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Healthy Slow Cooking

December 1, 2019 · 33 Comments

Vegan Slow Cooker Pumpkin Lasagna

crockpot· Main Course· Pasta· Slow Cooker Recipes· Winter

Jump to Recipe
Table of Contents show
1 Why make vegan slow cooker pumpkin lasagna?
2 What if I’m allergic to soy?
3 How do I make pumpkin-tofu ricotta?
4 Where do I store my pumpkin-tofu ricotta?
5 What if I don’t have sun-dried tomatoes?
6 Ingredients to make vegan pumpkin lasagna
7 How to make pumpkin lasagna
8 Can you make lasagna in a slow cooker?
9 More Pasta recipes
10 Slow Cooker Protein Packed Pumpkin Lasagna
10.1 Ingredients 1x2x3x
10.1.1 PUMPKIN-TOFU RICOTTA INGREDIENTS
10.1.2 LASAGNA INGREDIENTS
10.2 Instructions
10.3 Nutrition
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Embrace the intersection of pumpkin season and slow cooker season and make my Vegan Slow Cooker Pumpkin Lasagna. It’s my favorite weekend dinner because it cooks in about 2 hours. If you don’t do soy you could sub nut ricotta, and it has an oil-free option too!

Vegan Slow Cooker Pumpkin Lasagna slice on a white plate on a white tablecloth

Is your slow cooker still in the cabinet? If you’ve been neglecting your slow cooker, it’s time to put it back on your kitchen counter. Make this pumpkin lasagna your new best friend and last-minute weekend dinner.

This recipe is from my very first book, The Vegan Slow Cooker. It cooks in 1 1/2 to 2 hours, so it’s not a recipe that you can start in the morning. If you are looking for something that does cook all day, try my Vegan Slow Cooker Creamy Indian Lentils and Kidney Beans or Italian Slow Cooker Cranberry Bean Soup with Greens.

Why make vegan slow cooker pumpkin lasagna?

It’s the perfect dish to serve at a dinner party or for family dinner on Saturday night. Not only that it’s easy to make, but also hearty enough for non-vegans to enjoy. Just add a green salad and some garlic bread and everyone will be happy!

What if I’m allergic to soy?

This vegan version is a twist on the traditional ultra-heavy lasagna. Instead of pre-made vegan ricotta, it uses a homemade pumpkin tofu version. If you are allergic to soy, you could use nut ricotta or even Kite Hill’s pre-made almond ricotta.

 

Is pumpkin good for you?

I love adding pumpkins as my main ingredient in some of my recipes. They are incredibly rich in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Their low-calorie content makes them a weight-loss-friendly food.

Is pumpkin a superfood?

Pumpkins are nutritious powerhouses, that’s why they’re considered a superfood. Whether cooked sweet or savory, made into soup, added into bread, pumpkins are very filling.

How do I make pumpkin-tofu ricotta?

Blend the olive oil (or water or Aquafaba to make oil-free) and the rehydrated sun-dried tomatoes in a food processor until a paste forms. There may still be some lumps, but don’t worry, it’s just okay.

Add the remaining ricotta ingredients and blend until creamy. If the mixture is too thick, you add a little water. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

Where do I store my pumpkin-tofu ricotta?

You can store your ricotta in an airtight container in the fridge. Once you open it, you can consume it within 3-6 days.

Fresh pumpkin cut in a quarter beside a whole one

What if I don’t have sun-dried tomatoes?

If you don’t have sun-dried tomatoes, canned tomatoes will work but the sauce will be thinner. You can also use canned plum tomatoes or Italian San Marzanos.

What is the difference between sun-dried tomatoes and regular tomatoes?

Sun-dried tomatoes have a considerably stronger sweet-tart flavor than fresh tomatoes, so a small amount goes a long way. They also have a more chewy texture.

Should I rehydrate sun-dried tomatoes?

