This weekend’s weather could not have been more perfect for a farm adventure. The sky was blue; the air was crisp; and the red, orange, and yellow leaves glowed in the bright sunshine. The colors inspired me to make the autumn lasagna I saw here.

Armed with a bread loaf pan, two ready-bake lasagna noodles, and smaller portions of the remaining ingredients, I set off to conquer my quest of converting large recipes into smaller servings for all you cooks out there, young and old, who at least sometimes eat alone.

It’s not sweet, as it contains smoked paprika, salt, sage, and no sweetener like sugar or honey. Odd to some, intriguing to me, very pleasing to the taste buds.

Tip: Keep a box of ready-bake lasagna noodles on hand for a variety of dishes and a great way to use leftovers. You can create mini lasagna from scratch with the following recipe, or you can layer leftover spaghetti meat sauce with the noodles and cheese in order to use up your leftovers. If you’re feeling really adventurous, make a veggie lasagna with leftover sauteed or roasted vegetables and plenty of mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.

Recipe: Turkey and pumpkin lasagna
Adapted from www.bitchincamero.com
Serves 1 or 2

1 Tbsp olive oil
½ lb ground turkey
¼ cup dried cranberries
4 button mushrooms, sliced
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp coarse salt
¼ tsp ground sage
¼ tsp dried thyme
½ cup canned pureed pumpkin
¼ cup ricotta cheese
1/8 tsp pumpkin pie spice
2 ready-bake or cooked lasagna noodles
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
2 Tbsp grated Parmesan
1/8 tsp ground sage
1/8 tsp dried thyme

Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add turkey and brown. When cooked through, add cranberries, mushrooms, garlic, and paprika. Saute for another 10 minutes, add sage and thyme, and remove from heat.

If you’re not using ready-bake lasagna noodles, cook them while the turkey browns. While the turkey mixture cooks, combine the pureed pumpkin with the ricotta cheese and pumpkin pie spice.

Preheat the oven to 375°, and grease a bread loaf pan. Layer half the turkey mixture on the bottom of the pan, then spread on half of the pumpkin-cheese mixture. Top with a lasagna noodle. Repeat layers once more, then top with cheeses and a sprinkle of sage and thyme.

Bake for 35 minutes, or until the cheese is brown and the lasagna is bubbly. Let stand for 10 minutes, then slice and serve. Enjoy with a pumpkin dinner roll with olive oil, salt, and herbs for dipping and a cold winter ale.