Keto Pumpkin Lasagna with Spinach and Ricotta
A keto pumpkin lasagna swaps the pasta sheets for paper-thin Hokkaido slices - and it works surprisingly well, because the pumpkin turns soft in the oven but holds its shape. Between the layers sits a filling of spinach, ricotta and Parmesan, bound with cream and egg, and on top mozzarella melts into a golden-brown crust. That keeps a serving at around 7.5 g net carbs instead of the 45 g in a classic lasagna. In October, locally grown Hokkaido pumpkin is firm and full of flavor, just right for shaving into thin slices.
Key facts at a glance
- Preparation time: approx. 75 minutes, of which 25 minutes are active work - the rest is baking time.
- Approx. 7.5 g net carbs and 28 g fat per serving.
- Ingredients: Hokkaido pumpkin, spinach, ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan, cream, eggs, garlic.
- Works as a vegetarian keto dinner for the family and as meal prep for several days.
Ingredients
One serving is a piece of about 10 × 10 cm or around 240 g from a 20 × 30 cm dish.
| Amount | Ingredient | Note | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hokkaido pumpkin | approx. 1/2 pumpkin, unpeeled, shaved on a slicer into 3 mm thin slices | |||
| approx. 1/2 pumpkin, unpeeled, shaved on a slicer into 3 mm thin slices | ||||
| spinach | fresh leaf spinach, washed | |||
| fresh leaf spinach, washed | ||||
| onion | 1 small onion, finely diced | |||
| 1 small onion, finely diced | ||||
| garlic cloves | finely chopped | |||
| finely chopped | ||||
| butter | approx. 1.5 tbsp, for sautéing | |||
| approx. 1.5 tbsp, for sautéing | ||||
| ricotta | drained | |||
| drained | ||||
| Parmesan | freshly grated | |||
| freshly grated | ||||
| eggs | size M | |||
| size M | ||||
| heavy cream | whipping cream, 30 % fat | |||
| whipping cream, 30 % fat | ||||
| mozzarella | grated or in thin slices | |||
| grated or in thin slices | ||||
| nutmeg | freshly grated | |||
| freshly grated | ||||
| salt | sparingly, Parmesan and mozzarella are salty | |||
| sparingly, Parmesan and mozzarella are salty | ||||
| pepper | freshly ground | |||
| freshly ground | ||||
How it is made
-
Shave the pumpkin
approx. 8 minutesDone Amount Icon Ingredient 450 g Hokkaido pumpkin approx. 1/2 pumpkin, unpeeled, shaved on a slicer into 3 mm thin slices Preheat the oven to 180 °C conventional heat. Wash the Hokkaido (450 g), halve it, remove the seeds and shave it unpeeled on a vegetable slicer into slices about 3 mm thin.
-
Wilt the spinach
approx. 8 minutesDone Amount Icon Ingredient 400 g spinach fresh leaf spinach, washed 60 g onion 1 small onion, finely diced 2 cloves garlic cloves finely chopped 20 g butter approx. 1.5 tbsp, for sautéing Heat the butter (20 g) in a large pan and sauté the diced onion (60 g) and the chopped garlic cloves (2 cloves) until translucent. Add the spinach (400 g) in batches and let it wilt. Transfer to a sieve, let it cool and squeeze firmly, then chop roughly.
-
Mix the filling
approx. 4 minutesDone Amount Icon Ingredient 250 g ricotta drained 60 g Parmesan freshly grated 2 pieces eggs size M 1 pinch nutmeg freshly grated 0.8 tsp salt sparingly, Parmesan and mozzarella are salty 0.5 tsp pepper freshly ground Stir the squeezed spinach with the ricotta (250 g), grated Parmesan (60 g), eggs (2 pieces), nutmeg (1 pinch), salt (3/4 tsp) and pepper (1/2 tsp) into an even mixture.
-
Layer
approx. 5 minutesDone Amount Icon Ingredient 150 ml heavy cream whipping cream, 30 % fat 200 g mozzarella grated or in thin slices Line a baking dish (approx. 20 × 30 cm) with one third of the pumpkin slices, slightly overlapping. Spread half of the spinach mixture on top, then the second third of the pumpkin, the remaining spinach mixture and finally the last third of the pumpkin. Pour the cream (150 ml) evenly over the top and spread the mozzarella (200 g) over it.