You’ll need to rehydrate your sun-dried tomatoes with liquid unless you buy them packed in oil. Sun-dried tomatoes should be covered in warm water and soaked for two hours at room temperature as a general rule. Another way to increase the flavor is to soak them in wine or broth rather than water.

Sun dried tomatoes on a small black bowl sitting on a wooden chopping board with some fresh veggie cuts on the side

Ingredients to make vegan pumpkin lasagna

To make the pumpkin-tofu ricotta:

You’ll need olive oil, or make it oil-free with or Aquafaba. Then gather Sun-dried tomatoes, rehydrated, tofu (silken, soft, or firm), pumpkin puree, nutritional yeast, Italian seasoning, onion powder, minced garlic, salt and pepper. 

To make the lasagna:

  • Marinara sauce
  • Whole-wheat lasagne noodles
  • White beans drained and rinsed

How to make pumpkin lasagna

First, spray the crock with olive oil so you won’t have a nightmare clean-up on your hands later on. Spread a thin layer of sauce over the bottom of the slow cooker.

Break off the corners on one side of each noodle so they fit snugly in the slow cooker. You can add the corners in as well. Place a single layer of noodles over the sauce. Spread one-third of the ricotta mixture over the noodles.

Spread another thin layer of sauce over the ricotta and sprinkle one-third of the white beans on top of that.

Repeat the layers two more times, ending with the last layer of lasagne noodles, and then top that with more sauce. Cook on low for 3 to 4 hours or on high for 1½ to 2 hours, until a fork, will easily go through the middle and the pasta is al dente.

Here’s a tip: you may add ½ cup (120 ml) extra sauce or water if you need to leave it an hour or two longer.

 

Can you make lasagna in a slow cooker?

Yes, of course! But it is not a dish that you throw together on a workday morning and come home to at night. Pasta in the slow cooker is a little touchy.

What does touchy mean? Well, I’d make this the moment you get home so you can keep an eye on it.

If your slow cooker runs hot it will be done faster. But once you make it once, you can adjust it to cook perfectly in your slow cooker all the other times.

Be sure to check out my slow cooker faq page for more slow cooker info, including how to pick out a slow cooker for you.

More Pasta recipes

I love veganizing this Lasagne al forno recipe. That usually means meat but this starts of swapping the mushrooms for the meat. All you have to do is use vegan cheeses, butter, and plant-based milk to make this delicious dish vegan!

A slice of vegan lasagna on a white plate with a silver fork.

Slow Cooker Protein Packed Pumpkin Lasagna

Kathy Hester
This is a perfect dish for introducing nonvegans to vegan food and is much healthier than the traditional, fat-laden lasagna. It’s easy to make and hearty. Add a nice spinach salad with a balsamic vinaigrette, and you’re all ready to have friends over for dinner.
5 from 1 vote
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 20 mins
Cook Time 1 hr 30 mins
Total Time 1 hr 50 mins
Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Servings 6 servings
Calories 406 kcal

Ingredients
  

PUMPKIN-TOFU RICOTTA INGREDIENTS

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil , or use water or aquafaba to make oil-free
  • 3 medium sun-dried tomatoes , rehydrated (pour boiling water over them and let them sit for 5 minutes)
  • 1 pound tofu (silken, soft, or firm)
  • 1.5 cups pumpkin
  • ¼ cup nutritional yeast
  • 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 2 cloves garlic , crushed
  • Salt and pepper , to taste

LASAGNA INGREDIENTS

  • 3 cups marinara sauce
  • 14 ounces whole-wheat lasagne noodles , about ¾ package
  • 1.5 cups white beans , drained and rinsed

