Layers of creamy pumpkin sauce and cheesy sausage filling make this lasagna a perfect comfort food for fall or winter. Pumpkin sausage lasagna is the ultimate savory pumpkin dish!
We love a good lasagna and this pumpkin version has become a fall favorite!! If you love lasagna as much as us, you’ll love this chicken lasagna and are famous lasagna soup!
Comfort Food for Fall
I wanted to make this lasagna last fall but never got around to it. I finally made it this fall and was so glad I made the time to because it was BEYOND DELICIOUS!
I knew this this pumpkin sausage lasagna NEEDED to be shared. It’s too good not to! With layers of creamy pumpkin sauce and cheesy sausage filling. this lasagna is a perfect comfort food for fall or winter.
So for those of you that have a spare can of pumpkin in your pantry or extra puree stashed in the back of the fridge, you now know what to do with it!
The Pumpkin Sauce
Here are the ingredients needed to make this creamy, delicious pumpkin sauce:
- unsalted butter
- all-purpose flour
- milk or half and half
- salt and pepper
- pinch nutmeg
- pumpkin puree (not pie filling)
To make the sauce, add butter to a medium saucepan over medium heat. Once the butter has melted, add the flour and whisk for 30 seconds. Slowly pour in the milk or half and half, whisking continuously until smooth.
Bring the mixture to a simmer. Let thicken enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon. Add the salt, pepper, nutmeg and the pumpkin, whisk to combine. Remove from the heat.
How to Make Pumpkin Lasagna
Now that you have your pumpkin sauce done – you need to cook the meat and make all your yummy layers.
MEAT. In a medium non-stick skillet set over medium heat, add the sausage. Cook until lightly browned, breaking it up into small chunks as it cooks. Add the shallot and garlic, cook for 2 minutes. Sprinkle in the red pepper and spinach. Continue cooking until the spinach has wilted, about 3-4 minutes. Remove from the heat. Mix in the ricotta, egg, sage, salt, mozzarella, and parmesan.
LAYER. In the bottom of the pan, add ¼ cup of sauce. Layer noodles so that they completely cover the bottom of the pan (you will most likely use two, then break up the third one). Add half of the filling, then pour ⅓ of the sauce over top.
REPEAT. Repeat by adding noodles, then filling, then sauce. Add the final layer of noodles, followed by the remaining sauce over top. Sprinkle the 1 cup of cheese over the sauce.
BAKE. Cover with foil and bake at 375 for 20 minutes, then remove the foil and continue baking for an additional 20 minutes or until the top begins to turn golden brown. Remove and allow to sit before serving.
Notes + Variations
- To make this meatless, swap the sausage for 2 cups of sliced cremini or baby bella mushrooms. Cook in 3 tablespoons of olive oil until dark brown. Proceed with remaining recipe steps.
- We used ricotta, mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses but you can always use your favorites!
- Let the lasagna stand for 15 minutes. This is a really important step for any casserole or layered hot dish. Giving it a little extra time lets those juices thicken up so when you cut in it comes out clean instead of a soupy mess.
Storing + Side Options
If you want to make this lasagna IN ADVANCE, you can do that up to 24 hours before baking. Just cover tightly and store in the fridge until then, increasing the cook time by a few minutes.
For leftovers, cover and STORE in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave or in the oven.
To FREEZE unbaked, cover tightly and store for up to 2 months. Let thaw in fridge overnight and let sit out on counter for 30 minutes before baking. You may need to increase cooking time by a few minutes but the internal temp should be 165 degrees.
SIDE OPTIONS – the possibilities are endless but some of our favorites include:
LOOKING FOR MORE LASAGNA RECIPES? TRY THESE:
- Insanely Good Chicken Lasagna
- 45 Minute Skillet Lasagna
- Slow Cooker Lasagna
- Lasagna Soup
- Homemade Lasagna Recipe
Pumpkin Sausage Lasagna
Ingredients
For the Pumpkin Sauce
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter
- 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 2 1/2 cup milk - or half and half
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- pinch nutmeg
- 1 cup pumpkin puree - not pie filling
For the Filling
- 1 lb ground pork sausage - regular, sage or Italian
- 1 shallot - minced
- 4 cloves garlic - minced
- 1/8 tsp ground red pepper flakes
- 4 cup spinach - roughly chopped
- 15 oz ricotta cheese
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 tsp dried sage - or 1 tsp. freshly minced sage
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese - freshly grated
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese - grated
For Layering
- 9 no-boil lasagna noodles
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese - freshly grated
- 1 tbsp parsley - freshly chopped (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Set an 8x8-inch or a 9x9-inch dish or pan aside.
- In a medium saucepan set over medium heat, add the butter. Once the butter has melted, add the flour and whisk for 30 seconds. Slowly pour in the milk or half and half, whisking continuously until smooth.
- Bring the mixture to a simmer. Let thicken enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon. Add the salt, pepper, nutmeg and the pumpkin, whisk to combine. Remove from the heat.
- In a medium non-stick skillet set over medium heat, add the sausage. Cook until lightly browned, breaking it up into small chunks as it cooks. Add the shallot and garlic, cook for 2 minutes. Sprinkle in the red pepper and spinach. Continue cooking until the spinach has wilted, about 3-4 minutes. Remove from the heat. Mix in the ricotta, egg, sage, salt, mozzarella, and parmesan.
- In the bottom of the pan, add ¼ cup of sauce. Layer noodles so that they completely cover the bottom of the pan (you will most likely use two, then break up the third one). Add half of the filling, then pour ⅓ of the sauce over top.
- Repeat by adding noodles, then filling, then sauce. Add the final layer of noodles, followed by the remaining sauce over top. Sprinkle the 1 cup of cheese over the sauce.
- Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes, then remove the foil and continue baking for an additional 20 minutes or until the top begins to turn golden brown. Remove and allow to sit for 15 minutes before cutting and serving. Garnish with fresh parsley, if desired.
Absolutely delicious!! I ate it for lunch & dinner a couple days in a row and still wanted more! Easy to adapt a little too, like I used the whole can of pumpkin and for the liquid half bone broth, half half&half
Hi Kendall, thanks for sharing your 5 star review and your changes!
So, so rich. Good but…I love cheese but this is too much for me. Would recommend a very small serving served with mixed greens or arugula salad to cut the richness. consider making a full 13×9 pan from the recipe or half the cheese and filling.
Could you make this without the spinach?
Hi Vickie, yes, you can make this without the spinach.
my family loved it! I didn’t have any nutmeg, so I used allspice and doubled the amount of seasoning in the bechamel sauce. Very yummy!
This is probably my new favorite lasagna recipe! So hearty and feeds a crowd.