How was your Christmas? Once again, we had a very quiet Christmas but unlike last year, it wasn’t because of the weather. Unfortunately the virus is making it harder to travel anywhere these days so we did miss family from a far.
And again, unlike last year, we had no snow and it was actually a very mild Christmas. This year I ran in a single layer with a light vest.
I actually had a really good December both for my running and my business so for that I am quite happy! 2021 was a tough year but I am all about celebrating the good stuff!
Becuase My husband took a few days off this year over Christmas, he was home to help with our Christmas Eve dinner. He loves lasagna and asked me if it would be ok to make for Christmas Eve after church. I thought it was a great idea because we could assemble ahead of time and have it in the oven while we were celebrating the real meaning of Christmas at church.
He made his favorite recipe from Cooks Country and it was a BIG hit! Since I had a couple butternut squash left from my fall CSA box, I decided to make a pan of Butternut Squash Lasagna. It’s a delicious twist on a classic lasagna that swaps out the tomato sauce for a savory, creamy, butternut squash cashew sauce. It pairs beautifully with plant based noodles and a savory sautéed kale, caramelized onion, and mushroom sauce.
As delicious and comforting as this plant-based option is, I am going to be honest here…my husband’s traditional lasagna did get the most votes.
But if you’re looking for a vegan option for your next holiday dinner or meatless Monday, I have you covered. Plus it only has 10 ingredients! Let me show you how it’s done!
How to Make Butternut Squash Lasagna
The butternut squash component of this lasagna is the sauce! Butternut squash is roasted with garlic until both become tender and caramelized, then they’re blended with cashews, lemon juice, salt, nutritional yeast and water into a creamy consistency..
The result is a smooth, balanced, rich sauce that takes the place of both the “cheese” and “sauce” layers of a classic lasagna.
For the noodles, you can go with any type you enjoy, — I used these lentil ones I found at Aldi. Let me know if you try them. They are loaded with protein and worked great! Plus they are oven ready.
Layer it between comforting noodles and creamy sauce.
Then bake to bubbly perfection and garnish with fresh parmigiana (or you can use vegan parm) and fresh basil for even more flavor!
I hope you LOVE this butternut squash lasagna! It’s:
Rich
Savory
Comforting
Saucy
Veggie-packed
& Crowd-pleasing!
I personally believe it’s as delicious as traditional and makes the perfect entrée for your holiday table or whenever you need a meatless option. I know I will be making this all winter long! Serve with a simple salad and you’re all set. ENJOY!
More Delicious Lasagna Recipes
- Polenta Lasagna with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce
- Spring Lasagna
- Crowd Pleasing Lasagna
- Crispy Prosciutto White Lasagna
If you try this recipe, let please let me know! Leave a comment, share it, tag me and show some love.
Butternut Squash Lasagna (Vegan, GF Optional)
Creamy butternut squash sauce meets pasta, kale, and mushrooms in a delicious twist on classic lasagna. Bursting with fall flavor and just 10 ingredients required!
INGREDIENTS:
BUTTERNUT SQUASH SAUCE
- 1 small butternut squash (1 small squash yields ~2 cups or 480 g purée)
- 10-12 cloves garlic, peeled and left whole
- 1 ¼ cup raw cashews
- 3 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp sea salt (plus more to taste)
- 1 Tbsp or more to taste nutritional yeast
- 1 ½ cups water (plus more as needed to blend)
NOODLES
- 10 ounces oven ready dry lasagna noodles or your fave
FILLING
- 1 ½ Tbsp olive oil
- 1 large onion, diced (1 onion yields ~3 cups chopped)
- 6 cups roughly chopped mushrooms
- 8 cups finely chopped kale (1 bundle yields ~8 cups)
- 1/2 tsp each sea salt and black pepper
- 1 tsp dried thyme (optional)
DIRECTIONS:
- Preheat oven to 425 F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Slice your squash in half lengthwise and remove the seeds, but leave the skin on. Rub squash flesh with a bit of oil. Place garlic cloves on the prepared baking sheet and top with squash cut side down (the scooped-out squash should cover the garlic so it doesn’t burn). Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until the skin is blistered and golden brown and a knife inserted into the squash comes out very easily.
- Heat a large rimmed skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the olive oil and onion and sauté for 3-4 minutes or until softened, then add the mushrooms and sauté another 5-7 minutes or until lightly browned. Then add kale, salt, pepper, and thyme (optional) and sauté for another 5-7 minutes or until tender.
- Once the squash is tender and cool enough to handle, scoop 2 cups roasted squash into a high speed blender. Add roasted garlic cloves, cashews, lemon juice, salt, nutritional yeast, and water and blend until smooth, adding more water and scraping down the sides of the blender as needed. It should be thick, creamy, and scoopable. Taste and adjust as needed, adding more salt for overall flavor, lemon for brightness, garlic for savory flavor, or nutritional yeast for cheesiness.
- Reduce oven temperature to 350 F (177 C).
- Assemble the lasagna in a 9 x 13 (or similar size) glass or ceramic baking dish. Add 1/2 cup sauce to the bottom of the pan and spread it evenly. Then add a layer of noodles followed by 1/3 of the filling. Repeat with two more layers of sauce, noodles, and filling. Then finish with a layer of noodles and the remaining sauce as the top layer (it should be a thicker layer fully coating the noodles).
- Bake lasagna at 350 F for 30 minutes or until the top layer is slightly dry and a little darker in color.
- Carefully remove from the oven and let cool 5-10 minutes before serving. Then slice, serve, and enjoy. We recommend garnishing with freshly chopped basil and fresh parmigiana.
Did you happen to have lasagna for Christmas?
What are you doing for New Years?
Are you staying up to welcome 2022?
ME ABSOLUTELY NOT
Are you celebrating all your WINS from 2021!
DO IT!
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