With autumn come the layers - not just in your wardrobe, but on your plate too. This wholesome, healthy autumn lasagna is packed with root vegetables, pumpkin, creamy sauce, and a hint of spice. A comforting oven dish that warms you from within and nourishes you with pure ingredients. Easy to make, surprisingly delicious, and perfect for a weeknight dinner or a cozy Sunday gathering with family.
Wholesome healthy autumn lasagna
Ingredients
For the autumn vegetables
- 300 grams pumpkin Hokkaido
- 300 grams celeriac
- 100 ml warm water
- 3 turnips
- 1 leek
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 onions yellow
- 2 chili peppers yellow or green
- 1 tablespoon nutmeg
- 1 tabelspoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin seeds oil if available
Mushrooms and bacon
- 250 grams mushrooms
- 250 grams bacon strips
- 1 tablespoon oil
For the cheese sauce
- 250 ml milk
- 250 ml cooking cream
- 250 grams grated cheese
- 1,5 tablespoons butter
- 1,5 tablespoons plain flour
Instructions
Cutting the vegetables
- Remove the skin and the seeds from the pumpkin and cut it into small cubes.
- Remove the skin from the celeriac and cut it into small cubes as well.
- Peel the turnips and then cut them into small cubes.
- Remove the root and green parts from the leek. Halve the white part lengthwise and cut the leek into rings.
- Halve the onion and remove the skin. Then cut the onion into rings.
- Crush the garlic cloves with the blade of a kitchen knife. Then remove the skin and finely chop the garlic.
- Halve the mushrooms and slice them.
- Remove the stems from the chili peppers. Then cut them into rings. For a milder version, you can halve them lengthwise and remove the seeds first.
Preparing the autumn vegetable sauce
- Heat some pumpkin and olive oil in a large wok or pan.
- Sauté the onion, chili pepper, and garlic cloves in it until the aromas are released. Deglaze with (warm) water and then add the celeriac and turnips. Simmer covered for about five minutes.
- Now add the leek and pumpkin. Mix in the nutmeg and simmer for another ten minutes.
Preparing the mushrooms and the bacon strips
- Meanwhile, heat some oil in a new pan and sauté the mushrooms and bacon for a few minutes.
Making the béchamel sauce
- Melt some butter for the béchamel sauce and then fry the flour in it.
- Then add the milk and cream. Mix everything well.
- Now add the melted cheese and a little more nutmeg.
- Let the cheese melt and the sauce thicken.
Building the lasagna
- Grease a large baking dish with some olive oil.
- Arrange a layer of lasagna sheets on the bottom.
- Now arrange the vegetable sauce, mushrooms, and some béchamel sauce on top. Repeat this with another layer of lasagna and the various sauces.
- Finish with a final layer of lasagna and a generous layer of béchamel sauce.
Baking the lasagna
- Preheat an oven to 180°C (350°F).
- Bake the lasagna for 30 minutes.
- Remove the lasagna from the oven and let it cool slightly. Then it's ready to serve.
Nutrition
How to make a wholesome healthy autumn lasagna
This autumn lasagna comes together in three steps. We start by chopping and prepping all the vegetables. Then we stew the veggies and make the béchamel sauce to layer everything into a lasagna dish. All of this can be done ahead of time. Finally, the lasagna needs just 30 minutes in the oven before you can serve it piping hot.
Chopping the Vegetables
First things first: we chop the vegetables. Start with the pumpkin. For a small Hokkaido pumpkin, you'll need about half. Remove the seeds and slice the pumpkin into half rings. Then peel off the skin and cut the flesh into small cubes.
Next, take about half of a medium celeriac. The cutting method is similar to the pumpkin, though of course there are no seeds to remove. Slice the celeriac into rings, peel them, and then dice the flesh into small cubes.
Trim the ends off the turnips, peel them, and cut them into cubes as well.
Now for the leek: remove the roots and the tough green leaves. Halve the tender stalk lengthwise, then slice it into rings.
Next up: the onions. Trim the ends and halve them to make peeling easier. Then slice the halves into rings.
For the mushrooms, simply halve them and slice into thin pieces.
Crush the garlic cloves with the flat side of a kitchen knife to loosen the skins. Peel and finely chop the cloves.
Finally, we cut the chili peppers. Remove the stems. If you like it spicy, slice them into rings immediately, with the seeds. Prefer a milder version? Halve them lengthwise, remove the seeds, and then chop finely.
Preparing the Lasagna
With the chopping done, it's time to stew the vegetables. Heat a tablespoon of olive oil and (if you have it) pumpkin seed oil in a large wok or pan. Sauté the onion, garlic, and chili until fragrant.
Add 100 ml of warm water, along with the celeriac and turnips. Cover and let simmer for about 5 minutes. Then add the pumpkin and leek to the mix. Let it simmer for another 10 minutes and season generously with nutmeg.
In a separate pan, heat a bit of olive oil and briefly sauté the mushrooms and bacon strips.
Now for the béchamel sauce: melt some butter in a small saucepan and stir in 1.5 tablespoons of flour. Cook briefly, then add the milk, cream, and grated cheese. Let the cheese melt and the sauce thicken.
Time to build the lasagna. Lightly grease a baking dish with olive oil. Start with a layer of lasagna sheets, followed by a generous layer of the vegetable mixture. Add the mushrooms and bacon, then spoon over some béchamel sauce. Repeat the layers and finish with a final layer of lasagna sheets topped with a thick layer of béchamel.
Baking the Lasagna
Everything up to this point can be prepared in advance - perfect if you're hosting and want to spend less time in the kitchen. This wholesome, heartwarming autumn lasagna is your go-to.
Preheat the oven to 180°C (356°F). Bake the lasagna for 30 minutes. Be careful when removing the hot dish from the oven. Let it cool slightly, then serve and enjoy this warm autumn oven delight.
More surprising.pumpkin
Looking for more surprising pumpkin recipes? I look forward to them every year! Here are a few of my favorite dishes where pumpkin plays the starring role - or makes a strong supporting appearance:
- Spicy pumpkin soup with wild rice.
- Stew of chicken hearts with pumpkin.
- Lukewarm pumpkin salad.
- Easy Thai pumpkin curry with chicken.
- Thai curry with pork and pumpkin.
- Biscoff pumpkin pie.
If you speak Dutch, you can find the Dutch version of this recipe on gerechtenweb.blog.
toondebacker says
the perfect comfort food when the leaves are falling.