Instructions
 

  • the night before:
  • To make the pumpkin-tofu ricotta: In a food processor, blend the olive oil (or water or aquafaba to make oil-free) and the rehydrated sun-dried tomatoes until a paste forms. There may still be some lumps.
  • Add the remaining ricotta ingredients and blend until creamy. Add a little water if the mixture is too thick. Taste and adjust the seasonings. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.
  • in the morning:
  • To make the lasagna: Spray the crock with olive oil so you won’t have a nightmare cleanup on your hands later on.
  • Spread a thin layer of sauce over the bottom of the slow cooker. Break off the corners on one side of each noodle so they fit snugly in the slow cooker. You can add the corners in as well.
  • Place a single layer of noodles over the sauce. Spread one-third of the ricotta mixture over the noodles.
  • Spread another thin layer of sauce over the ricotta and sprinkle one-third of the white beans on top of that.
  • Repeat the layers two more times, ending with a last layer of lasagne noodles, and then top that with more sauce.
  • Cook on low for 3 to 4 hours or on high for 1½ to 2 hours, until a fork will easily go through the middle and the pasta is al dente.
  • Note: Add ½ cup (120 ml) extra sauce or water if you need to leave it an hour or two longer.

Nutrition

Calories: 406kcalCarbohydrates: 73gProtein: 23gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 701mgPotassium: 1095mgFiber: 6gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 3022IUVitamin C: 12mgCalcium: 127mgIron: 7mg
Keyword crockpot vegan lasagna, slow cooker lasagna, vegan lasagna
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

 

A slice of vegan lasagna on a white plate with a silver fork.
Previous Post: « Easy Thanksgiving Dinner for Two
Next Post: Are Ugly Produce Boxes for You? »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Melissa says

    January 20, 2010 at 12:03 am

    Wow this sounds good. I am going to have to try it asap!

    Reply
  2. Deb Bixler says

    February 3, 2010 at 9:49 pm

    Sounds great and is just the kind of recipe I love. I am definitely making this one. Thanks, Deb

    Reply
  3. Anna Down Under says

    June 13, 2011 at 4:09 am

    What size jar of marinara sauce do you use? I have to convert to Australian (metric) sizes so I’m wondering if it’s closer to the 500g or 733g size jar.

    Reply
    • Kathy Hester (geekypoet) says

      June 13, 2011 at 8:35 am

      Hi Anna – here are some of the conversions for this recipe. Please email me if you need any others. I’m planning to update the site for both measurements, but I’m not sure when this year I will do it.

      1 jar (24 ounces, or 672 g) marinara sauce, store-bought
      1 package (15 ounces, or 420 g) silken, soft, or firm tofu
      1⁄4 cup (24 g) nutritional yeast
      About 3⁄4 package (10 ounces, or 280 g) whole wheat lasagne noodles (the regular kind, not the no-boil noodles)
      1 can (141⁄2 ounces, or 406 g) white beans, drained
      and rinsed, or 11⁄2 cups (340 g) homemade

      Reply
    • Kathy Hester (geekypoet) says

      June 13, 2011 at 8:36 am

      Oh – and all the recipes in the cookbook have both measurements already. It’s just the website I need to update.

      Reply
  4. Anna Down Under says

    June 13, 2011 at 8:53 am

    Thanks heaps. Of course, our products come in different sizes, even with the conversion. That’s always a problem for me when I try to make some of the vegan recipes I find online. For instance, I can’t get tofu in packages of 340g (12oz) or 425g (15oz). So I’ve either got to use less, or buy two packages and throw some out. And strangely enough, I’ve never found any lasagna noodles here that were NOT the no-boil kind. Maybe they won’t work then? I’ll give it a try and let you know. I’m an American who moved to Australia 8 years ago, so I’ve had a lot of product differences like this to adapt to.

    Reply
  5. Beth says

    November 12, 2012 at 2:18 pm

    How many does it serve, please? Thanks, Beth

    Reply
    • Kathy Hester says

      November 12, 2012 at 2:20 pm

      It serves between 4 to 6 depending on what you have on the side.

      Reply
  6. Margaret Harris says

    November 1, 2014 at 1:50 pm

    This looks amazing. Lately I’ve seen silken tofu in two sizes — 16 oz. refrigerated and a smaller size packaged for long shelf life. Which one of those do you use here?

    Reply
    • Kathy Hester says

      November 1, 2014 at 11:45 pm

      I use the smaller ones that are shelf-stable.

