Roast Pumpkin + Spinach Lasagne
I love making this simple lasagne when I feel like something warm and nourishing. I normally make up a big baking dish and enjoy for lunch or dinner the next day with a large salad or steamed green vegetables, as it keeps well for up to 3 days. It freezes well too.
What’s good about it:
This lasagne, gives your body a massive hit of antioxidants. Pumpkin is high in immune boosting vitamin A, which is important for eye health, protein synthesis, reproduction and a healthy immune system. It’s also high in fibre to help lower cholesterol and has good amounts of potassium which helps to regulate fluid and mineral balance in the body. Potassium blunts the effects of sodium which can help in lowering blood pressure. Spinach is my all time favourite and the ultimate super food. High in minerals potassium and magnesium as well as lutein, an antioxidant that can help protect the body against damage and disease. Tomatoes are high in antioxidants that include lycopene that can help support the immune system and fight disease. Ricotta adds calcium and protein your body needs for healthy bones and maintain lean muscle.
1 kg pumpkin, peeled
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 onion, diced
800 g chopped, tomatoes
3 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons, fresh chopped parsley
200 g baby spinach
500 g reduced fat deli-style ricotta (see notes)
1 egg
Preheat your oven to 200 C.
Slice pumpkin into 1 cm thick slices + place onto a baking tray.
Brush lightly with olive oil and sprinkle over a little cinnamon.
Bake for 30 minutes until tender and remove.
Sauté onion in a pot.
Add tomatoes and paste + cook for 15 minutes until thickened.
Add herbs and season to taste, then remove from heat.
Spread 1/4 of the sauce into the base of a baking dish.
Add half of the spinach then ½ of the roasted pumpkin on top.
Spoon over ½ of the tomato sauce. Repeat.
Beat the ricotta and egg until smooth.
Spread over the pumpkin.
Bake for 30 minutes.
Serve with leafy greens or steamed green vegetables.
Serves 6.
Nutrition per serve:
Protein: 16 g
Total fat: 9 g
Saturated: 5 g
Calcium: 289 mg
Carbs: 16.6 g
Calories: 213
Kilojoules: 892
NOTES:
To increase protein add beans, lentils or chicken when making the tomato sauce.
There are 3 great ways of making a non-dairy white sauce for those who have lactose issues:
1 Substitute the ricotta for pureed, white cannelini beans blended with roasted garlic and a splash of olive oil. It makes a great replacement for the ricotta in the recipe, plus it’s high in protein and fiber to help lower cholesterol and keep blood sugars stable.
2 Combine 500 g silken tofu with 60 g raw cashew nuts into a high speed blender. Blend until smooth and creamy and use to replace ricotta.
3 Quickly steam 1 whole cauliflower then blend with roasted garlic and a splash of olive oil until smooth and creamy. Spread over the lasagne and bake. When using this version, you need to add protein to make this meal complete, so add 500 g chicken breast into the tomato sauce or brown lentils or beans.
Contact Teresa Cutter
YUM! Can’t wait to try this one!
OOh yum, looking forward to trying this one with cauliflower substituted for the ricotta. Pureed cauliflower is the best thing ever, I use it throughout my cooking as a cream/sauce thickening replacement. Your photo of this dish is scrumptious!
Don’t forget ecobabe…add some protein if using cauliflower…..:)
I made 2 dishes on Friday night, one for me with cauliflower and one for the kids and husbandos with a more traditional white sauce based on what we had in the fridge, almond milk and provolone
. Both were sensational. I baked half a small jap pumpkin sliced into 1 inch thick wedges with the skin on and drizzled with coconut oil. Best roast pumpkin EVER, I filleted the slices before using in the recipe.. We all loved our meals, I ended up pureeing the left over cauliflower one and freezing it as a midweek soup (sounds weird but the flavours worked so well together). I was very lucky to be able to use homegrown: tomatoes, spinach, oregano and parsley, added an additional dimension of splendidness. I have been eating paleo for all of 3 weeks now and am finding your blog and recipes a great source of inspiration.
That’s awesome Ecobabe ! Nothing like home grown tomatoes. So glad you loved my recipe.
Could you substitute pumpkin for sweet potato? or too sweet once roasted for the recipe?
