September marks the start of pumpkin season, so say hello to this Instant Pot Pumpkin Lasagna Soup! Pumpkin season is usually about the pumpkin sweets – pumpkin muffins, pumpkin lattes, pumpkin cookies, the works.
Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE pumpkin treats. But, I also think there are some incredible savory pumpkin recipes that get overlooked. Like this unique and fun pumpkin lasagna soup! If you are wondering, what exactly is a pumpkin lasagna soup, let me explain!
First we turn lasagna into soup form (lasagna soup is a thing, Google it). Then we add the flavors of pumpkin and woodsy herbs to make it taste like Thanksgiving. And that’s how we get a pumpkin lasagna soup!
Why you’ll love this recipe
Fun and Unique. This soup combines everything you love about two great things in life: lasagna and fall flavors. Plus, it’s unique flavor profile is guaranteed to impress.
Easy to Make. The main work involves chopping up and sautéing vegetables. Then you get to dump everything in the Instant Pot and let the machine do its work. So you get to enjoy the flavors of lasagna with a fraction of the work.
Instant Pot Magic. The cook time for this recipe is just 4 minutes, which is far less time than any stovetop soup! (Disclaimer: it does take some time for the soup to come to pressure, like any Instant Pot recipe, but it’s hands-off so you can do other things in the meantime).
Simple Ingredients. This lasagna soup is made with simple, readily available ingredients (think carrots, onions, garlic, chickpeas, lite coconut milk, vegetable broth, fresh herbs, etc.).
Cozy Fall Comfort Food. This pumpkin lasagna soup is the coziest autumn-inspired comfort food! Creamy from lite coconut milk, pumpkiny from, well, the pumpkin, and herbaceous from the bouquet garni, it has everything about fall comfort food that you love!
How to Make Vegan Instant Pot Pumpkin Lasagna Soup
First, chop up your veggies (dice the onions and carrots, and mince the garlic), and break up the lasagna noodles into small pieces. Then, prepare your bouquet garni.
A bouquet garni is a fancy French term for a bundle of herbs tied together. If you don’t have all of the specific herbs called for in the recipe, feel free to double up on another herb or use a similar herb (e.g., if you don’t have oregano, add a sprig of rosemary or add double the amount of thyme).
Then, it’s time to start cooking the soup. Select the Sauté setting on your Instant Pot and add the olive oil. Once it’s hot, add the diced onions and carrots and cook until they start to soften. Then add the garlic sauté for 1-2 minutes.
Deglaze the pot with the vegetable broth, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pot.
Then, pour in the coconut milk, chickpeas, lasagna noodle pieces, salt, pepper, nooch, and tuck in the bouquet garni. Finally, scoop the canned pumpkin on top but do not stir the pumpkin into the soup. To help prevent triggering that burn error, I like to spoon or scoop thick ingredients on top of everything else, so they’re less likely to sink to the bottom and scorch the bottom of the pot.
Use the Pressure Cook setting at high pressure for 4 minutes. When the timer is done, perform a quick pressure release. A natural pressure release risks overcooking the lasagna noodles.
While the soup is cooking, you can prepare the Tofu Ricotta. All you need is a food processor and it takes 5 minutes!
When the soup is done, select the Sauté setting and add the tomato sauce, and stir until slightly thickened, just a few minutes. The reason I don’t add the tomato sauce during pressure cooking is it’s one of those very thick, viscous ingredients that is likely to trigger the burn error.
Watch! How to make Instant Pot Pumpkin Lasagna Soup
Tips for making this recipe
Be sure to break up the lasagna noodles into smaller pieces. You don’t need bite-sized pieces, but don’t stick them in the Instant Pot whole. The noodles won’t cook evenly and might stick to the bottom of the pot.
Use traditional lasagna noodles, not the no-boil noodles. I haven’t tried this recipe with the no-boil variety so I can’t say for sure, but 4 minutes was perfect for my traditional lasagna noodles, so it’s possible that 4 minutes would overcook no-boil noodles.
Deglaze the pot! When you sauté something in the IP, and then pressure cook thick ingredients like coconut milk, pumpkin, or canned tomatoes, deglazing is key. If you leave browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pot, you risk triggering the Instant Pot burn sensor.