      Reply
  7. Heidi L. says

    November 1, 2014 at 2:03 pm

    If I don’t have a slow cooker, is there an oven version?

    Reply
    • Kathy Hester says

      November 1, 2014 at 11:44 pm

      If you have any lasagna you make now in the oven with dry noodles it should cook about the same amount of time. I would cook at 350 degrees for 40 to 60 minutes.

      Reply
  8. Julie says

    November 1, 2014 at 4:53 pm

    Do you need to cook the noodles before putting them in the crockpot, or do you put them in dry? This recipe looks amazing BTW!

    Reply
    • Kathy Hester says

      November 1, 2014 at 11:43 pm

      Put them in dry, they will cook fine in the casserole.

      Reply
  9. Cara O'Sullivan says

    September 23, 2015 at 11:37 am

    Hi, do you know if this would work well in an electric pressure cooker?

    Reply
    • Kathy Hester says

      September 23, 2015 at 11:38 am

      I’m sorry, but I have no idea. I’ve not made a lasagna in my pressure cooker before.

      Reply
  10. Debbie C says

    August 29, 2017 at 9:56 am

    In the years since you first posted this the recipe for the pumpkin ricotta has apparently gotten lost – could you repost it? Or maybe I’m just not seeing it?

    Reply
    • Kathy Hester says

      August 29, 2017 at 11:31 am

      I switched recipe plugins and I think it got lost. It’s added now. Thank you for letting me know <3

      Reply
      • Debbie C says

        August 31, 2017 at 9:47 am

        Got it – Thanks!

        Reply
  11. Kelly says

    August 29, 2017 at 11:14 am

    I don’t see the pumpkin ricotta recipe – can you please repost? Thanks 🙂

    Reply
  12. cynthia says

    August 29, 2017 at 11:21 am

    I can’t see the pumpkin ricotta recipe, either. Please repost — this looks amazing!

    Reply
    • Kathy Hester says

      August 29, 2017 at 11:32 am

      I switched recipe plugins and I think it got lost. It’s added now. Thank you for letting me know <3

      Reply
      • cynthia says

        August 29, 2017 at 12:40 pm

        thank you — this works now. can hardly wait to try it!!

        Reply
  13. EMC says

    October 6, 2017 at 7:17 pm

    I’ve made this before but it was on a weekend…. which was great, don’t get me wrong! But I was wondering if I assembled the night before, kept it in the fridge until I got home from work and then plugged it in….. would it be a mess? Soggy? Do you think there’s a chance it might work?

    Reply
  14. Catherine @ Ten Thousand Hour Mama says

    January 6, 2018 at 12:37 am

    I’ve now made this recipe a half-dozen times from your book, and it’s DELICIOUS every time. I am making it again this week!

    Reply
  15. Sharon says

    December 2, 2019 at 9:07 am

    If we’re SOS free, any suggestions on what to blend with sun dried tomatoes instead of oil?

    Reply
    • Kathy Hester says

      December 10, 2019 at 8:38 pm

      You can just use water or aquafaba.

      Reply
  16. Alyna says

    December 4, 2019 at 4:46 pm

    What temp should the recipe be made at? That’s missing from the instructions.

    Reply
    • Kathy Hester says

      December 10, 2019 at 8:37 pm

      Sorry about that – I’ve updated the whole recipe. I lost part of it when I switched recipe plugins.

      Reply
  17. Victoria staples says

    December 15, 2019 at 3:37 am

    For the pumpkin ricotta could I use tinned pumpkin instead of fresh or would it be too watery?

    Reply
    • Kathy Hester says

      December 23, 2019 at 4:48 pm

      You can use tinned pumpkin.

      Reply
  18. Carla Sokol says

    October 14, 2020 at 2:06 pm

    I have 3 oz bags of sun dried tomatoes. How much would you suggest I use instead of 3 medium ones?

    Reply
    • Kathy Hester says

      October 14, 2020 at 3:17 pm

      Maybe 1 tablespoon?

      Reply

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