Simple pumpkin lasagna recipe is a cheesy, veggie-packed lasagna with just enough meat and vegetables to be a whole meal in one pan! Inspired by my pumpkin pasta sauce recipe, this lasagna is one of the best ways to add more veggies to your meals!
Recipe: $15.59 | Per Serving: $1.30 | Yield: 12(ish)
This one pan dinner contains vegetables✔, meat✔, dairy✔, and whole grains✔, so it's perfectly capable of being its own full meal. However, you're welcome to pair it with a delicious Arugula Salad, some No-Knead Bread, or maybe even crispy roasted broccoli.
As you can see, today's spinach pumpkin lasagna is a bit more expensive (cheese and noodles and meat and pumpkin puree) than others on the blog. BUT, one pan can yield up to 12 servings, depending on how you cut it and how many people you are serving for dinner and how hungry you are.
I'm also sharing some top tips later for making it a bit more budget-friendly. This dish is definitely a winner and worth it for a little bit of a splurge on groceries.
Why You Will Love This Recipe
- Pumpkin lasagna is dinner party worthy. It's really that good!
- Great for making meals in advance!
- Perfect for potlucks and larger groups.
- A great recipe for smaller households since it freezes and reheats well!
- It's packed with lots of nutrition thanks to the pumpkin and other veggies.
- A great food gift for a friend or someone in need of a warm meal!
Ingredients
Let's look at what you need to make this recipe. Also, check below for my tips on making this pumpkin lasagna a bit more budget-friendly.
- Olive oil: A healthy oil that's perfect for making this recipe.
- Garlic: Use fresh garlic for the best flavor.
- Pumpkin puree: Use canned pumpkin or make your own pumpkin puree with any budget-friendly winter squash including pumpkin and butternut squash.
- Milk: Any type of milk works.
- Spices and herbs: Dried oregano, basil, and sage.
- Vinegar: Adds a bit of acid to the pumpkin sauce to balance out the natural sweetness of the pumpkin. You can also use lemon juice.
- Lasagna noodles: I like to make this with whole wheat noodles for a bit more fiber. You can also swap it for a gluten-free pasta option as well.
- Ground meat: Choose any type of ground meat that fits your budget.
- Spinach: Thawed frozen spinach makes an easy option for making this recipe.
- Cheese: This recipe uses creamy ricotta and shredded mozzarella.
Frugal Tips for Making this Recipe
Like I said, this is a bit pricier than some of the other recipes here on Frugal Nutrition and while I think it's worth it, here are some ways you can make it more budget-friendly.
- Make your own pumpkin/squash puree. A 3-pound butternut squash will yield close to 4 cups of puree, and if bought in season, it will probably cost you about $2 - $2.50. The resulting puree will be very close to the canned stuff since most canned pumpkin puree is a combination of sweet winter squashes. If using butternut, cut it in half, scoop out the seeds, and roast at 400ºF for about 45 minutes, or until totally tender. (Or see Homemade Pumpkin Puree by The Pioneer Woman.)
- Skip the meat. I buy grass-fed beef at about $5 a pound most of the time, so 8 ounces is a hefty $2.50 for this recipe. Skip it or go for the conventional meat option instead. Buy the best quality you can realistically afford and be fine with that. :)
- Use farmer's market spinach! Most farmer's market produce is actually a little pricey, but I've noticed that leafy greens, including kale, chard, and spinach (and seasonal herbs!!) tend to be half of the cost of what you'd find in the store simply due to volume. I also keep frozen spinach on hand as an emergency vegetable, but I don't usually wait for it to be on sale, and this recipe cost reflects the regular store price I paid.
- Use store-brand shredded mozzarella. This recipe is priced at $2 for the sliceable stuff. I usually wait for it to go on sale for $2 per 8 ounces, but that is not super frequent. I've noticed that a 12 ounce bag of shredded mozzarella is usually cheaper than the fresh stuff. And if that's what you can afford, then go for it!
Substitutions and Variations
- Ground meat: I usually use ground beef to make pumpkin lasagna but there's no reason you couldn't also make this with ground turkey, Italian sausage, or ground chicken. For a meatless option, you can even leave it out.
- Spinach: Use other greens such as kale or swiss chard.
- Ricotta: I have made this with Macadamia-Cauliflower Ricotta and it is to.die.for!!
How to Make Pumpkin Lasagna
There are a few steps that go into making pumpkin lasagna. Here they are broken down step by step. See the recipe card for detailed instructions.
