Better For You Butternut Squash Lasagna
This butternut squash lasagna is one of my favorite recipes! The butternut squash is so sweet yet savory and teams up so nicely with the creamy basil béchamel sauce. It is the ultimate plant based comfort food! I add just a little vegan parmesan cheese to each layer to balance the sweetness with a little tang. The flavors come together so nicely! I can’t wait for you to try this one.
This butternut squash lasagna is so much better for you than a traditional one. First off, I don’t sauté my veggies in any oil. You don’t need to! Use a little bit of vegetable broth once the onions start to stick to the pan and wait until they are golden and caramelized.
The Better For You Ingredients
There is no trace of dairy fat in this recipe. We have cut out the saturated fat and cholesterol, and replaced that with whole plant food goodness. The squash is loaded with vitamin A and potassium, which can help keep your blood pressure in check. Butternut squash is also low in calories but high in many other nutrients such as, vitamin C, magnesium,
Traditional squash lasagnas use a cream sauce known as a béchamel sauce. It is made with butter, and milk or cream. It is delicious, but unfortunately loaded with fat, unwanted calories, and sugars and hormones from the dairy products.
My basil béchamel sauce has none of that! I use no oil, healthy plant milk, miso for healthy probiotics and a great umami taste without all the salt. In addition I add in a can of white beans to give the sauce its creamy texture. You would never even know they are in there and they add tons of protein to each serving! Blend in some fresh basil and you have an awesome, creamy plant based sauce that is so delicious with the squash puree.
One thing I like to add to this recipe is a small amount of vegan parmesan cheese to each layer. There is some fat from coconut in the cheese, but I don’t use much and it adds such a nice tangy flavor to each layer. You can of course leave this out if you would like.
If you are making this recipe for both vegan and non vegan family members, you could make two smaller 8×8 pans and add regular parmesan cheese to each layer, but I have found that non vegans tend to like the plant based version just as well!
For the noodles, I saved time by using some no-boil noodles that you can find here: No-Boil Lasagna Noodles. These are vegan and gluten free. If none of that bothers you, then you can use whatever kind you wish. I also have tried these Chickpea Lasagna Noodles in this recipe. They are only made with chickpea flour and are another great option.
Butternut Squash Lasagna
Equipment
- 1 9x13 baking dish
- 1 large pan
- 1 high speed blender
Ingredients
- 1 8oz package no-boil lasagna noodles
- 1 cup vegan parmesan cheese
For The Squash Puree
- 1 large sweet onion , diced
- 6 cups chopped butternut squash
- 1½ cups vegetable broth
- ½ cup applesauce
- ½ cup carrot juice
- 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 Tbsp red miso paste
- 1 Tbsp tomato paste
- salt and pepper to taste
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
For The Basil Béchamel Sauce
- ½-1 cup diced onion
- 1 Tbsp garlic
- ¼ cup vegetable broth
- ⅓ cup organic whole wheat flour
- 3 cups plant milk of choice
- 2 Tbsp white miso paste
- 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
- 3 Tbsp fresh basil
- 1 Tbsp dried basil
- salt to taste
- 1 pinch of nutmeg
- 1 15oz can white beans (I used navy beans)
Instructions
For The Squash Puree
- Dry sautée your onions adding splashes of vegetable broth until onions are golden and caramelized.
- Add in garlic and continue for another minute or two.
- Add chopped squash and stir for a few minutes. Then add 1½ cups vegetable broth to the pot. Cover and simmer for about 15 minutes or until the squash is fork tender.
- Turn off the heat and dd the apple cider vinegar, carrot juice, applesauce, garlic powder, tomato paste, and salt and pepper to taste.
- Once the puree has cooled for a few minutes, add in the red miso paste. This is to prevent the heat from killing the beneficial probiotics.
- Using an immersion blender, blend squash until it is smooth. Set aside.
For The Basil Béchamel Sauce
- In a medium sized pot, dry sauté the onions until golden and caramelized.
- Add the garlic and vegetable broth and scrape up any bits stuck to the pot.
- Stir in the flour and cook for another minute whisking the whole time..
- Slowly add the plant milk while whisking and cook for another minute or two until the flour/onion mixture is incorporated. Don't worry if it is a little clumpy. This will smooth out in the next step.
- Allow to cool slightly and transfer mixture into a high speed blender.
- Add the white miso, nutritional yeast, fresh basil, dried basil, salt and white pepper, and a pinch of nutmeg.
- Blend on high for 2-3 minutes or until smooth and no lumps remain.
- Add in the can of white beans and blend for another minute until smooth.
For The Assembly
- Using a 9x13 baking dish, pour about ¾ cup of sauce to cover the bottom of the dish.
- Layer 4-5 lasagna noodles along the bottom, overlapping if needed.
- Cover noodles with about 1 cup of squash puree.
- Add another ¾ cup of sauce over the squash puree.
- Sprinkle about ¼ cup of vegan parmesan cheese.
- Continue with noodles, squash puree, sauce, and cheese until all the noodles have been used on every layer. Make sure you end with the sauce and the cheese on the top.
- Sprinkle with some dried basil and cover with tin foil.
- Bake at 425°F for about 35 minutes.
- Uncover, and bake another 10 minutes or until the top is browned and bubbly.
- Allow to cool for about 10 minutes before serving. Enjoy!
