Description
Creamy, flavorful, and nourishing Vegan Butternut Squash Lasagna with the best vegan ricotta makes the most comforting weeknight meal! Leftovers taste even better the next day, and this makes enough to feed a crowd. Packed with over 18g plant protein per serving, this is not only healthy but also super filling!
Ingredients
Units
Scale
For the butternut squash cream sauce:
- 3/4 cup raw cashews
- 2 cups vegetable broth* (I use Better Than Bouillon)
- 1 medium-large butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 3/4-inch pieces**
- 1 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 3/4 tsp salt, divided + freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup water
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
For the lasagna:
- 9-12 lasagna noodles
- 1 batch vegan ricotta
- 1 10oz bag frozen spinach, thawed and water squeezed out
- Optional: handful of finely chopped walnuts, for texture on top
Instructions
- Prep: Press tofu for the ricotta. Pour broth into a 4-cup liquid measuring cup or medium bowl. Add cashews to broth and set aside to soak while you chop squash and thaw spinach (I used the microwave).
- Roast squash: Preheat oven to 425F. Place prepared squash on a large baking sheet. Add oil, 1/2 tsp salt, and a few grinds of pepper. Toss to combine and spread out so squash is not overlapping. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and lower temperature to 375F.
- Boil noodles: While squash roasts, cook noodles in salted water per the package directions. (Or you can use no-boil noodles and skip this step.) Lay out cooked noodles on an oiled baking sheet or kitchen towel for easy assembly. Have thawed spinach ready to go, making sure you've squeezed out the water.
- Make the tofu ricotta while noodles cook.
- Make squash sauce: Pour cashews and broth in a large high-speed blender (this will not fit in a Nutribullet). Blend until smooth and creamy. Add 1 cup water, remaining 1/4 tsp salt, nutmeg, and roasted squash. Blend again until smooth, stopping to stir as needed. It will be thick. Taste and adjust seasoning if desired.
- Assemble: Place 1 cup of squash sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish, spreading it evenly. Top with 3-4 noodles (depending on the size). Top evenly with half of the ricotta mixture and half of the spinach. Top with 1 1/2 cups of sauce. Repeat with another layer of noodles, the rest of the tofu mixture, and remaining spinach. Top with one last layer of noodles and another 1 ½ cups or more of sauce (noodles should be fully covered).
- Bake: Cover dish tightly with foil and bake for about 30 minutes, or until noodles are softened. No-boil noodles may take longer. Top with walnuts for crunch and let lasagna rest for 15 minutes before digging in! Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Notes
**do not use low sodium broth as the salt is key for flavor
*about 5 cups squash
Freeze the cooked and fully cooled lasagna tightly wrapped with foil for up to 3 months. You can also bag individual portions and freeze for single servings.
To make this gluten free, I recommend Tinkyada brown rice pasta.