Healthy Pumpkin Lasagna

A delicious healthy pumpkin lasagna with layers of pumpkin “ricotta”, spinach and a turkey & mushroom marinara sauce ready in an hour! 

A deliciously Fall inspired 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.

A deliciously Fall inspired healthy pumpkin lasagna with layers of pumpkin "ricotta", spinach and a turkey & mushroom marinara sauce ready in an hour! 

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.

A deliciously Fall inspired healthy pumpkin lasagna with layers of pumpkin "ricotta", spinach and a turkey & mushroom marinara sauce ready in an hour! 

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!
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

  • 9-12 brown rice lasagna pasta depending on the size of your casserole dish
  • 2 large **turkey sausages with casing removed
  • 3 cups chopped cremini mushrooms
  • 1 tbsp. olive oil
  • 2 shallots chopped
  • 3-4 garlic cloves minced
  • 2 cup marinara sauce I have a recipe HERE
  • 1/2 tsp. chili flakes
  • 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
  • 1 tbsp. chopped fresh sage
  • 1/2 tsp. sea salt
  • 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
  • 1 cup pumpkin puree
  • 2-3 cups baby spinach
  • 1 cup shredded organic mozzarella cheese
  • 1 batch *tofu ricotta recipe below

Tofu Ricotta

  • 1 block extra firm tofu
  • 2 tbsp. nutritional yeast
  • 1/2 medium lemon juiced
  • 1 tbsp. olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp. sea salt
  • 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
category:
serves: 12
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Instructions:

Tofu Ricotta

  • 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.
A deliciously Fall inspired healthy lasagna with layers of pumpkin "ricotta", spinach and a turkey & mushroom marinara sauce ready in an hour!

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