No Jess, not the same….use pumpkin or if you like roasted eggplant is lovely too. TX
Teresa, this recipe is fantastic. I just adore roasted pumpkin. In winter, I will be trying this. I’m all for salads at the moment.
I made this gorgeous lasagne last night for my husband,
it was soooo good we couldn’t get enough of it!!
Thankyou for a great meal….
Awesome Cherie – so glad you loved it. It’s sooo easy and my fav….:)
Yummy…! Do you use 800g of fresh tomatos or can you used chopped tinned ones ?
Either is great !
So yummy made it last week mid week after work, a big hit in our house of 4! Ended up making double on the weekend will always have on in the freezer thanks!
This was AMAZING. I added butter beans to the tomato mixture. I would have preferred red kidney beans but I didn’t have any in the cupboard
I used the cauliflower topping. The roast garlic made this taste sensational. Thank you Teresa for such a wonderful recipe. This is now a family favourite.
Hi Teresa,
Made this last night with red kidney beans the filling was delicious and everything was so easy to prepare. Next time I will add some mushrooms to the mix. My only concern is I found the ricotta to be quite sweet, is there another healthy cheese I can use?
Next time blend cottage cheese in place of the ricotta….you could also just top with Napolitana and then top with a little feta or grated parmesan.
Just made this for dinner. Was very tasty and easy to prepare! Thanks Teresa!
just had this for dinner and it was exquisite, i cant fault anything!!! The ricotta was amazing! Do you think zucchini would be good too? any ideas on other veggies i could substitute for? thank you for the recipe! x
I made this dish last week and it was the BEST lasagne recipe ever!!. Thanks Teresa
Delicious Lasagna, I add some garlic into the tomato paste. will be making this again & it’s nice to have vego meal once a week.
10/10
I just made this for lunch and it was the greatest thing ever! The cinnamon especially is amazing on the pumpkin. I used half egg/ricotta-half cauliflower blended together and it was amazing.
Theresa, can you suggest a replacement for ricotta cheese (besides what has been mentioned above)? I cant eat ricotta or cottage cheese, and love the sound of this dish. I will probably try the cauliflower as above if not. Thanks!
Hey Erin, use my cauliflower mash in place of the ricotta.
Thanks teresa, i did and loved it
added a little parmesan for zing as well, and cayenne pepper with the pumpkin in the over – delish!
Just purchased your revised edition of 80/20 e book but your lunches I find quite involved for someone who works 40+ hours a week. Breakfast and dinner seem to be fine and I can shop for these ingrediants what do you basically suggest for lunches. Salads and protein?
Hey June – veggies + salad + protein topped with a simple cold pressed olive oil + balsamic.
Hey Teresa, love your recipes! Just a quick question I really want to make this for Wednesday night but I am time poor. Could I prepare the layers earlier, refrigerate then add the topping before cooking it at dinnertime?
Yes perfect – you sure can.
Hi Theresa
Jut found your site and made this recipe last night. It turned out great – my husband who loves to eat healthy food was very impressed. I made the cauliflower topping and it tasted fantastic. We already have a Vitamix and love it, it gets a daily workout at our place!
Am looking at making lots more of your recipes as I have Hashimoto’s (auto immune underactive thyroid) and have had difficulty finding recipes that cater to those who are gluten AND dairy free and prefer to add minimal sugar but still love to eat tasty (healthy) food. Thank you for filling that spot! I have other food intolerances so particularly love that you offer more than one option for the toppings etc. Will definitely be making more of your recipes!
Hi Theresa!
Can i use butter beans for the topping instead of canelini beans? I cant get canelini beans where i live
AND no Cauli
THanks,
Sally
Hi Teresa,
Your recipes have helped my son in his transition from carnivore to vegetarian and now he is totally vegan. He is joining us for Christmas this year and I would like to honour his choice to be vegan by cooking him interesting, delicious vegan recipes. I have a great recipe for quinoa, and I love your cinnamon roasted pumpkin. Can you suggest a festive style dish – something with mushrooms and nuts for the main course? Do you also have vegan style custards. I am going to make him your yummy looking puddings. Thanks for your great recipes which I use and pass on to friends and family. Sincerely, Chris
Love your website!! Can I substitute pumpkin with acorn or butternut squash? Am going to make this tonite!
Yes you can PAt
x
This is absolutely wonderful, it tastes magnificent! Love your recipes Teresa x