About 10 years ago, I remember seeing a vegetarian lasagne on a menu one day and out of interest, I ordered it and instantly fell in love. You can literally put ANYTHING into a lasagne and this roasted pumpkin eggplant lasagne has to be a favourite.
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Why you'll love this recipe
Fall flavours. If you're a big fan of pumpkin, like me, you'll love this recipe and my pumpkin feta risotto and pumpkin carrot soup.
Eggplant. Please don't knock it until you try it (cooked well!!!). A slow roasting is key like in my teriyaki turkey and eggplant or my eggplant involtini recipe.
Pasta. It's like the ultimate comfort food. Try my creamy pumpkin pasta or zucchini chicken pasta next!
Ingredients
Pumpkin. You can use any type of pumpkin you prefer, just know the roasting time may vary.
Cheese. You want a cheese that melts, so I recommend Mozzarella or pre-packaged 3 or 4 cheese mixes.
Marinara Sauce/Passata. I use a very basic passata because I'm lazy and have added extra flavour to the veggies. If you want to get a little more meat, you could add in some ground beef with the passata or even some hydrated TVP.
See recipe card for quantities.
Substitutions and variations
Other vegetables. You can pretty much add any other vegetables you want. I often do a layer of onion, spinach and ricotta, but I didn't have any when I put together this recipe.
You could also substitute the roast pumpkin with sweet potato or potato.
Add some protein. Beef lasagne is the classic "lasagne". Instead of the eggplant and pumpkin (or even in addition to), add a layer of cooked beef mince. You could also substitute this with chicken, pork or TVP for a vegetarian "meat" lasagne option.
Fresh lasagne sheets. Take away the 20 minutes covered cooking time as it won't be needed to cook the pasta through. Bake for 10-20 minutes (depending on if you're using as a meal prep) or until the cheese is golden and bubbly.
How to make roast vegetable lasagne
Using a sharp knife and cutting board, slice the eggplant into circles and sprinkle each side with salt. Allow them to sweat for 5-10minutes. This helps remove bitterness once cooked. Blot moisture with a paper towel that is released.
Cut pumpkin into cubes, removing the skin.
Line a baking tray with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat and coat both the eggplant and pumpkin in olive oil, salt and pepper, crushed garlic and Italian herbs and roast in the oven for 40 minutes @180C (360F) or until the pumpkin has softened.
Using a stick blender, food processor or a good old fork or potato masher, mash the pumpkin until smooth (don't worry if it has a couple of lumps).
Layer a baking dish (I use a 9x13 inch deep dish) beginning with ¼ cup of the marinara/passata (this will ensure the lasagne sheets don't stick). Then add a single layer of lasagne sheets (normally 2 sheets).
Top the lasagne sheets with the mashed pumpkin, eggplant and another ¼ cup of marinara/passata. Continue until you reach the top.
Finish the layers with lasagne sheets then marinara/passata and grated cheese.
Cover with foil (don't let it touch the lasagne otherwise you'll end up with cheese everywhere) and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake for a further 20 minutes or until you can pierce through all the layers with a skewer.
If you are making lasagne for meal prep, cook only for a further 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and golden as the layers will continue to cook when you re-heat.
Let rest for at least 10 minutes.
My Top Tips
More veggies. If you have other vegetables in your fridge that need to be used up, add them to this! For example, zucchini will go nicely with the eggplant layer, and you can add some mashed sweet potato to the pumpkin.
Drown the pasta. Make sure the pasta sheets are covered in the sauce (otherwise they'll go really dry in the oven)
Meal prepping lasagne
A vegetarian lasagne isn't huge on the protein, so if you're meal prepping and you have an active lifestyle, I recommend getting in an extra source of protein or making sure you're getting your protein for the rest of the day.
I'm not telling you not to eat this - because it is super yum and the ultimate comfort food - but keep in mind your bigger goals.
Storing and freezing
You can store your lasagne in the dish you bake it in or in separate airtight containers, ziplock bags or aluminum foil.
Before putting it in the fridge or freezer, allow it to cool completely (this can take 1-2 hours). By allowing it to cool, you help preserve the flavour and keep the fridge from heating up (which can be dangerous to the other food).
It'll keep in the fridge for 4-5 days or in the freezer for 3-6 months.
Reheating lasagne
Before re-heating the lasagne, remove it from the refrigerator and allow it to get to room temperature (approx. 30 minutes).
