Welcome to a cozy autumn kitchen experience! Lasagna is the ultimate comfort food, and today we're giving it a seasonal, vegetarian makeover. This Vegetarian Lasagna with Pumpkin and Walnuts is a celebration of fall flavors, combining the natural sweetness of pumpkin with the earthy crunch of walnuts. Layered between tender pasta sheets and a rich, homemade Béchamel sauce, this dish is both elegant and deeply satisfying. It's the perfect meal to share with family and friends on a crisp evening.
Vegetarian Lasagna with Pumpkin and Walnuts
Ingredients for Pumpkin Lasagna
- 2 medium onions
- 2 tablespoons olive or sunflower oil
- 1-2 pumpkins (total weight about 2.2 kg or 1.7 kg of pulp)
- 1 clove of garlic
- 1 vegetable bouillon cube
- 18 lasagna sheets
- 80 g walnut kernels
- 50 g grated cheese
For the Béchamel Sauce
- 70 g all-purpose flour
- 70 g butter
- 700 ml cow's milk or plant-based milk (oat, soy, etc.)
- salt and pepper, other spices to taste
How to Make Vegetarian Lasagna
First, prepare the pumpkin. Cut the pumpkin in half, remove the seeds, then peel the skin and slice the flesh into small, thin pieces.
Cut the pumpkin in half, remove the seeds, and peel the skin
Next, peel and finely chop the onion. Pour a small amount of olive oil into a frying pan and lightly sauté the onion until golden brown (approximately three minutes).
Slice the onion and pumpkin into thin pieces
Add the sliced pumpkin to the pan with the sautéed onion, sprinkle with minced garlic (or garlic powder), crumble in the bouillon cube, and add 250 milliliters of water. Mix everything well and let the mixture simmer, covered, for a quarter of an hour (15-20 minutes).
Add the pumpkin and some water to the fried onion and simmer
Next step — prepare the Béchamel sauce, which will give the vegetarian lasagna a special tenderness and a unique creamy flavor.
Melt the butter in a saucepan or pot, then add the flour and, whisking vigorously, let it cook for two to three minutes. After that, continuing to whisk, gradually add the milk in small portions.
Add flour to the melted butter and mix with an immersion blender or a whisk
Bring the resulting mixture to a simmer over low heat, stirring constantly, until it reaches a smooth, creamy consistency (5-10 minutes). Add salt and spices to taste.
You can also use an immersion blender to mix the sauce, but note that this will make the sauce much thicker, and you will need 3 times more milk to make it thin enough to use easily.
Simmer the Béchamel sauce over low heat until it reaches a creamy consistency
Grate the cheese on a coarse grater.
Grate the cheese on a coarse grater
After that, begin assembling the pumpkin lasagna.
Pour a little vegetable oil and Béchamel sauce into a wide baking dish, just enough to cover the bottom.
Place a single layer of lasagna sheets at the bottom (as many as the dish fits), spread the sheets with sauce, and then add a layer of the pumpkin and onion “mince.”
Place a few dry lasagna sheets in a single layer on the greased bottom of the baking dish
Generously spread the Béchamel sauce over the sheets
Spread a layer of the pumpkin and onion filling over the sauced sheets
Then add the chopped walnuts or grate the walnut kernels directly over the lasagna.
Grate the walnut kernels directly over the lasagna
Repeat this step several times until all the sheets and filling are used up. It is very important to coat the corners and edges of the sheets well with sauce and filling, otherwise they will turn out dry.
To distribute the filling as evenly as possible, calculate in advance how many layers the finished dish will have. Most often, a baking dish fits three lasagna sheets in one layer, so from 18 sheets, we will get a lasagna with 6 layers. Therefore, before assembling the lasagna, divide the vegetable filling into 5 equal parts (the sixth, top layer is not covered with filling).
Finish assembling the lasagna with a layer of grated cheese, which is placed on the very top sheet, also coated with Béchamel sauce (you can also add a little ketchup for decoration).
Sprinkle the top sheet, coated with Béchamel sauce, with cheese and garnish with ketchup
Bake the lasagna in the oven for 20 minutes at 180°C (350°F), until the cheese crust begins to turn golden brown.
The vegetarian lasagna with pumpkin and walnuts is ready
And there you have it—a beautiful, golden-brown lasagna ready to be enjoyed! Let it rest for a few minutes before slicing to allow the layers to set. This dish is wonderful on its own or served with a simple green salad with a vinaigrette dressing. It's a fantastic way to incorporate seasonal vegetables into a classic dish, proving that vegetarian meals can be incredibly hearty and flavorful. We hope this recipe brings warmth and joy to your table. Enjoy every creamy, nutty bite!
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