Don’t stir the pumpkin into the soup before pressure cooking it. When you add very thick or viscous ingredients to the Instant Pot (think tomato sauce), it can stick to the bottom of the Instant Pot’s inner pot and trigger the machine’s burn sensor.
I have made recipes where I have stirred the pumpkin into the rest of the ingredients and the Instant Pot has been fine, but since we’re also using pasta (which has a tendency to stick), it’s best to play it safe and not stir in the pumpkin. If you’re wondering how to do that, just use a spoon to scoop out the pumpkin on top of all the ingredients and don’t stir. Or just watch the video above (around the 01:30 mark) for a visual reference.
If you don’t want to add chickpeas to the soup (maybe you think they don’t belong in lasagna soup, fine), then you can simply omit them. If you want to add a different protein to your soup, you can stir some baked tofu at the end.
Don’t skip the bouquet garni! It’s what infuses the soup with a deep aroma of woodsy herbs. It really makes the soup!
That’s about all you need to know about this vegan Instant Pot Pumpkin Lasagna Soup, so put on your fuzzy socks, light some apple spice candles, and start making this soup. And be sure to tag me on Instagram with your creations!
Vegan Instant Pot Pumpkin Lasagna Soup
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 3 medium or large carrots, finely diced
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 1 cup “lite” or reduced-fat coconut milk
- 1 (15-ounce) can of chickpeas (or 1 1/2 - 2 cups cooked chickpeas)
- 8 pieces lasagna noodles (6 ounces), broken into small pieces
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- Freshly cracked black pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- Bouquet garni: 2 bay leaves + a few sprigs each of flat-leaf parsley, oregano, and thyme, tied tightly together with kitchen twine
- 1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie)
- 1/2 cup tomato sauce
Tofu Ricotta (makes about 2 cups)
- 1 14-ounce (400g) block extra-firm tofu
- 4 tablespoons (16g) nutritional yeast
- 1 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons white or yellow miso paste
- 3/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 15 fresh basil leaves (optional)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons freshly grated lemon zest
- 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 1 medium-large lemon)
Instructions
- Select the Sauté setting on the Instant Pot and let the pot heat up for a few minutes before adding the olive oil. Once hot, add the onions and carrots and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until starting to soften. Add the garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring frequently, until fragrant.
- Add the vegetable broth to deglaze the pan, using a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the pot. Select the Cancel setting.
- Add the lite coconut milk, chickpeas, lasagna noodle pieces, salt, pepper, nutritional yeast, and bouquet garni. Stir well to submerge the lasagna noodles. Using a spoon, scoop the pumpkin on top of everything, but do not stir or submerge to prevent burning.
- Secure the lid and set the Pressure Release to Sealing. Select the Pressure Cook (Manual) setting at high pressure and set the cook time to 4 minutes.
- While the soup is cooking, make the Tofu Ricotta. Drain the tofu and blot away the excess water with a few paper towels. For a smooth ricotta, crumble the tofu into a food processor. Add the remaining ingredients and blend until you have a creamy, smooth texture. Taste for salt, acidity, and cheesiness, adding more salt, lemon juice, or nutritional yeast, respectively, as needed. For a chunkier ricotta, place the tofu in a large bowl and break it into smaller chunks using a fork. Add the remaining ingredients and mix together until the consistency resembles ricotta cheese.Note: the ricotta can also be made a few days in advance and stored in the fridge.
- Once the 4-minute timer has completed and beeps, perform a quick pressure release by carefully switching the Pressure Release knob from Sealing to Venting.
- Open the pot and remove the bouquet garni. Stir well, add the tomato sauce and select the Sauté setting. Heat the soup for 2-3 minutes until the tomato sauce is incorporated and the soup has slightly thickened. Taste and adjust the flavor, as needed, with additional salt or pepper.
- Serve the soup in bowls and top each bowl with a few spoons of Vegan Ricotta Cheese and stir to combine. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 1-2 days.
This is probably the best recipe I’ve ever made. It is sooo delicious and comforting. I didn’t have the ricotta or nutritional yeast and it was still a huge success. Thank you, Nisha! Every recipe of yours that I try is always so good!!
