Pumpkin Lasagna with Sausage and Kale
For the perfect cool-weather, cozy dinner, this Pumpkin Lasagna with Sausage and Kale is decadent, comforting, and ideal to warm your weekend. This Lasagna is the best for a slow weekend when you want to pour a glass of wine, turn on some Van Morrison, and take your time in the kitchen.
Table of contents
This Lasagna is delicious!
Sometimes, an afternoon in the kitchen is an absolute luxury for me. The outside world quiets down and I am able to enjoy the art of cooking and creating. This Pumpkin Lasagna is so decadent and delicious, and honestly a bit fancy. I’m not a big pumpkin spice gal, but I really love pumpkin in savory recipes like this one, Easy Pumpkin Risotto, Baked Rigatoni with Pumpkin Cream Sauce and Pumpkin Pizza with Prosciutto and Sage.
This recipe is great for entertaining as a first course or as a main. It is equally perfect for brunch, or potlucks. I like to serve this with a simple Butter Lettuce Green Salad or my Grilled Romaine and Radicchio Caesar Salad that rounds out the meal perfectly.
Ingredients and substitutions
Lasagna
- Oven-ready lasagna sheets. You can definitely use traditional boiled lasagna noodles, and they are just as delicious. Just make sure they are cooked a little before al dente.
- Italian sausage. Spicy Italian sausage is fantastic in this recipe, as is chicken sausage. Make it vegetarian by omitting the sausage and using greens.
- Kale, finely chopped. Spinach and Swiss chard work perfectly, also.
- Fresh mozzarella adds a creamy texture to this lasagna. You can also use freshly shredded part-skim mozzarella.
- Grated Parmegiano Reggiano or Parmesan cheese. Use freshly grated cheese for maximum flavor.
Pumpkin béchamel
This is not a traditional béchamel sauce; however, it starts as one and is then flavored with pumpkin, Fontina cheese, and spices. This sauce is perfect on its own as a pasta sauce.
- Butter, salted
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Shallot or finely chopped yellow onion
- Dry white wine to deglaze.
- Flour to thicken
- Whole milk
- Pumpkin puree. I use Organic, canned puree. Make sure it’s pure pumpkin and not pumpkin pie filling.
- Spices: paprika (not smoked), nutmeg, white pepper, garlic powder and kosher salt.
- Fresh sage leaves. If you can’t find fresh, rubbed sage works as well. However, I highly recommend fresh.
- Fontina cheese, freshly shredded for max flavor.
- Chicken broth to thin the sauce as needed.
How to prepare the lasagna
This pumpkin lasagna has several steps; however, the recipe is organized for efficiency in the kitchen.
- Using a skillet, crumble sausage and brown. When the sausage is almost done, add the finely chopped kale, a pinch of kosher salt and finish cooking together. When the sausage kale mixture is done, drain any excess grease that has been rendered. Set aside.
- If using oven-ready lasagna, use a small casserole dish, add warm water, and let the noodles soak until tender. Leave in water until ready to assemble. This helps eliminate the hard corners that this type of pasta sometimes develops after cooking. If using cooked noodles, cook according to package directions, and strain a couple of minutes before they are done. The noodles should be separated after cooking so they don’t stick together.
- In another pan, add extra-virgin olive oil and one tablespoon of butter. Heat until glistening and then add shallots. Sauté the shallots for about 1-2 minutes until translucent and soft. Deglaze with white wine, then allow it to reduce until almost completely evaporated.
- Add three tablespoons of butter to the skillet until melted. Stir in the flour, to create a roux. Stir until golden, about 1-2 minutes.
- Whisk in warm milk slowly until incorporated.
- Whisk in pumpkin puree, spices, salt, and fresh sage leaves.
- Add shredded fontina cheese and 1/4 cup of the parmesan cheese. Whisk until the sauce is thoroughly combined. Taste for salt and adjust as needed.
- If the sauce is too thick, thin it down with chicken broth. The sauce should have the consistency of tomato puree. You can keep the chicken broth handy as the sauce cools; it thickens. I use chicken broth to keep thinning it down.
How to assemble
Preheat oven to 375℉.
This recipe is perfect for an 11×8 or 13×9-inch casserole dish. Butter the dish before assembling.
- Add a light layer of sauce to the buttered dish.
- Arrange three lasagna noodles.
- Add a layer of sauce (about 1/2 cup) and sprinkle some pieces of fresh mozzarella and grated parmesan cheese. (a quarter of the cheeses)
- Add a third of the sausage and kale mixture.
- Add dollops of pumpkin sauce on top – it doesn’t have to be smoothed as it will liquefy as it cooks.
- Repeat until the noodles are used.
- Finish the last layer of noodles with leftover sauce, some fresh mozzarella, and grated parmesan. Garnish with fresh sage leaves, chopped or whole.
- Cover with a sheet of parchment paper and then foil. This will help prevent cheese from sticking to the foil.
