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Dessert Gino D'Acampo

Roasted Pumpkin Lasagne with Béchamel

Roasted Pumpkin Lasagne with Béchamel

This Roasted Pumpkin Lasagne with Béchamel recipe is a creative, waste‑smart mains dish from Gino D’Acampo’s Gino’s Air Fryer Cookbook. Gino was inspired to make this when carving pumpkin lanterns with his daughter Mia—transforming leftover pumpkin into a soul‑warming lasagne brimming with salty speck, creamy béchamel, and a kick of chilli.

Ingredients (Serves 4)

  • 1 kg pumpkin, cut into 3 cm slices

  • 1 tbsp olive oil

  • 2 tsp chilli oil, or to taste

  • 6 fresh lasagne sheets (approx. 16 × 11 cm each)

  • 100 g sliced speck ham (optional for vegetarian version)

  • 30 g pine nuts

  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the béchamel:

  • 70 g salted butter, plus 20 g cut into cubes

  • 60 g plain flour

  • 700 ml whole milk

  • 70 g finely grated Parmesan cheese

  • ¼ small nutmeg, freshly grated

Instructions for Roasted Pumpkin Lasagne with Béchamel

  1. Preheat your air fryer to 180 °C for 3 minutes. Toss the pumpkin slices with olive oil, ¼ tsp salt, and ¼ tsp pepper in the basket, then air fry for 20 minutes until just tender.
  2. Meanwhile, prepare the béchamel: melt 70 g butter in a saucepan over medium heat and whisk in flour. Cook for 1 minute until light brown. Gradually whisk in the milk, lower the heat, and stir continuously for 8 minutes until thickened. Remove from heat and stir in 40 g Parmesan and freshly grated nutmeg. Season with ½ tsp salt and ¼ tsp pepper; set aside to cool slightly.
  3. Reduce air fryer temp to 150 °C. Spread one-third of the béchamel in a 21 cm square baking dish or air fryer drawer; drizzle with 1 tsp chilli oil. Layer 2 lasagne sheets (trim to fit), half of the pumpkin, half of the speck, and 10 g pine nuts. Repeat layers, finishing with a layer of pasta and the final one-third of béchamel. Reserve remaining pine nuts.
  4. Cook for 20 minutes. Then increase to 160 °C, sprinkle over remaining Parmesan, pine nuts, and dot with the 20 g butter cubes. Grind over pepper and air fry for another 20 minutes until golden and cooked through. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Enjoy Gino D’Acampo’s Roasted Pumpkin Lasagne with Béchamel — a comforting, creative take on lasagne that’s perfect for cozy family dinners! Hungry for more recipes? Check out Gino’s Air Fryer Cookbook.