This Roasted Pumpkin Lasagne recipe is a comforting, seasonal pasta dish from Gino’s Air Fryer Cookbook. Gino says he invented it after carving Halloween pumpkins with his daughter – he wanted to use up the flesh and found the sweetness of pumpkin works beautifully with speck, Parmesan, and a touch of chili.
Ingredients (Serves 12)
- 1 kg pumpkin, cut into ~3 cm slices
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 teaspoons chili oil (or to taste)
- 6 fresh lasagne sheets (approx. 16 × 11 cm each)
- 100 g sliced speck ham
- 30 g pine nuts
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the béchamel
- 70 g salted butter
- 60 g plain flour
- 700 ml whole milk
- 70 g finely grated Parmesan cheese
- ¼ small nutmeg, freshly grated
Instructions for Roasted Pumpkin Lasagne
- Preheat your air fryer (or oven / baking environment) to 180 °C for about 3 minutes.
- In a bowl, toss the pumpkin slices with olive oil, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Place them in the air fryer basket (or on a roasting tray) and roast for ~20 minutes until just tender.
- While pumpkin roasts, make the béchamel. In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the 70 g butter. Whisk in the flour and cook for 1 minute until the roux is light golden. Gradually whisk in the milk, reduce heat to low, and stir continuously for ~8 minutes until thickened. Remove from heat, stir in 40 g of Parmesan and the nutmeg, then season with ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Adjust seasoning to taste.
- Reduce the air fryer temp to 150 °C. In a 21 cm square baking dish (or air fryer drawer if compatible), spread one-third of the béchamel. Drizzle 1 teaspoon chili oil over. Lay 2 lasagne sheets on top (trim as needed). Spread half of the roasted pumpkin, then half of the speck and 10 g pine nuts. Repeat layering (béchamel, pasta, pumpkin, speck, pine nuts). Finish with final layer of pasta and the remaining béchamel. Reserve leftover pine nuts.
- Cook for about 20 minutes. Then raise the air fryer temperature to 160 °C, sprinkle over remaining Parmesan, pine nuts, and the 20 g cubed butter. Grind black pepper on top. Cook an additional ~20 minutes until golden and cooked through. Let it rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Enjoy Gino D’Acampo’s Roasted Pumpkin Lasagne – may its warm layers and savory-sweet flavors fill your home with cozy comfort!