Embrace the intersection of pumpkin season and slow cooker season by making 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 a nut ricotta, and it has an oil-free option too!
Is Your Slow Cooker Still in the Cabinet?
If you’ve been neglecting your slow cooker, it’s time to put back on your kitchen counter. Vegan Slow Cooker Lasagna is your new best friend and last minute weekend dinner.
You Can Make Lasagna in a Slow Cooker?!
It’s true, 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 first time when you are at home so you can keep an eye on it.
If your slow cooker runs hot it will done faster. But once you make it once you can adjust it to cook perfectly in your slow cooker all the other times.
Why Make Vegan Slow Cooker Pumpkin Lasagna?
This is a perfect dish to serve at a dinner party or for family dinner on Saturday night. It’s easy to make and hearty enough for non-vegans to enjoy. Just add a green salad and some garlic bread and everyone will be happy!
Does This Cook All Day?
This Vegan Slow Cooker White Bean Pumpkin Lasagna 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.
What If I’m Allergic to Soy?
It’s a twist on the traditional ultra-heavy lasagna. Instead of a pre-made vegan ricotta, it uses a homemade pumpkin tofu version. If you are allergic to soy, you could use a nut ricotta or even Kite Hill’s pre-made almond ricotta.
Slow Cooker Protein Packed Pumpkin Lasagna
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.
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 Information
Yield 6 Serving Size 1 gramsAmount Per Serving Calories 406Total Fat 5gSaturated Fat 1gUnsaturated Fat 0gSodium 701mgCarbohydrates 73gFiber 6gSugar 7gProtein 23g
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.
Melissa
Wow this sounds good. I am going to have to try it asap!
Deb Bixler
Sounds great and is just the kind of recipe I love. I am definitely making this one. Thanks, Deb
Anna Down Under
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.
Kathy Hester (geekypoet)
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
Kathy Hester (geekypoet)
Oh – and all the recipes in the cookbook have both measurements already. It’s just the website I need to update.
Anna Down Under
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.
Beth
How many does it serve, please? Thanks, Beth
Kathy Hester
It serves between 4 to 6 depending on what you have on the side.
Margaret Harris
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?
Kathy Hester
I use the smaller ones that are shelf-stable.
Heidi L.
If I don’t have a slow cooker, is there an oven version?
Kathy Hester
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.
Julie
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!
Kathy Hester
Put them in dry, they will cook fine in the casserole.
Cara O'Sullivan
Hi, do you know if this would work well in an electric pressure cooker?
Kathy Hester
I’m sorry, but I have no idea. I’ve not made a lasagna in my pressure cooker before.
Debbie C
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?
Kathy Hester
I switched recipe plugins and I think it got lost. It’s added now. Thank you for letting me know <3
Debbie C
Got it – Thanks!
Kelly
I don’t see the pumpkin ricotta recipe – can you please repost? Thanks 🙂
cynthia
I can’t see the pumpkin ricotta recipe, either. Please repost — this looks amazing!
Kathy Hester
I switched recipe plugins and I think it got lost. It’s added now. Thank you for letting me know <3
cynthia
thank you — this works now. can hardly wait to try it!!
EMC
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?
Catherine @ Ten Thousand Hour Mama
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!
Sharon
If we’re SOS free, any suggestions on what to blend with sun dried tomatoes instead of oil?
Kathy Hester
You can just use water or aquafaba.
Alyna
What temp should the recipe be made at? That’s missing from the instructions.
Kathy Hester
Sorry about that – I’ve updated the whole recipe. I lost part of it when I switched recipe plugins.
Victoria staples
For the pumpkin ricotta could I use tinned pumpkin instead of fresh or would it be too watery?
Kathy Hester
You can use tinned pumpkin.
Carla Sokol
I have 3 oz bags of sun dried tomatoes. How much would you suggest I use instead of 3 medium ones?
Kathy Hester
Maybe 1 tablespoon?