Butternut Squash Lasagna
This recipe came off a whim. I love butternut squash and I’m guilty of over-buying during the fall. I try to find new ways to enjoy it, and every way is always amazing! Just roasting and eating as a side is great, but it makes a bomb mac-n-cheese, salad addition, and of course, a pasta sauce.
I also thought about what filling I could incorporate that would be hearty and soak up a lot of flavor. Of course you can use any type of green, but I chose kale because I usually keep an abundance of it. I used the king oyster mushrooms because I wanted something with a “meaty” texture to add in the place of chicken. It also looks a lot like shredded chicken when you take a fork to it.
Feel free to add any other vegetables to your fillings; zucchini, collard greens, broccoli…they all work. A good rule-of-thumb is to always use what you have before it goes bad. One thing I’ve learned when preparing plant based recipes is that creativity is key if you want to make sure you’re getting the most out of your groceries every week. No need to go out and buy the exact ingredients (unless you want to). Get the basics, and the rest you can improvise.
For the kale, I simply coated my hands with a little EVOO, pulled it apart and shredded it to break it down. It will wilt after cooking, but this takes away its toughness. Once the kale and mushrooms are done cooking, I set this aside until everything is done.
Depending on the type of pasta you get, the cooking times may vary and the texture may be a bit different. Some pastas tend to stick together while boiling so to eliminate this, add some EVOO to the water right before throwing the pasta in.
When assembling, this is solely up to you! Feel free to add more or less depending on the depth of your baking dish. You can also use a larger baking dish, like 9×13. I prefer more layers so I do several thin layers of filling in a small dish. The butternut squash sauce will not act as cheese would, but it will hold the layers together once it’s cooled.
I’ve found that adding the breadcrumb mixture in the last 10 minutes ensures that it doesn’t burn. Feel free to add more seasonings to the top of your dish if needed. After this step, your meal is ready to eat! I hope you enjoy this as much as I do.
Butternut Squash Lasagna
Equipment
- 9×13 Baking Dish
- 1-2 Baking Sheets
- Blender
Ingredients
- 10 oz brown rice lasagna
Butternut Squash Sauce
- 1 1/2 cups butternut squash (cubed)
- 1/2 cup vegetable broth or your choice of plantbased milk Add sparingly, as you want your sauce to be on the thicker side
- 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
- 2 tbsp olive oil (optional for roasting)
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp thyme
- 1 tsp chopped garlic
Filling Mixture
- 3-4 king oyster mushrooms If you can't find these, 8-10 sliced cremini will work just fine
- 2 1/2 cups kale
- 1 leek 1/2 sliced onion will work here too
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp onion powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
Breadcrumb Mix
- 1/4 cup fried onion pieces (crushed)
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 1/4 cup bread or panko crumbs
Instructions
Butternut Squash
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Toss butternut squash in olive oil, garlic, and thyme.
- Spread onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Roast for 20 minutes.
- Remove squash from oven and let cool while noodles are cooking.
- Lower oven temp to 375°F
Filling Mixture
- While the squash is roasting, thinly slice leek and mushrooms.
- In a skillet, heat a tbsp of oil (or water if oil free) and toss in leeks and mushrooms. Cook until the leeks are translucent and mushrooms are tender.
- Add onion powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and kale.
- Cover with a lid, remove from heat and set aside.
Pasta
- Bring a large pot of water to a rapid boil.
- Drop pasta in individually. Break some in half to make them fit if necessary.
- Follow package instructions on cooking time.
Assembly & Baking
- Add squash to blender along with salt, pepper, smoked paprika, nutritional yeast, and veggie stock or plantbased milk.
- Pour a small amount of squash mixture to the bottom of an 8×11 baking sheet.
- Line pasta along dish, covering sides by tearing pasta sheets if needed.
- Spread several spoonfuls of the filling mixture into the dish.
- Continue this sequence until dish is full, using the remainder of the butternut squash sauce on the top.
- Bake for 20 minutes.
- Take out dish and cover in breadcrumb mixture. Bake for 10 minutes.
- Let rest for 10 minutes and serve.