Step 1: Make the Pumpkin Sauce
- Heat the oil over medium heat, add the garlic and cook for about one minute.
- Next, add the pumpkin puree, milk, salt, oregano, and basil and cook over low heat for a few minutes to meld the flavors, but do not let the milk simmer.
- Taste and add vinegar or lemon juice at the end to brighten the flavor. Set the sauce aside and allow it to cool.
Step 2: Prep Ingredients For the Lasagna
- Cook the lasagna noodles according to the package directions. After cooking, drain the noodles and lay them flat.
- Brown the beef in a large pan with the sage, oregano, basil, and salt. Add the frozen spinach and cook until thawed.
- After cooking combine with the beef and spinach mixture with the ricotta cheese and mix together.
Step 3: Assemble the Lasagna
Once you've got everything prepped and ready to go, you're ready to assemble the lasagna.
- Spread a little pumpkin sauce on the bottom of a 9x13-inch glass casserole dish or cake pan.
- Add the lasagna noodles to cover the bottom of your dish. (I did 4 layers of 3 noodles each layer. You can cut the noodles to suit your pan/dish size.)
- Add one-third of the spinach-ricotta-meat mixture followed by a layer of the pumpkin sauce.
- Add another layer of lasagna noodles, ricotta mixture, and pumpkin sauce.
TOP TIP: In the middle layer, if you have enough mozzarella, I would add about one-third of it to bring some gooey cheesiness to the center of the lasagna.
- Continue layering until you run out of ingredients and/or space. Top with mozzarella cheese.
- Cover the lasagna and bake at 425ºF for 30 minutes. Remove the cover and bake five more minutes to brown the top of the cheese.
- Let the lasagna cool for at least 10 minutes before serving!
What to Serve With Pumpkin Lasagna
Since pumpkin lasagna has it all and is basically an entire meal in one pan you won't need much to add on! Here are some of my top lasagna side dishes you might want to use!
- A simple artisan loaf or some homemade garlic bread work great!
- Bulk up the greens with this simple arugula salad with lemon basil dressing or a fresh kale salad.
- A roasted vegetable salad or zucchini caprese salad bulks up the veggies for this meal even more!
- A simple veggie such as stovetop carrots or brussel sprouts works well too!
Storage
- Make ahead: If planning to make pumpkin lasagna ahead of time, cook it all the way through. Then after cooling completely, cut it into individual squares or serving sizes for meals and transfer it to airtight containers for storage.
- Refrigerator: Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to five days.
- Freezer: Pumpkin lasagna can be frozen for up to three months.
- Reheat: Reheat individual or smaller portions in the oven covered for 20-30 minutes or until heated through. The time it takes will vary depending on the amount you are reheating.
Expert Tips
- Don't skip salting the water for cooking the noodles. Adding lots of salt to the water makes for more flavorful noodles.
- Lay cooked noodles flat to cool. If they're curled as they cool, they are more difficult to flatten and layer.
- Squeeze thawed or cooked spinach. No matter which you use, spinach contains quite a bit of water after cooking. Squeeze it out so you don't end up with a watery lasagna.
- Let lasagna sit after cooking. I know you're probably hungry, but give it some time, you will thank me later. This time allows the juices in the lasagna to soak back into the dish making it cut easier and it keeps the layers intact.
FAQs
Yes you can. Assemble the lasagna and wrap it up well before storing it in the freezer for up to three months. When ready to serve, allow the lasagna to thaw out in the fridge overnight and then continue with baking the lasagna. Since it may still be cold in the center, you may find it needs to cook for a bit longer than a freshly made lasagna.
If you prefer to skip the step of boiling the noodles, I think you can swap them with no-boil lasagna sheet or noodles, but I haven't tried it. Just be sure to check the recommended cooking time on the package and adjust accordingly.
Dietary Modifications
Paleo: This has three dairy ingredients, as well as whole wheat pasta. I'd say make the pumpkin sauce with dairy-free Paleo milk, and then use it in another way. Sorry!
Vegetarian: You can easily skip the meat in this dish. I'd sauté the spinach with the sage, oregano, and basil and then just follow the recipe as written.
More Real Food Pumpkin Recipes
Looking for other pumpkin recipes? Never fear - I fell in love with pumpkin (and pumpkin spice) during cozy falls in Baltimore, MD, and now have plenty of healthy, real food pumpkin recipes to hook you up!
