more tips and notes. I like to use the flat, no boil lasagna noodles, but use the ones you’re most comfortable with. If you use regular lasagna noodles, make sure to pre-boil them though. The fresh sage really is a must. I wouldn’t substitute with dried. Fresh parsley would work, but the sage really brings a great fall flavor that marries so well with the pumpkin. Finally, a made a smaller batch because there are only two of us, but you can easily double this recipe and make it in a 9×13 or lasagna pan.

I really hope you try this! It’s such a fun recipe – warm and cozy, cheesy and creamy. It’s everything you want on a cool fall night. If you make it, be sure to let me know what you think, and if you made any substitutions.

Pumpkin Sausage Lasagna - The Archaeologist Bakes
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 Pumpkin Sausage Lasagna
A creamy, cheesy lasagna with sausage and pumpkin, perfect for cool fall nights.
Servings
Ingredients
Servings
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Add sausage and onions to a large skillet. Cook over medium heat until sausage is browned and cooked through and onions are soft. Add garlic and cook for another 30 seconds until garlic is fragrant.
  2. Stir in broth, pumpkin, nutmeg, and sage. Bring to a simmer and cook until heated through. Taste and season with salt and/or pepper as needed.
  3. Set sauce aside to cool slightly. Meanwhile, combine ricotta, 3 tablespoons Parmesan, and salt and pepper to taste (about 1/4 teaspoon each). If desired, refrigerate sauce and cheese at this point and assemble lasagna the next day.
  4. Assemble the lasagna in an 8x8-inch greased baking pan. Place 1/2 cup pumpkin sauce in the bottom of the pan and top with a layer of noodles. Add 1/3 of the ricotta mixture and spread evenly. Top with 1/3 of the remaining pumpkin sauce, and sprinkle with 1/3 cup (slightly less than a third of the total) mozzarella. Repeat the layers twice, ending with the rest of the mozzarella and the remaining tablespoon of Parmesan.
  5. You can refrigerate or freeze the lasagna at this point before baking. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight, or add a layer of foil and freeze up to a month.
  6. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. If baking immediately, bake for 30-45 minutes until bubbly and browned. If cheese begins to brown too quickly, cover loosely with foil. If refrigerating overnight, remove from refrigerator while preheating oven. Remove plastic wrap and cover loosely with foil. Bake 30-45 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 15-20 minutes until bubbly and cheese is browned. If lasagna has been frozen, thaw in refrigerator overnight, then follow directions for baking refrigerated version.
Recipe Notes
  • Cooked and pureed butternut squash, acorn squash, or sweet potatoes can be substituted for the pumpkin. The sweetness level will vary, so use something you enjoy.
  • Cottage cheese can be swapped for the ricotta.
  • Any hard, sharp cheese can be used in place of the Parmesan.
  • Any good, melting cheese like Provolone or Swiss, can be used instead of or in combination with the mozzarella.
  • Use regular lasagna noodles if desired, but boil them first.
  • Double the recipe and assemble in a 9x13 or lasagna pan.
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No-Peel, No-Boil Mashed Potatoes

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Are you getting ready to cook a large holiday meal for friends or family? Is stove-top space always at a premium, but you absolutely have to keep mashed potatoes on the menu? I’ve got the solution! And not only does it save you time and stove-top space, you also end up with super creamy, super fluffy mashed potatoes!

So what’s the secret? Well, there are two. First, you bake the potatoes. Yep, bake them. More on that in a minute. But the real secret is to use a potato ricer. If you don’t have one of these yet, and you like creamy, fluffy, “whipped” potatoes, you absolutely need one. They aren’t expensive and can be found in almost any grocery or department store. It’s the only way I make mashed potatoes.

So back to the potatoes. Make sure you wash them, and poke some holes in each one with either a fork or sharp knife. Since you won’t be eating the skins, you don’t need to oil or season them like you might for a baked potatoes. When I’m just making a small amount for two of us on a regular weeknight, I microwave them for around 3-4 minutes a piece, depending on size. If you are doing a smaller amount, this method works just fine.

If you’re making a large batch for a big family meal, just put them in the oven with your turkey, ham, or roast. Place them directly on a rack in the oven, preferably at 350 degrees (which is what most of those meats roast at), and bake them for an hour to an hour and half. Timing will depend on the size and number of potatoes. Whichever cooking method you use, you just want them to cook until they are easily pierced by a fork.