-
Bake
approx. 45 minutesCover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake uncovered for another 15 minutes until the mozzarella is golden brown and a knife slides through all the pumpkin layers without resistance.
-
Rest and cut
approx. 10 minutesTake the lasagna out of the oven and let it rest for 10 minutes so the layers can settle. Then cut into 6 pieces and serve.
You did it! Enjoy every delicious bite.
Which tips help with the keto pumpkin lasagna?
- Shave the Hokkaido unpeeled on a vegetable slicer to 3 mm thin - any thicker and it will not soften enough.
- Squeeze the spinach firmly in a sieve after wilting, otherwise the lasagna turns watery.
- Start and finish with a layer of pumpkin so the lasagna stays stable.
- Pour the cream evenly over all the layers; it binds with the egg during baking.
- Cover the dish with aluminum foil for the first 30 minutes, then bake uncovered for 15 minutes so the mozzarella browns.
- Let it rest for 10 minutes before cutting - only then do the pieces hold together.
Why is this pumpkin lasagna keto-friendly?
A classic lasagna lands at 40 to 50 g of carbs per serving, mainly because of the pasta sheets, plus a béchamel made with wheat flour and tomato sauce. Here, Hokkaido slices take over the role of the sheets. Hokkaido provides around 6.5 g of carbs per 100 g, of which about 2 g is fiber, leaving roughly 4.5 g usable. The 450 g in the recipe is spread across six servings, which is 75 g each and therefore around 3.4 g per person. Ricotta, at about 3 g of carbs per 100 g, adds another 1.3 g; cream, onion, spinach, mozzarella and egg together contribute roughly 2.8 g. That puts a serving at about 7.5 g net carbs - more than a zucchini lasagna, but only one sixth of the classic version. The fat side is covered by ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan and cream at 28 g per serving, and 21 g of protein keeps you full on top of that. The recipe deliberately skips a tomato sauce: it would cost another 2 to 3 g of carbs per serving and drown out the flavor of the pumpkin. The values of the individual ingredients can be looked up in the German Nutrient Database (BLS).
Source: Max Rubner Institute – German Nutrient Database (BLS) , FDDB Nutrition Database
Pumpkin instead of pasta sheets
Lasagna sheets carry around 70 g of carbs per 100 g dry weight; a serving of lasagna contains about 50 g from them. Hokkaido slices covering the same area come to about 3 g. The pumpkin has to be thin, 3 mm on a vegetable slicer, so that it softens evenly in 45 minutes and the lasagna does not fall apart in layers. Pre-baking is not necessary, because Hokkaido releases less water than zucchini - which is also why this lasagna does not turn watery.
Spinach as a nutrient source
400 g of leaf spinach spread across six servings sounds like a lot, but it collapses into one compact layer. With under 1 g of usable carbs per 100 g, spinach delivers notable amounts of magnesium, potassium and folate - minerals that matter especially on a ketogenic diet because of the increased excretion. The NIH Office of Dietary Supplements lists spinach as one of the richest magnesium sources among vegetables.
How do I serve and vary the pumpkin lasagna?
Let the lasagna rest for 10 minutes after baking; only then does it cut into clean pieces - straight out of the oven it runs. A green salad with olive oil and lemon goes well with it, or simply a spoonful of crème fraîche. In my experience, the most important step is to really squeeze the spinach firmly after wilting: if the water stays in, the filling turns liquid and the layers slide. When shaving the pumpkin, a vegetable slicer with a guard is worth it; with a knife, the slices are rarely evenly thin. In October, Hokkaido comes fresh from the field and is firmer than stored pumpkin in winter, which makes slicing easier.
Meal prep and reheating
The lasagna is an ideal meal prep dish and tastes even better on the second day, because the layers firm up. Cut into portions and sealed airtight, it keeps for 4 days in the fridge. To reheat, give it 12 minutes at 180 °C in the oven or 3 minutes in the microwave - in the oven the crust stays crisp. Freezing works for up to 3 months, ideally in portions; the pumpkin gets a little softer after thawing, but the flavor does not change. You can also keep the lasagna fully layered but unbaked in the fridge for up to 24 hours and bake it only then.
