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!
Introducing
Big Vegan Flavor
Techniques and 150 recipes to master vegan cooking.
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.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Love this? Leave a rating below!
Great soup! One question though, my lasagna pieces tended to stick to each other and not cook well. Only about 10% of them. I spent some time separating them after the pressure cooker cooled off. Is there a way to prevent this? I stirred pretty well before adding the pumpkin. Regardless, Would make this again, loved the ricotta.
As much as I like your recipies usually, this one wont make to the list of favorites.
It took forever, (I made the pumking mash myself as I like to cook from scratch).
For me the combination of coconut milk and italian herbs did not work at all.
I could see this working with soy milk/cream or oat cream. The lasagne sheets just stuck together in the sauce and could not be seperated. The tofu ricotta had no depth to it and the taste of nutritional yeast was overpowering. Maybe there are other brands that are not so intensive. Considering the amount of work, it was a bit disappointing. But I love most of your other recipies so will stick to those.
Thanks heaps for all your content.
We’re sorry to hear this recipe didn’t live up to your expectations, Auleta. We appreciate your support and the honest feedback.
Freakin’ delicious! As always with Nisha’s recipes.
I did not have the fresh herbs, so I used 1 tsp each dried of the parsley, oregano & thyme (+ the 2 bay leaves).
I cannot decide which way I liked it better, with or without the “ricotta”. I can see a lot of uses for the ricotta and other recipes too!
Perfect combo of flavors & textures.
Hi Claudia, it’s great to hear you had success with the recipe. Thanks for the review!
What would you sub for the tomato sauce? We have a new found tomato allergy in our home. It is difficult to figure out a sub. Also, no carrots. But that one I can figure out easy.
I have the same question/problem. I can have other nightshades, so sometimes I will use harissa. I like NY Shuk Harissa with Preserved Lemon, although it does add overpowering cuminy notes.
I’m also wondering if this soup will work with red lentils instead of chickpeas. It seems like a better match to the pumpkin…
Hi there! I wouldn’t recommend this because they will need to cook inside of the soup. This will require more water, which would change the consistency of the soup. Also, with a creamy soup like this, you have to be careful with modifying it as written because thick consistencies have a tendency to trigger instant pot’s burn function. If you wanted to use lentils, I would recommend replacing the canned chickpeas with pre-cooked brown or green lentils.
FWIW, it worked great with red lentils! I have an OG Instant Pot that isn’t very susceptible to the burn warning, FWIW. I added harissa at the end. I did use a bit more water as I prefer a soupier soup. It was good!
Great to hear! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Hi Kristin, I think you can probably omit the tomato sauce and then taste the soup at the end. You’ll likely want to add some sort of vinegar for acidity. Maybe white wine or red wine vinegar would be a good place to start. Or if you have vegan sour cream, you can stir some into the soup at the end.
This looks amazing! Is there a way I can get a stovetop rendition of this recipe?
Hi Rebecca, thanks for the kind words!
We haven’t tested this ourself, but based on our research of similar recipes, you can try (1) sautéing the aromatics in a soup pot, (2) adding the liquid, pumpkin, chickpeas, herbs and simmer for 10 minutes, (3) add the broken lasagna pieces and cook for another 7-10 minutes until al dente, stirring often to prevent sticking.
Best of luck to you!
This was a delightful soup for a rainy day. Comfort in a bowl and the tofu ricotta added a very good creaminess. I just cooked this on the stove, and used bow tie pasta in lieu of lasagna noodles. The garbanzo beans were a great addition as well! I was skeptical at first as I normally use them in curries, falafels, and hummus. They were a great textural addition.
Hi Layla, it’s great to hear you had success with the recipe. Thanks for the review!
This has become a family favorite. My kids ask for us to make this on birthdays and special occasions and when my oldest came home from a gap year overseas, this was one of the meals she said she missed most. We love how easy it is to make and usually end up making a double batch so we have leftovers.
We appreciate your feedback and support, A. Thank you for leaving a review!
Just tasted this soup (am making it for lunch). Yum ! I subbed fresh herbs for dry as that was what I had, plus cannelinni beans instead of chickpeas. It tastes good now but I may follow another comment suggestion and add some chopped pan fried vegan sausage before serving. Thanks for the inspiration.
Hi Anna, we’re thrilled to hear you enjoyed this recipe! Next time, would you mind leaving a rating alongside your review? Star ratings are big help to readers who are thinking of making the recipe. Thanks!
This recipe is delicious! Following the recipe made a lot of food and the one time I tried to double this recipe was a huge mistake (the instant pot overflowed). The ricotta on top is delicious and super easy to make. I dont really see the point of buying lasagna noodles and then breaking them apart so I just use whatever pasta I have on hand.
We appreciate your feedback and support, Sam. Thank you for leaving a review!
I felt like a comforting soup that went with the vegan ricotta I had just made (tried a new recipe, and it was very good but… I will go back to the one from Nisha’s food planning recipe, to be honest, because that is just the best one I have ever tried – and eeeeveryone loves it. Anyway…) Naturally, I googled ”lasagna soup RainbowPlantLife” and when I saw this one, that would let me use up some of my home made pumpkin purée I knew this was it. And it WAS it. It is so comforting and nourishing and easy and just perfect! I topped mine with my freshly ground chilimix (with mustard seeds and some other goodies) and that was amazing! You could probably put the chili in the soup but… there is something about just having it on top that I like! And, bonus: my bf (with more of a baby mouth than my pretty fire resistant one, haha…!) can eat it without sweating.
Or to put this more succinctly: I LOVE this soup and will make it soon, and often, again. Thank you!
Ps. Fresh herbs are not really in season here in Sweden so I used dried herbs, and that worked great too, even if I bet fresh will kick it up a notch. 🙂
Thanks for the lovely feedback, Zarah! We appreciate your trust in RPL and it’s lovely to hear the recipe was a hit with you both. 🙂