My Christmas present to my busy adult daughter was making freezer meals at the beginning of each month. This sounded so delicious and I was wondering if you know if freezing the noodles would make them mushy? Just ordered your book and subscribed!
Hi Johanne, so nice to hear you just ordered my book. Thank you for being here!
When you’re ready to freeze, make sure the soup is completely cooled. Then place it gallon- or quart-size zip-top plastic freezer bags; remove any air and seal.Freeze the bags flat in a single layer.To reheat, thaw the bags overnight in the fridge, and once thawed, pour the soup into a soup pot, and cook over medium heat until warm.
If you’re worried about the noodles possibly getting mushy (I can’t say for sure since I’ve never frozen it myself), you can cook the soup as written without the noodles, and cook the noodles separately. Then combine as much noodles with the soup as you’d like to eat at the time, and freeze the remaining soup and remaining noodles separately.
Hope tha thelps!
This is an amazing recipe. Worth commenting so others try it. I used sweet potato in place of pumpkin.
Aww thank you Brodie! I am so glad you love it. Sweet potato sounds yummy!
Hi, difficult to get decent pumpkin purée in the UK. Could butternut squash be used instead? Thanks :)
Yes, definitely, it will work beautifully!
This was the first recipe of yours I ever made, and it was delicious!! I used whole wheat penne instead of lasagna noodles, and it worked great. Can’t wait to try some of your other recipes!
I made this today and it is AMAZING!!!! so flavorful and creamy. Everyone liked it, including my 3 year old.
Hi Samantha, thank you for sharing! I am so happy you loved it :) I love the creaminess factor too!
This was excellent, and so fast to make. Everyone liked it. 4/4stars
Hey Nicole, that’s so great to hear :) I am so happy everyone enjoyed it!
Made this recipe and it is sooo good! I only happened to have ready-to-cook lasagna noodles, and they worked perfectly, too!
Hi Angie, so happy to hear that you loved the soup and good to know it worked with ready-to-cook noodles as well!
Can this recipe be doubled or tripled in the 6 quart instant pot?
Hi Joanne, I have not tried it myself, but I would say definitely no for tripling. The volume would be too great for the 6 quart instant pot and would almost certainly go over the Instant Pot’s maximum capacity line. As for doubling, I think it should work – just be sure to heed the instructions about not stirring in the pumpkin. Very thick ingredients like pumpkin puree can trigger the Instant Pot burn notice, so I like to scoop the pumpkin on top of everything else at the end and not mix in (I think especially important if you are doubling the ingredients).
Hope that helps!
This soup is SO amazing and the instant pot makes it super quick. I can’t wait to make it again. The depth of flavors is really enhanced by pressure cooking. I worked with what I had and used some dried herbs and it worked great! Thanks Nisha for all the amazing recipes!
Hi Hillary! You are so sweet. Thank you for stopping by and letting me know. It’s amazing how just a short period of time in a pressure cooker can create the flavors of a slow-simmered soup. Glad it worked perfectly with dried herbs too!
Made this last night! it was DELICIOUS! used cannelloni beans instead of chickpeas and added a couple basil leaves Bouquet garni because i had them so why not. and the tofu ricotta was super easy to make! thank you
This looks delicious. Can you offer any guidelines for using dried herbs instead of the bouquet garni? Thanks.
Hi Janice, I would add the bay leaves when it calls for the bouquet garni. For the other herbs, I’d use 3/4-1 teaspoon of dried thyme, oregano, and parsley. Add them while you add the garlic so they can infuse the soup with some flavor.
Also, according to this website, you can make a bouquet garni using dried herbs and cheesecloth if you have that. https://www.masterclass.com/articles/what-is-a-bouquet-garni-easy-homemade-bouquet-garni-recipe-plus-tips-for-cooking-with-bouquet-garni#how-to-make-a-bouquet-garni
Hope that helps!