Without ricotta and with meat
Instead of ricotta, 250 g of double-cream cream cheese or drained low-fat quark with 50 g of butter works; the cream cheese makes the filling creamier, the quark adds more protein. If you want meat, brown 300 g of ground beef with the onion and fold it into the spinach mixture - a serving then comes to around 36 g fat and 30 g protein, while the carbs stay the same. For a vegan version, use 250 g of cashew ricotta and 150 ml of coconut milk instead of cream, without egg; the layers then hold together a little less well.
Nutrition values
| Nutrient | Per 100 g | Per serving | Keto context |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calories | approx. 150 kcal | approx. 365 kcal | Moderate for a main meal; with a salad dressed in olive oil it becomes a complete dinner. |
| Moderate for a main meal; with a salad dressed in olive oil it becomes a complete dinner. | |||
| Fat | approx. 11 g | approx. 28 g | Good for keto. Ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan and cream provide the fat. |
| Good for keto. Ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan and cream provide the fat. | |||
| Net carbs | approx. 3 g | approx. 7.5 g | Higher than a zucchini lasagna, but only one sixth of the classic version. Pumpkin and ricotta are the sources. |
| Higher than a zucchini lasagna, but only one sixth of the classic version. Pumpkin and ricotta are the sources. | |||
| Sugar | approx. 1.7 g | approx. 4 g | Natural sugar from pumpkin, cream and onion. The recipe contains no added sugar. |
| Natural sugar from pumpkin, cream and onion. The recipe contains no added sugar. | |||
| Protein | approx. 8.5 g | approx. 21 g | Solid for a vegetarian dish; ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan and eggs provide most of it. |
| Solid for a vegetarian dish; ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan and eggs provide most of it. | |||
| Salt | approx. 0.8 g | approx. 1.9 g | Already well salted thanks to Parmesan and mozzarella, so salt the filling only sparingly. |
| Already well salted thanks to Parmesan and mozzarella, so salt the filling only sparingly. | |||
Note: Nutrition values are estimated averages per 100 g and per serving and may vary depending on ingredients, brands, portion size, and preparation. They do not replace individual nutrition or medical advice.
FAQ
Is pumpkin lasagna allowed on a ketogenic diet?
Yes, in this portion size. 75 g of Hokkaido per serving costs around 3.4 g net carbs, and together with ricotta, cream and vegetables about 7.5 g. That fits into a daily plan of 20 to 50 g of carbs. If you count more strictly, replace half of the pumpkin slices with zucchini slices and you land at about 6 g - but then the zucchini should be salted and patted dry first, because it releases more water.
Do I have to pre-bake the pumpkin slices?
No. Hokkaido releases far less water during baking than zucchini or eggplant, so the raw slices soften in 45 minutes in the oven without making the lasagna watery. The condition is that they are thin enough - 3 mm on a vegetable slicer. Thicker slices stay firm in the middle and the lasagna falls apart when cut.
Is the pumpkin lasagna suitable for losing weight on keto?
At around 365 kcal per serving it is one of the lighter main meals here, and it still fills you up well thanks to 21 g of protein and plenty of volume. If you want to save calories, use 150 g of mozzarella instead of 200 g and keep the Parmesan at 40 g - a serving then comes to about 310 kcal. During a weight-loss phase, pay more attention to the 7.5 g of carbs, which is already a fair share of the daily budget for a dinner.
Can I add a tomato sauce?
You can, but with consequences for the carbs and the flavor. 150 ml of strained tomatoes across six servings costs around 1 g per serving and masks the delicate pumpkin flavor. A bolder note works better: 50 g more Parmesan, toasted pine nuts on top or a few sage leaves in the spinach mixture. If you want a red component, serve a spoonful of sugar-free tomato sauce on the plate instead of in the dish.
Which dish is suitable for the lasagna?
A rectangular baking dish of about 20 × 30 cm is ideal: the quantity makes three pumpkin layers with two layers of filling in between and comes to about 5 cm high. In a smaller dish, the lasagna is taller and needs 10 minutes longer; in a larger one it turns out flat and dries out faster. Glass or ceramic dishes hold the heat more evenly than thin metal pans.