Vegan Pumpkin Spinach Lasagna

A vegan Pumpkin Spinach Lasagna that captures all the flavor of the season. Creamy pumpkin bechamel sauce is layered between no-boil lasagna noodles with delicious vegan creamed spinach. Soy-free recipe.

Healthy might not go hand in hand with holidays, but here's a dish that might just make you change your mind. My vegan Pumpkin Spinach Lasagna.

This is a creamy, indulgent, decadent dish, but it's also packed with stuff that's really, really good for you. There's pumpkin, in the velvet pumpkin bechamel sauce, and you get your serving of greens in the savory creamed spinach.

Best of all, there's nothing artificial in here -- no vegan cheeze, no fake meat. It's all pure, unprocessed food, and it has all of the flavors of fall.

To make this lasagna even more ridiculously easy, I use no-boil lasagna noodles. In fact, you'll be surprised at how quickly this comes together. You do need to put the creamed spinach and the pumpkin bechamel together, but both are very simple recipes with just a handful of ingredients, so it'll all come together in no time at all.

I've shared this recipe with you before, as a lasagna for two, and at the time many of you made it and loved it. But we are not two in our home anymore, and since leftovers of this lasagna are amazing, I decided to double the recipe into a regular-sized lasagna. To adjust it down to a smaller serving, use the recipe slider (point the mouse at the number of servings).

Tips for making the perfect Pumpkin Spinach Lasagna:

• What makes this lasagna super easy to make is that most of the ingredients come canned or packaged. I use canned pumpkin and frozen spinach. Since you need a good bit of each, this works out really well and cuts down on cooking time. You can do this the hard way and start from scratch, but why would you?
• You might think you have too much of the pumpkin bechamel when you make it, but bear with me. You will use it all up, and you really want the pumpkin to shine here.
• I like making my own cashew cream for the creamed spinach simply because it gives me the consistency I want, and it takes all of two minutes to measure out a cup of cashews, a cup of water, and hit the blender button. But if you really don't want to do this, use cashew milk or even almond milk.
• The first time I made (and shared) this lasagna, I used grated potatoes for the topping. I've since revised that idea and I prefer to use breadcrumbs mixed with an Italian herb mixture or oregano. They bake up nice and crispy and golden, and they complement the rest of the lasagna beautifully. You can use panko bread crumbs for an even crispier topping. Or, if you're making this with gluten-free lasagna noodles, use gf breadcrumbs.
• Nutmeg is the spice of choice for this recipe, and it is great with both the pumpkin and the spinach. You need 2-3 tsp of nutmeg, which might seem like a lot, but remember, this is a family-sized lasagna with about 8 hefty servings. And the nutmeg is one of the few flavorings here, in addition to the garlic and onion in the creamed spinach and the herbs in the breadcrumbs, so be bold with it.
• Remember to bake the lasagna covered for 30 minutes, and uncovered for 30. You need the liquids inside to steam at the beginning so they cook the noodles. It's an important step.

Ingredients for the lasagna:

• Lasagna noodles (I use no-boil for convenience)
• Parsley or basil (optional, for garnish)
• Vegetable oil
• Unbleached all purpose flour
• Pumpkin puree (canned)
• Almond or other nondairy milk
• Nutmeg
• Raw cashews
• Onion
• Garlic
• Spinach
• Breadcrumbs
• Oregano (or Italian seasoning mix)

Looking for more vegan pasta recipes?

• Classic Vegan Lasagna
• Vegan Wild Mushroom Lasagna
• Vegan Sausage Breakfast Lasagna
• Vegan Penne alla Vodka
• Butternut Squash Farinata

Vegan Pumpkin Spinach Lasagna Recipe

Vegan Pumpkin Spinach Lasagna

Vaishali · Holy Cow! Vegan Recipes

A vegan Pumpkin Spinach Lasagna that captures all the flavor of the season. Creamy pumpkin bechamel sauce is layered between no-boil lasagna noodles with delicious vegan creamed spinach. Soy-free recipe.

5 from 11 votes

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Prep Time 20 mins

Cook Time 1 hr

Total Time 1 hr 20 mins

Course Main Course, Pasta

Cuisine Italian, Soy-free, Vegan

Servings 8 hearty servings

Calories 293 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 15 no-boil lasagna noodles (can use wholegrain or gf lasagna noodles)
• 2 tbsp parsley (or basil. Chopped, for garnish. Optional)

For the pumpkin bechamel:

• 2 tsp vegetable oil
• ½ cup unbleached all-purpose flour (use rice flour for a gluten-free version)
• 30 oz pumpkin puree (two cans)
• 4 cups almond milk (or any nondairy milk)
• 2 tsp nutmeg
• Salt and ground black pepper to taste

For the creamed spinach:

• 1 cup raw cashews
• 2 tsp vegetable oil
• 1 medium onion (finely chopped)
• 8 cloves garlic (minced)
• 2 tbsp unbleached all-purpose flour (use rice flour for a gluten-free version)
• 16 oz spinach (I use frozen. Thaw before use)
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• Salt and ground black pepper to taste

For the breadcrumb topping:

• 1 cup breadcrumbs
• 2 tsp oregano (or an Italian herb mixture)
• 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

 

Make the pumpkin bechamel:

• Heat the oil in a saucepan. Over medium heat add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until the flour becomes very fragrant, about 3-4 minutes.
• Add the nondairy milk, stirring constantly with a whisk to prevent lumps from forming. Add the pumpkin puree and continue to whisk. Cook the sauce for 10 minutes. You want it to be thick but fluid, about the consistency of pancake batter. If the sauce gets too thick, add some more nondairy milk.
• Stir in the nutmeg and add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

Make the creamed spinach:

• Blend the cashews with 1 cup water.
• Heat the oil in a saucepan and add the onion and garlic.
• Saute over medium heat until the onions turn translucent.
• Add the flour, and cook, stirring, about 2-3 minutes. Add the cashew cream and stir well.
• Add the spinach and continue cooking about two minutes. This will be thick, but if you find it is sticking to the bottom of the pan, add a tiny bit of water. Add nutmeg, salt and ground pepper, then turn off heat.

Assemble the lasagna:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
• Spread a couple of ladlefuls of the pumpkin bechamel on the bottom of a 9 X 13 inch baking dish.
• Layer five of the lasagna noodles on top of the sauce, then layer on half of the creamed spinach, spreading it evenly over the noodles. On top of the spinach, layer on approximately a third of the pumpkin sauce.
• Cover with five more noodles and continue layering with all of the remaining creamed spinach and a third of the bechamel.
• Place your last five noodles in the pan, and this time cover with just the remaining pumpkin bechamel.
• Top evenly with the breadcrumbs. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes.
• After 30 minutes remove the foil and continue to bake for 30 more minutes.
• Remove from the oven. Let stand 10 minutes, then serve the lasagna hot or later, at room temperature. If desired, sprinkle on some chopped parsley or basil before serving.

Notes

• To make with regular (not no-boil) lasagna noodles, just prep your noodles according to manufacturer directions and use.
• You can also use gf noodles and gf breadcrumbs for a gluten-free lasagna. And use rice flour instead of all purpose.

Nutrition

Calories: 293kcalCarbohydrates: 38gProtein: 10gFat: 13gSaturated Fat: 4gPotassium: 721mgFiber: 7gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 21955IUVitamin C: 24mgCalcium: 282mgIron: 6mg

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