I just made this using what I had in my pantry. I had everything except lasagne noodles so I subbed rotini, and I used bay leaves, parsley, rosemary and sage in my bouquet garni. I added 1/2 tsp each of dried oregano and thyme as one of the other reviewers suggested. And I did not have tofu so no vegan ricotta this time. But, wow, this was delicious as I made it and so warm and satisfying! Great recipe – fast, easy, yummy!
Oh and I topped it with toasted pine nuts! Delish!
Oh and I topped it with toasted pine nuts! Delish!
I’m so happy you were able to make it using everything you had in your pantry – those are the most satisfying kind of meals! And so happy you enjoyed the recipe. Hopefully you can try it with the tofu ricotta next time too!
I just made this thanks to a Plant Based Instant Pot People Facebook page posting. I hadn’t even made it to the table with my bowl and my husband was already declaring his delight! Absolutely love the combination of flavors.
Hi Tara! So happy you enjoyed the recipe :) I am not on Facebook but so nice to see that the recipe is being shared there. Hope you and your husband both enjoyed the soup!
Nisha,Just made this soup in my new IP, and followed your recipe to the letter. WOW….is all I can say, in addition to Thank You! It came out fantastic, thanks to your excellent instructions and recipe organization. I even made the delicious Tofu Ricotta cheese topping and it too, came out perfect. Along with a slice of crusty bread and a few fresh basil leaves for garnish, nothing more needs to be said except, "Bon Appetit"! Thank for your generous contribution toward better eating. Your cookbook, which I have a copy of, is inspiring, like yourself!
Hi Neil! That’s so wonderful to hear! Love that this is one of the first recipes you tried in your instant pot :) Definitely even better with a slice of crusty bread hehe. I am so glad you are enjoying my cookbook as well. And thank you for your kind comment!
Love this soup! Didn’t have pumpkin purée so added a sweet potato, and used red pesto instead of tomato sauce. Delicious. Am working my way through your book. 5* so far from me!!
YAY! So happy you loved this soup and that you love my book, Jacqueline! A sweet potato sounds like the perfect substitute and so intrigued by the use of red pesto, that sounds so yummy!
This soup is sooo gosh darn good. I made it tonight with gluten free lentil lasagna noodles. The fresh herbs I used were parsley, sage and rosemary. I added dried thyme and oregano. I love this soup. I will definitely be making again.
Hi Sandy! So great you made it with gluten-free lentil noodles – I wasn’t sure if those would work, but so happy to hear that it turned out great! I love the sound of all those herbs too. Thanks for the great feedback :)
Nisha,I was referring to the wild rice soup for the cauliflower substitution. Sorry forgot to tell you what recipe I was making from your page. Thank you Nisha.
Hi Nisha,Your blog is absolutely gorgeous! Just ran across it today. I am not vegan, but want to add more plant based meals to my eating schedule. Your food looks so delicious.Question- My husband is diabetic and can’t eat any kind of rice. I wonder if I substituted frozen cawflower rice instead of brown or wild rice if it would turn out. Any ideas what I could possibly try?Also I am on a program that doesn’t use any kind of oil in cooking. Is it necessary to put olive oil in the instant pot before you put food into it? Do you think it would work if I just put a little water instead of oil? Is the oil used for flavor? Thank you so much for your quick reply. I am planning to buy your instant pot cookbook on Amazon today. Can’t wait to get it. Thank you. Cindy W.
Hi Cindy,
Thank you for your lovely comment! For the wild rice soup, you don’t need to add any oil. But if you use the Saute function of the instant pot, a bit of oil is usually helpful to prevent things from sticking. You could use water or vegetable broth instead (a nonstick inner pot might also be helpful with this – you can buy one on Amazon), but be sure to stir very frequently to prevent sticking.
As for the soup, if you wanted to use cauliflower rice, the "rice" texture won’t stay "riced" because it will disintegrate into the soup. But you could certainly add cauliflower florets for more nutritional punch.
Hope that helps and thank you for your support!
How do you make this if you don’t have an instant pot?
Hi Jeanna,
I haven’t tried it myself, but I would probably saute the aromatics (onions, carrots, garlic) in a Dutch oven or big soup pot first, then simmer all the ingredients (except the lasagna noodles) for 20 minutes. Cook the lasagna noodles separately and add them in at the end. Hope that works!