Butternut Squash Lasagna
This dish is a cozy wintertime favorite around here. A rich butternut squash sauce and silky cashew cream are layered with earthy shiitakes, kale and tender gluten free noodles to create this decadent, melt-in-your mouth lasagna. Because this recipe is a bit more involved, I like to make the butternut squash sauce and cashew cream a day or two ahead and then all I have to do is prepare the filling, assemble and bake the lasagna when I’m ready. I serve mine alongside a big salad for a well-balanced, delicious and nutritious meal. Enjoy!
Prep Time – 1 hour (plus 2 hours for soaking cashews)
Cook Time – 35 minutes
Servings – 6
Ingredients
Butternut Squash Sauce
1 medium butternut squash, peeled and cubed (need 2 cups roasted)
2 tbsp avocado oil for roasting
2 cloves garlic
1 ½ cups vegetable broth
¼ tsp sea salt
Fresh cracked pepper to taste
Cashew Cream
1 cup cashews, soaked in hot water for at least 2 hours
½ cup + 2 tbsp water
3 tbsp nutritional yeast
¼ tsp sea salt
Filling
1 large bunch dinosaur kale, de-stemmed and finely chopped (about 6 cups)
10 oz shiitake mushrooms, sliced
½ yellow onion, diced
1 tbsp avocado oil for cooking
Everything Else
1 box Cappello’s grain free lasagna noodles (or substitute any no-bake lasagna noodle - adjust cooking time accordingly)
2-3 tbsp vegan parmesan (optional - I use this recipe)
DIRECTIONS
Make butternut squash sauce:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Peel and chop butternut squash into small cubes. Toss squash with avocado oil and place on a parchment lined baking sheet along with 2 whole unpeeled garlic cloves.
Bake for 25-30 minutes or until squash is tender.
Remove skin from garlic cloves and allow squash to cool.
In a high-speed blender, add 2 cups of roasted squash, roasted garlic cloves, 1 ½ cups of vegetable broth, ¼ tsp of sea salt and fresh cracked pepper.
Blend until smooth. If mixture is too thick add more vegetable broth, 1 tbsp at a time and blend until desired consistency is achieved.
Sauce can be made in advance and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for several days.
Make cashew cream:
Place cashews in a glass bowl or measuring cup.
Boil several cups of water in a small pot or tea kettle. Once water is boiling, pour over cashews and allow to soak for at least 2 hours.
Drain and rinse cashews and place in a high-speed blender along with ½ cup + 2 tablespoons of water, nutritional yeast and sea salt. Blend until smooth and creamy.
Cashew cream can be made in advance and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for several days.
Make filling:
Heat 1 tablespoon of avocado oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add diced onions and sauté for 1-2 minutes until they are slightly translucent.
Add shiitakes and continue cooking for another 2-3 minutes.
Add chopped kale and cook several more minutes, until kale is wilted. If needed, add 1 tablespoon of water to the pan to help kale soften. Remove mixture from heat and allow to cool.
Mix cashew cream into kale and mushroom mixture.
Assemble lasagna and bake:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Spread 2-3 tbsp of butternut squash sauce on the bottom of a 9x12 baking dish (glass or ceramic will work) to avoid sticking. Layer lasagna noodles on top to evenly cover the bottom of the dish.
Spread half of the vegetable cashew cream filling evenly over the noodles, followed by a thin layer of butternut squash sauce (about 1/3).
Repeat layers – noodles, remaining vegetable and cashew cheese filling, 1/3 of butternut squash sauce.
Add 1 more layer of noodles followed by the remainder of butternut squash sauce. Sprinkle the top with vegan parmesan (optional).
Bake for 30-35 minutes until noodles are tender and center is warmed though.
Enjoy!