Microwave. Before reheating, add a drizzle of water over the top to stop the pasta sheets becoming dry. Reheat on 1 minute intervals until the centre is warm (you can test this by cutting a piece in half).
Oven. You can reheat lasagne in the oven in single or family-sized serves. Place it in an oven-safe dish and cover with aluminium foil. Reheat @180C (360F) for approx. 15 minutes or until the centre is warm.
If you want more meal prep information, check out my Meal Prep for Beginners post and my Meal Prep Basics E-Book.
FAQ
Absolutely! Lasagne can be quite time-consuming so doubling up on your batches so you have one now and one for later is recommended..
Unbaked. You can cook parts of the dish (like the eggplant and pumpkin in this recipe) on one day, and do the baking on another day.
You can also assemble the dish up to 24 hours before baking. Cover it tightly in plastic wrap or foil and store it in the refrigerator for when you're ready to bake.
Baked. If you want to bake the lasagne in advance, allow it to cool completely before storing in the fridge by wrapping in plastic wrap or foil. When ready to re-heat, cover in aluminium foil and add to a preheated oven @180C for approx. 15 minutes until heated through.
Freeze. You can freeze unbaked lasagne by assembling it and freezing in a freezer-safe baking dish. Make sure to wrap it tightly with plastic wrap and foil (around the entire baking dish) and label it with the date. It'll last about 3 months in the freezer. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before baking.
Re-heat lasagne in the oven by placing a single portion or family-sized serve in an oven-safe dish and cover with aluminium foil. Reheat @180C (360C) for approx. 15 minutes or until the centre is warm.
If you're a big cheese lover, in the last 5 minutes, uncover and add another layer of cheese. Let this cook and bubble for the freshly cooked cheese taste.
There are a couple of reasons for this:
Lack of moisture. If your sauce doesn't have enough liquid, it won't be able to penetrate the lasagne sheets and soften them. So make sure when you're layering, that the entire sheets in every layer are covered in the sauce. I like to drizzle more sauce down the sides to catch the corners of the lasagne.
Uneven cooking. Ensure your oven is preheated and the lasagne is positioned in the centre of the oven for even heat distribution.
Types of sheets. Different brands and different types of lasagne sheets might require different cooking times or need to be pre-cooked. Make sure to check the instructions for specific recommendations.
Other vegetarian meal prep recipes
Or, you can have a browse through my vegetarian meal preps for more delicious eats.
Recipe
Easy Eggplant Lasagne with Pumpkin
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Equipment
- Food Processor, optional
Ingredients
- 250 g (9 oz) lasagne sheets, Note 1
- 700 g (3 cups) passata, or marinara
- 2 (14 oz) eggplants
- ¼ (14 oz) pumpkin
- 45 ml (¼ cups) olive oil, extra virgin
- 4 cloves garlic, crushed
- 10 g (2 tablespoon) Italian herbs
- 50 g (½ cups) mozzarella , grated
- salt and pepper , to taste
Instructions
Prepare
- Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F)
- Slice the 2 (14 oz) eggplants into circles along small edge and sprinkle each side with salt. Allow them to sweat for 5-10 minutes. Blot moisture on each side with a paper towel.
- Cut ¼ (14 oz) pumpkin into cubes, removing the skin (this can be done with a vegetable grater).
Cook vegetables
- Line a baking tray and add 4 cloves garlic, eggplant, pumpkin. Coat with 45 ml (¼ cups) olive oil, 10 g (2 tablespoon) Italian herbs and salt and pepper
- Roast the vegetables in the oven for 40 minutes or until the pumpkin has softened.
- Using a stick blender, food processor or a good old fork or potato masher, mash the pumpkin until smooth (don't worry if it has a couple of lumps).
Lasagne
- Layer a deep baking dish beginning with ¼ cup of the passata. Then add a single layer of lasagne sheets (normally 2 sheets).
- Top the lasagne sheets with the some of the mashed pumpkin, eggplant and another ¼ cup of sauce. Repeat layers until you reach the top of the dish and finish with lasagne sheets topped with sauce and 50 g (½ cups) mozzarella
- Cover the layered lasagne with foil (make sure it doesn't touch the cheese) and bake covered for 20 minutes.
- Uncover and bake for a further 20 minutes or until you can pierce through all the layers with a skewer.if having this for a meal prep, bake only for a further 10 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes.
- Cut and serve with a side of salad.
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