Beef And Pumpkin Lasagna with Béchamel (White) Sauce. This lasagna is extra special. Pumpkin slices throughout the layers give this lasagna an extra sweet and creamy pumpkin flavour…the perfect comfort meal!

I love weekends. Sundays mean refuelling with the whole family. And they also mean…carbs with zero guilt. Especially when making a lasagna that has half the Weight Watchers points and calories of regular lasagna…with a better flavour and fresh ingredients.

With an easy to make Béchamel sauce, this lasagna will meet all of your expectations and exceeded them by 5 million. That pumpkin! So creamy between the layers of the perfect beef sauce, melted stringy mozzarella cheese, soft pasta sheets, and the creamy white sauce over the top.

Serve with a side of Garlic Bread to mop up the sauce that’s left over on the plate.

It doesn’t get better. Really.

Beef And Pumpkin Lasagna

Weight Watchers: 9pp per serve (1 slice out of 9 slices)

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Servings:

Ingredients

Lasagna:

1 tablespoon olive oil
3 garlic cloves , minced OR 3 teaspoons minced garlic
1 onion , roughly chopped
1 carrot , diced
1 red capsicum/bell pepper , diced
1 kg | 2lbs lean ground beef mince
1/4 cup freshly chopped parsley
1 700 g | 24oz bottle Passata
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon Vegeta or any other vegetable stock powder
4 cups pumpkin , peeled, deseeded and finely sliced (1/2 cm - 1/8-inch slices)
6 wholemeal/spelt or whole grain lasagna sheets
1 cup (250g | 9oz) fat free ricotta cheese
4 cups 500g | 17oz grated light Mozzarella

Béchamel:

4 tablespoons light/reduced fat butter of choice (or margarine)
3 tablespoons flour (whole wheat/wholemeal or light spelt)
2 cups skim milk (or almond milk)
Pinch of salt

Instructions

Lasagna:

Preheat the oven to 200C | 390F. Heat the oil in a large sized pan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and panfry until onion is transparent (1-2 minutes).
Add the carrots and capsicums/peppers, pan frying until soft; add the beef, and cook stirring while breaking up the meat until browned. Stir through parsley, Passata, tomato paste, sugar and stock powder. Season with salt to taste; remove from heat and set aside.

Béchamel:

Melt the butter in a medium sized saucepan on low heat. Add the flour and whisk it the butter until lump free and smooth. Add a small amount of milk at a time (about 1/4 cup each time), whisking until smooth and combined between each interval. (Add 1/4 cup more than the suggested 2 cups to reach your desired consistency if you need too). Stir through salt to taste.

To assemble lasagna:

Spray a large oven proof baking dish with nonstick spray and wipe excess over with a paper towel
Spoon about 1 1/ 2 cups of the beef sauce around the base of the pan.
Layer with 3 sheets on top and about 1½ cup of meat sauce over the sheets. Arrange pumpkin slices over the meat sauce; spoon half the ricotta evenly over the sauce and half the mozzarella cheese.
Repeat to create another layer with the 3 remaining lasagna sheets; the remaining sauce; remaining pumpkin slices and ricotta. Spoon the Béchamel over the ricotta and top with the mozzarella cheese.
Cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes. Remove foil and change the oven setting to grill/broil on medium heat to brown the top. Remove from oven and let stand for 10-15 minutes before slicing and serving.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Beef And Pumpkin Lasagna

Amount Per Serving

Calories 314 Calories from Fat 112

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 12.4g 19%

Total Carbohydrates 30.4g 10%

Dietary Fiber 3.2g 13%

Protein 25.3g 51%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Comments

Kal says
November 8, 2017 at

Two questions…What is passata and have you tried butternut squash instead o f pumpkin? I know I can always find that. This sounds divine.

- Karina says
  November 17, 2017 at
  
  Hey Kal. Yes I have tried butternut squash in this and its just as good! Passata is similar to tomato sauce, or marinara sauce can also be used!
  
Robin Baur says
October 6, 2015 at

Hi Karina – how thin is thinly sliced pumpkin? I sliced it maybe 1/3 inch and it was still hard when the dish came out of the oven.

- Karina says
  October 7, 2015 at
  
  Hi Robin. I slice them about 1/2 a centimetre thin (roughly 1/8-inch)! For slices bigger than that, I’d definitely suggest steaming or boiling prior to building the lasagne. I’m sorry it didn’t turn out for you! I hope you try it again at some point. The flavour is incredibly creamy! 🙂
  
  - Robin Baur says
    October 7, 2015 at
    
    Thanks for responding Karina! I will definitely try again with thinner slices.
    
    - Karina says
      October 7, 2015 at
      
      You’re welcome Robin 🙂
      
Amy says
May 26, 2015 at

I love the simplicity of this recipe! Quick question though, do the lasagna sheets need to be cooked al dente before the assembly?

- Karina says
  May 26, 2015 at
  
  Hi Amy! No I don’t precook them as there is enough sauce in there to cook them through, but you can precook them if you like!
  
Elena Shetty says
March 23, 2015 at

I’m glad you love it. Though it’s just a small thing, it’s my passion. Just like you, i guess.

Elena Shetty says
March 20, 2015 at

This lasagna is out of this world. Even right now i can feel its softness and fragrant on over me. Thank you for sharing such an amazing dish, Karina.

- Karina says
  March 20, 2015 at
  
  Aw Elena you’re so welcome. Thank you for coming by and leaving a beautiful comment. I love your blog btw. Very addictive! Xx

Beef And Pumpkin Lasagna

Beef And Pumpkin Lasagna with Béchamel (White) Sauce. This lasagna is extra special. Pumpkin slices throughout the layers give this lasagna an extra sweet and creamy pumpkin flavour…the perfect comfort meal!