A delicious healthy pumpkin lasagna with layers of pumpkin “ricotta”, spinach and a turkey & mushroom marinara sauce ready in an hour!
I’m not kidding when I say this is the BEST lasagna recipe I have ever made! It’s not even stuffed with cheese. In fact, there’s a special ingredient in with the ricotta that you’re not going to believe.
This pumpkin lasagna recipe is made with brown rice pasta making it gluten-free! It’s also stuffed with the perfect balance of cheesy pumpkin flavour and turkey tomato sauce.
Dairy-Free Ricotta
Okay now for the secret behind my amazing pumpkin ricotta. I blended up the easiest 5 min dairy-free ricotta recipe by using tofu (yes tofu, just trust me) along with some nutritional yeast, olive oil and lemon juice with some spices to simulate the cheesy flavour and texture you’d find in a traditional ricotta.
Whether you love or hate tofu you need to give this recipe a try! You cannot tell the difference once it’s all cooked. Not to mention its a much lighter option so you don’t feel so heavy after inhaling a slice or 3 of this casserole.
This pumpkin lasagna recipe is also very customizable. If you want to make it vegan just sub the mozzarella out for a vegan cheese. And of course, sub the turkey sausage for more mushrooms or eggplant. Since its made with brown rice lasagna noodles its completely gluten free!
If you make this Healthy Pumpkin Lasagna, be sure to share a photo on social media and tag me@healthnutnutrition #healthnuteats so that I can see your creations!
Recipe
Healthy Pumpkin Lasagna
A deliciously Fall inspired healthy lasagna with layers of pumpkin “ricotta”, spinach and a turkey & mushroom marinara sauce ready in an hour!
In a food processor, crumble in tofu and add remaining ingredients.
Blend for 15-30 sec until smooth or until you've reached a "ricotta cheese" consistency.
Next, in a large bowl combine pumpkin puree with tofu ricotta until well mixed together, cover and refrigerate while you prepare the rest.
Pumpkin Lasagna
Pre-heat oven to 375F.
In a large skillet on low-medium heat add in oil and sauté shallot for 2 min. Add in chopped sage and cook for another min before adding in turkey sausage and garlic. Cook for 2 min while stirring to brown the meat. Add in the mushrooms, chili flakes, nutmeg, sea salt and black pepper, stir and cook for 1 min.
Pour in 2 cups of marinara sauce, stir and cook for another 1-2 min. Set aside.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil with a pinch of sea salt and cook brown rice lasagna noodles according to the directions on the box. I cooked mine for exactly 7 min just until they were al dante. Once cooked drain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking and drizzle with a bit of olive oil to prevent sticking.
To assemble lasagna you'll need a large deep casserole dish about 9 by 13 inches.
Evenly coat about 1 tbsp of olive oil to prevent sticking and allow for easy clean up.
Next, spread leftover marinara sauce from the jar (about 1/2 cup) evenly across the bottom.
Layer on 3-4 strips of pasta, half of the pumpkin ricotta, handful of baby spinach, 2 cups of the meat sauce and repeat. Once you get to the last layer of pasta you can spread the last little bit of meat sauce over top and top it off with some shredded mozzarella cheese.
Cover with foil and bake for 40 min. Remove foil and bake for another 10 min to brown the cheese.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool/rest for 10 min before cutting into it.
Notes
*Can sub for 1.5 cups of regular ricotta cheese if needed. ** You can sub for 1lb ground lean turkey or for a veggie option 1 eggplant chopped. ***You can store any leftover lasagna in an air tight container in the fridge for 3-4 days or freezer for 1-2 months.
If you recreate any of these recipes please share a photo on social media and
TAG me @healthnutnutrition and #healthnuteats so I can easily find them and like them!
[…] I right? But why not switch things up once in a while and think outside the box. I already have a Healthy Pumpkin Lasagna recipe which is also super yummy, but I wanted to make a meat-free option with a twist! And by […]
[…] running a few errands Saturday morning, I came home and made Nikole’s pumpkin lasagna and while I would have loved to keep it vegan, I wanted to share it with Brian and I also didn’t […]
Leave a comment
This lasagna has been a fall favorite of my husband and I for 2 years now. It says 12 servings but with us, it’s more like 6 or 8 haha!
[…] I right? But why not switch things up once in a while and think outside the box. I already have a Healthy Pumpkin Lasagna recipe which is also super yummy, but I wanted to make a meat-free option with a twist! And by […]
[…] running a few errands Saturday morning, I came home and made Nikole’s pumpkin lasagna and while I would have loved to keep it vegan, I wanted to share it with Brian and I also didn’t […]
Tofu ricotta?! Oh wow, this is amazing! I don’t eat meat, so what would be a good replacement for the turkey sausages?
You could just add more mushrooms and veggies like eggplant or zucchini 🙂