Once they are cooked, all you have to do is slice them in half, and press them through the ricer into a mixing bowl. Place them cut side down in the ricer and press. Depending on the size of the potato, you may get one or two halves in at a time. The potato flesh will pass right through, while the skin is left in the ricer. Pull out the empty skin, and press another potato. Repeat until you’ve got a big bowl of riced potatoes. Now add butter, milk and seasonings, and stir until creamy and fluffy. I prefer to heat the milk and butter together, and add it in batches until I reach the consistency I’m looking for. If you have extra, don’t discard it right away, as potatoes often thicken up as they sit and you may want to splash in a little more before serving.

This is really more of a method than a recipe. Although I’ve provided a very basic recipe below, you can add whatever ingredients you typically put in your mashed potatoes. Cream cheese, buttermilk, garlic – they all work perfectly with this method. Follow your favorite recipe, or try a new one!

Print Recipe
 No-Peel, No-Boil Mashed Potatoes
Super creamy and fluffy mashed potatoes without the time and hassle of peeling, chopping, and boiling.
Servings
Ingredients
Servings
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Wash the potatoes and poke several times with a fork or sharp knife.
  2. For smaller amounts, cook in the microwave for 3 to 4 minutes per potato.
  3. For large batches, place on oven rack and bake at 350 degrees for about one to one and a half hours. Can be baked with turkey, ham, or roast also in oven.
  4. Once potatoes are fork-tender, remove from oven or microwave. Slice each potato in half.
  5. Place halves cut-side down in a single layer in a potato ricer and press into a large mixing bowl. Remove skin that is left in ricer and repeat with remaining potatoes.
  6. Once potatoes are all riced, add warmed milk and butter gradually, with seasonings. Stir gently to combine, adding enough liquid to reach desired consistency. If potatoes need to sit before serving, they may cool and thicken. Add additional warm milk and butter just before serving if needed.
Recipe Notes
  • Quantities are approximate and adjustable. Halve, double, or triple to make the quantity you need. And adjust milk and butter quantity to get the texture you prefer.
  • Use this method with the ingredients you prefer in your potatoes. Cream cheese, buttermilk, garlic - any of those variations, and more, will work!
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Slow Cooker Meatballs and Rice

Dinner,

Hi everyone! I have something a little different for you today. I know I normally bring you baked goods, but everyone needs quick and easy dinner recipes, and I have one for you today. This was one of my favorite meals growing up – a sort of sweet and sour meatball served over rice. It’s definitely not  your standard Italian or Swedish meatball recipe, but it is really delicious. And kids love them!

You start by making pretty basic beef meatballs. Then you cook them in the sauce – no browning ahead of time needed. The sauce is really simple – just four ingredients (plus water) that you probably have in your pantry.  Ketchup, mustard, flour, and sugar. Four simple ingredients, but together they are more than the sum of their parts.

My mom always cooked these in a casserole dish in the oven, but I converted it to a slow cooker recipe. She thinks her aunt, who gave her the recipe, often made them in a slow cooker as well. Use whichever method works best for you and your schedule.

Although I haven’t strayed too far from the original recipe, I feel confident you could use your favorite meatball recipe with this sauce. Just don’t cook the meatballs ahead of time. I would probably skip on highly flavored recipes like sausage-based ones, but I think this would be a great place to substitute ground turkey or chicken. Since the meatballs cook in the sauce, there is less chance they will end up dry.

We always ate these meatballs over minute rice, but any type of rice or other starch would work well. You definitely want something to help soak up that sauce. Add in a vegetable, and you’ve got a quick, easy weeknight meal!


Print Recipe


Slow Cooker Meatballs and Rice

Course Main Dish

Servings
people


Ingredients
Meatballs

Sauce

Course Main Dish

Servings
people


Ingredients
Meatballs

Sauce


Instructions
  1. Combine all meatball ingredients until well mixed.

  2. Form into slightly-larger-than golf ball sized balls. I use a regular size ice cream scoop to keep them even. Place into slow cooker (or casserole dish).

  3. Combine all sauce ingredients and whisk until sugar is dissolved and flour in incorporated.

  4. Pour sauce over meatballs. Add water if needed to just cover meatballs.

  5. In slow cooker, cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or on high for 3 to 4 hours. In the oven, cook for about 1 hour at 350 degrees F.

  6. Serve over rice.


Recipe Notes
  • Recipe can be doubled (or tripled if you have a big enough pan.
  • Serve over the starch of your choice.
  • Feel free to experiment with other meat choices - turkey, chicken, etc.


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