Bake the lasagna for 45 minutes, then uncover it for the last 15 minutes to create a golden brown top.
Make ahead
This beauty is perfect for making ahead of time. If you are making a day ahead, assemble and allow to cool. Cover tightly and refrigerate. The next day, remove it from the fridge an hour before baking, allowing it to come to room temperature. Bake as directed. Enjoy!
How to store and reheat
If you have leftovers, refrigerate them for up to three days tightly covered. Some recipes are better the next day. This is one of them. I reheat in the oven, covered, until thoroughly warmed through.
I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do.
Enjoy!
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All content and photographs ©Claudia’s Table and claudiastable.com
Pumpkin Lasgana with Sausage and Kale (make ahead option)
December 2, 2025
Ingredients
Lasagna
- 12-15 sheets Oven-ready lasagna
- 1 pound Italian sausage or spicy Italian sausage.
- 2 cups Kale finely chopped. Spinach and Swiss chard work perfectly, also.
- 6 ounces Fresh mozzarella, torn into smaller pieces or part skim mozzarella, shredded
- 1 cup Grated Parmegiano Reggiano or Parmesan cheese, divided for assembling and sauce. Use freshly grated cheese for maximum flavor.
Pumpkin Bèchamel Sauce
- 5 tablespoons Butter, salted divided
- 1 tablespoon Extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium Shallot, finely chopped or finely chopped yellow onion
- 1/2 cup white wine Sauvignon blanc
- 3 tablespoons flour all purpose
- 2 cups milk whole
- 1 cup Pumpkin puree Make sure it's pure pumpkin and not pumpkin pie filling.
- 1 teaspoon Paprika ground
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg ground
- 1/2 teaspoon white pepper ground
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder granulated
- 1/2 teaspoon salt kosher
- 9-12 fresh Sage leaves or use 2 teaspoons of rubbed sage
- 2 cups Fontina cheese freshly shredded for max flavor.
- 1 cup Chicken broth to thin the sauce as needed.
Instructions
Lasagna + Pumpkin bechamel
- Using a skillet, crumble sausage and brown. When the sausage is almost done, add the finely chopped kale, a pinch of kosher salt and finish cooking together. When the sausage kale mixture is done, drain any excess grease that has been rendered. Set aside.
- If using oven-ready lasagna, use a small casserole dish, add warm water, and let the noodles soak until tender. (About 30 minutes) Leave in water until ready to assemble. This helps eliminate the hard corners that this type of pasta sometimes develops after cooking. If using cooked noodles, cook according to package directions, and strain a couple of minutes before they are done. Make sure the noodles are separated after cooking so they don't stick together.
- In another pan, add extra-virgin olive oil and one tablespoon of butter. Heat until glistening and then add shallots. Sauté until the shallots for about 1-2 minutes until translucent and soft. Deglaze with white wine, then allow it to reduce until almost completely evaporated.
- Add three tablespoons of butter to the skillet until melted. Stir in the flour, to create a roux. Stir until golden, about 1-2 minutes.
- Whisk in warm milk slowly until incorporated.
- Whisk in pumpkin puree, spices, salt, and fresh sage leaves.
- Add shredded fontina cheese and 1/4 cup of the parmesan cheese. Whisk until the sauce is thoroughly combined. Taste for salt and adjust as needed.
- If the sauce is too thick, thin it down with chicken broth. The sauce should have the consistency of tomato puree. You can keep the chicken broth handy as the sauce cools; it thickens. I use chicken broth to keep thinning it down.
Assembly
- Preheat oven to 375℉.
- This recipe is perfect for an 11×8 or 13×9-inch casserole dish. Butter the dish before assembling.
- Add a light layer of sauce to the buttered dish.
- Arrange three lasagna noodles.
- Add a layer of sauce (about 1/2 cup) and sprinkle some pieces of fresh mozzarella and grated parmesan cheese. (a quarter of the cheeses)
- Add a third of the sausage and kale mixture.
- Add dollops of sauce on top – it doesn’t have to be smoothed as it will liquefy as it cooks.
- Repeat until the noodles are used.
- Finish the last layer of noodles with leftover sauce, some fresh mozzarella, and grated parmesan. Garnish with fresh sage leaves, chopped or whole.
- Cover with a sheet of parchment paper and then foil. This will help prevent cheese from sticking to the foil.
- Bake the lasagna for 45 minutes, then uncovered for 15 minutes until golden and bubbling.
- Once completely baked, remove from the oven and allow to rest for about 10 minutes and then slice.
- Enjoy!
Make ahead
- This beauty is perfect for making ahead of time. If you are making a day ahead, assemble and allow to cool. Cover tightly and refrigerate.
- The next day, remove it from the fridge an hour before baking, allowing it to come to room temperature. Bake as directed. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutritional information is calculated online and should be used as a guide.
All content and photographs ©Claudia’s Table and claudiastable.com
This was excellent. Very rich and delicious. Friends loved it.