Vegan Pumpkin Spinach Lasagna - Thanksgiving Inspired with Meaty Mushrooms

Don’t ask me why, but lately I’ve been day dreaming about creating an amazing thanksgiving inspired vegan lasagna that creatively uses flavors from thanksgiving in one rich, tasty, cheesy, and healthy-ish lasagna creation. Hence this satisfying, flavour-filled, creamy, savory creation!

This vegan lasagna has no tofu and is incredibly filling!

This vegan lasagna uses Thanksgiving-inspired ingredients such as beyond meat sausage crumble, meaty mushrooms, garlic, spinach, pumpkin puree, creamy vegan bechamel sauce, fresh thyme, and fresh rosemary. On top, it is topped with vegan cheese, more bechamel, flash-fried brussel sprout shavings, and crunchy imitation bacon bits.

Now vegan lasagna is a labor of love, it is never that quick to create but it is fun to make when you feel prepared for the task at hand. Luckily none of the spinach, pumpkin, or mushroom layers are complicated!

How long does vegan lasagna last?

I used this recipe as a weekend meal prep!
I would say vegan lasagna keeps well for a maximum of 4 days in the fridge! However, I planned for my lasagna to last a maximum of 3 days.
Weekends can be hard with cravings to order cheesy vegan treats to the door. This was my way of combating my constant cravings for delicious vegan pizza, burgers, and fries. I’m not claiming this recipe is ‘healthy’, I just know it is healthier than half a large vegan pizza!

The Layers of a Vegan Pumpkin Spinach Lasagna

Pumpkin Layer

For the ingredients, I used:

1. 1 large-sized can of pumpkin puree

2. 2 cups of plantbased milk

3. a pinch of nutmeg

4. a pinch of cinnamon

5. a couple of dashes of salt and pepper.

Mix it all in a pan on medium heat until you’ve reached a more fluid consistency.

Spinach Bechamel Layer

This is super simple and fun!

For ingredients you’ll need:

• One large bag of dark greens, ideally spinach (or 2 blocks of frozen spinach)

• Salt

• Pepper

• Garlic Powder

• Nutritional Yeast

• 2 cups plant-based milk

• 3 tbsp vegan butter

• 2 tbsp flour

• Optional - Extra vegan cheese shreds

Instructions for the spinach and bechamel:

1. Cook your desired leafy green in a separate pan until there is less moisture in the pan.

2. Season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and nutritional yeast to taste. Feel free to add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.

3. Set aside.

4. Have 2 cups of plant-based milk heated up nice and hot in the microwave ready to go.

5. In a clean pan, take 3 tbsp of vegan butter and melt on low-medium heat.

6. Add 2 tbsp on flour and let it bubble (but not brown) for about 2 minutes, whisking continually.

7. SLOWLY, pour the milk in the pan bit by bit, whisking as you go. Keep whisking for about 2-3 minutes until bechamel thickens.

8. Pour a tiny bit of bechamel aside in a small bowl, you will want to save some bechamel for the top layer!

9. Now mix in the remaining bechamel with the cooked leafy greens (frozen spinach works great), and there you have your creamy, bechamel layer!

I like to add some vegan cheese shreds at this point, but I leave it up to you!

Vegan Stuffing Inspired Mushroom and Beyond Meat Layer

This is the most fun, most tasty layer by far!

Ingredients:

1. 1/2 an onion (yellow or white)

2. 1-2 garlic cloves

3. 1/2 a package of Beyond Meat’s Beyond Beef Plant-Based Ground

4. 2 packages of cremini or button mushrooms

5. 1-2 tbsp fresh thyme

6. 1-2 tbsp fresh rosemary

7. 2 tbsp olive oil

8. Salt & Pepper to taste.

Instructions:

1. Soften the onions on medium heat with 2 tbsp olive oil.

2. Mix in the minced garlic cloves and stir until fragrant.

3. Add in the fresh thyme and fresh rosemary.

4. Add and cook the mushrooms until the water starts getting released from them.

5. Add in the Beyond Meat Ground Meat.

6. Cook until browned nicely.

7. Add salt & pepper to taste.

8. It is alright if there is some gravy liquid leftover from the meat/mushrooms, it adds flavor.

Bringing the Vegan Thanksgiving Lasagna Together

Using ready-to-go no-boil pasta noodles, begin layering your lasagna.

There is no right or wrong way for layering but here is what I did:

1. Noodles (bottom)

2. Pumpkin (half)

3. Noodles

4. Cheesy Spinach Bechamel

5. Noodles

6. Meaty thanksgiving layer

7. Noodles

8. Pumpkin (pretty much half, while saving a tiny bit for the top!)

9. Noodles

10. TOP: Pumpkin mixed with a bit of tomato sauce/ tomato paste, cheese shreds and plain bechamel, quick-fried brussel sprout shreds, and imitation bacon bits (top).

I used my noodle box instructions, so I cooked mine at about 400 F for 30 minutes with tinfoil over it. Then I took off the tinfoil and let it sit in there a bit longer before finally taking it out with the oven fully turned off.