This recipe was originally posted in October of 2016, but has recently been updated for clarity and, in all honesty, for SEO purposes! Thank you for supporting me and my blog! See the full YouTube video for this recipe here!
Spinach Pumpkin Lasagna
Ingredients
For the Pumpkin Sauce:
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 8 cloves garlic grated or finely minced
- 2 cans pumpkin puree about 4 cups
- 2 cups milk
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 2 tablespoons vinegar or lemon juice optional
For the Lasagna:
- 1 pound whole wheat lasagna noodles 12 noodles* can use Gluten free or other
- ½ pound ground meat
- ½ teaspoon dried sage
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 cups thawed or cooked spinach
- 12-16 ounces ricotta cheese
- 8 ounces mozzarella cheese thinly sliced or shredded
Instructions
- Make the Pumpkin Sauce: Warm the oil over medium heat and sauté the garlic until fragrant and tender, about 1 minute. Add the pumpkin puree, milk, salt, oregano, and basil and cook over low heat for a few minutes to marry the flavors, but do not let the milk simmer. Taste and add vinegar or lemon juice at the end to brighten the flavor. Set aside.
For the Lasagna:
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and (optional--add lots of salt to the water for more flavorful noodles) boil the lasagna noodles according to package instructions. Drain and lay flat while you prepare the beef and sauce. (If they're curled as they cool, they will be difficult to flatten and layer, but not impossible.)
- Brown the beef in a large pan with the sage, oregano, basil and salt. Combine with the spinach and ricotta cheese.
Assemble the Lasagna:
- Spread a little pumpkin sauce on the bottom of a 9x13-inch glass casserole dish or cake pan. // Add lasagna noodles to fill your dish. (I did 4 layers of 3 noodles each layer. You can cut the noodles to suit your pan/dish size.) // Add ⅓ of the spinach-ricotta-meat mixture. // Top with more pumpkin sauce.
- Add another layer of lasagna noodles // ricotta mixture // and pumpkin sauce. In this middle layer, if you have enough mozzarella, I would add about ⅓ of the mozzarella to bring some gooey cheesiness to the center of the lasagna. Continue layering until you run out of ingredients and/or space. Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella cheese over the top of the dish.
- Cover and bake on 425ºF for 30 minutes. Remove cover/foil and bake 5 more minutes to brown the top of the cheese. Let cool at least 10 minutes and serve!
- Optional: Garnish with grated Parmesan cheese or fresh oregano.
Notes
- Don't skip salting the water for cooking the noodles. Adding lots of salt to the water makes for more flavorful noodles.
- Lay cooked noodles flat to cool. If they're curled as they cool, they are more difficult to flatten and layer.
- Squeeze thawed or cooked spinach. No matter which you use, spinach contains quite a bit of water after cooking. Squeeze it out so you don't end up with a watery lasagna.
- Let lasagna sit after cooking. I know you're probably hungry, but give it some time, you will thank me later. This time allows the juices in the lasagna to soak back into the dish making it cut easier and it keeps the layers intact.
- Nutrition label below (an estimate) shows 12 servings. This assumes you will have other classic items on the side such as salad, garlic bread, or roasted vegetables. In Italy, many portions of pasta are quite small, like this, because they eat several other items with the meal. Feel free to eat as MUCH or as LITTLE as fits your needs. When we aren't pairing this with other foods, it is closer to 8 servings.
I made this because I had a can of pumpkin that was just past its 'best buy' date. I made a 1/2 recipe. I halved everything except for the meat/spinach filling. It turned out well. It made a hearty lasagna (maybe a little drier than most would like). The only other changes I made were: I used oven-ready noodles and mild Italian sausage instead of ground beef. The meat / spinach mixture is tasty and would be good in other recipes (e.g., stuffed shells).
I enjoyed this recipe and would make it again. Thanks.
Hi Mark! Thanks for sharing your feedback - it's very helpful for other readers! Glad you enjoyed the recipe. :) :)
This was a very tasty fall dish! Yum! 👍👍
Maybe I missed it, but you said to add some mozarella to the middle layer, but then do you use the remainder of the mozarella as the final layer on top of pumpkin sauce?
Thank you. I will try this one again!
Hi Jan - thanks for your comment and I'm so glad you enjoyed it! As for the mozzarella - Yes! Add the rest to the top! I will update the instructions to be clear. Thank you!
I love pumpkin on everything and this is such a great idea to incorporate it in a savory way! :)
:) Thank you! I hope you try it!