butternut squash lasagna & roasted garlic ricotta

Nut-free, plant-based, crowd pleaser, no processed cheeses!

If you find yourself with a lasagna addiction, you’re not alone. And you don’t have to go through a lasagna detox if you’re moving towards a plant-based diet or experimenting with veg-forward meals. Vegan lasagnas can be epic, rich, and healthy!

My bond with lasagna runs deep.

Every year, as a birthday treat, my mom would ask what special dish I wanted, and without fail, it was always lasagna.

Whenever I host more than a couple of guests for dinner, it's lasagna on the menu.

And for those meal-prepping moments when I crave an all-in-one freezer meal, it's lasagna that I turn to.

It holds a special place as my go-to comfort meal, and I come back to it again and again.

In The Plant-Based Cookbook, I did a predominantly veggie lasagna with tofu ricotta, in Plant-Based Delicious I did a more elevated sundried tomato and mushroom lasagna with a cashew and bean ricotta and here, in my most recent rendition, I’m making a nut-free lasagna with a winter squash sauce and a bean/tofu hybrid ricotta.

It’s blocked with veg, protein, and flavor!

There are four components to this vegan lasagna: butternut squash sauce, tofu bean ricotta with veggies, passata, and lasagna noodles.

Set aside some time for this recipe, an hour of prep for sure as it’s a bit more involved, which can be fun and festive! Plus the recipe pays off; it’s filling, and nutritious, and the serves a crowd.

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Some things to know:

Oven-ready lasagna noodles.

I swear by these, they significantly shorten preparation time. Lasagnas are already big recipes so I’ll take all the shortcuts I can get. However, if you have regular lasagna noodles, you can still make this recipe. Simply cook them according to directions but cook a couple of minutes short of al dente. Drain well and ensure the noodles are dry before layering in the casserole dish. We want to minimize any additional moisture.

Passata

Lately, I’ve been reaching for passata instead of tomato sauce. Passata is pureed, uncooked tomatoes and is a staple in most European countries. It’s a super convenient ingredient for pasta sauces and soups. In this lasagna (again to save time) I use passata instead of making a marinara (or using a bottled marinara). I used regular passata which is found near the diced tomatoes and tomato sauce. It usually comes in glass bottles.

Varying sizes of tofu blocks

Depending on where you live or even what grocery store you frequent, you’ll find different brands and sizes of tofu blocks. I used a 12-ounce (340 g) block of firm tofu for the ricotta, but you can use a 10-ounce or 14-ounce block. It won’t make a big difference. You can also skip “pressing” the tofu. It’s not needed for this recipe.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH & ROASTED GARLIC RICOTTA LASAGNA

Makes 8 servings

Equipment needed: food processor

Nut free

Like all lasagnas, this recipe is big and delicious. There are 2 parts we make ourselves: the squash sauce and the roasted garlic ricotta. Remember to let the lasagna rest after it comes out of the oven, this will help it set. And I know, 20 garlic cloves may seem like a lot, but after the garlic cloves are roasted their bite mellows and they impart incredible flavor.

INGREDIENTS

Squash Sauce

5 cups (600 g) chopped and peeled butternut squash, kabocha squash, or pumpkin (chopped into ¾-inch [2 cm] chunks)

1 cup (150 g) diced yellow onion

¼ teaspoon sea salt

4 garlic cloves, minced

½ teaspoon dried thyme

¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

¼ cup (60 ml) unsweetened soy milk or almond milk

Roasted Garlic Ricotta & Veggies

20 large whole garlic cloves, unpeeled

1½ cups (273 g) cooked or canned navy beans, drained and rinsed

2 tablespoons (30 g) stirred tahini

3 tablespoons (45 ml) fresh lemon juice

¼ teaspoon sea salt

1 tablespoon (16 g) white miso

1 tablespoon (4 g) nutritional yeast

1 tablespoon (15 ml) water

1 (12 ounce/397 g) package firm tofu, drained

4 cups broccoli florets, finely chopped

3 large leaves curly or lacinato kale, destemmed and finely chopped

Tomato Sauce and Noodles

3 to 3½ cups (710-830 ml) passata

1 (10 oz/280 g) package oven-ready brown rice, whole wheat, or quinoa lasagna noodles (about 15 lasagna noodles)

Optional Garnish

½ cup vegan parmesan *see notes

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HOW-TO

Roast Garlic and Squash

1. Preheat the oven to 400ºF (200ºF) and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Spread the squash (from the Squash Sauce) out on the sheet pan. Pierce each unpeeled garlic clove (from the Roasted Garlic Ricotta) with a knife (this keeps them from exploding in the oven) and lay them on in the corner of the sheet pan. Place the pan in the oven. Take the garlic cloves out after 15 minutes (they should be browned, fragrant, and soft). Set them aside to cool and return the pan to the oven and cook the squash for another 5 to 10 minutes (for a total of 20-25 minutes) until browned and fork tender. Keep the oven at 400ºF for when you bake the lasagna.

Squash Sauce

3. While the garlic for the ricotta and squash are in the oven, work on the rest of the squash sauce. Sauté the onion in a sauté pan with salt and a few tablespoons (30 ml) of water for 7 to 10 minutes until translucent. Then add the garlic, thyme, and red pepper flakes for another 30 seconds. Transfer the veggies to a food processor, you’ll use the pan again.

   When the squash is out of the oven transfer it to the processor too and add the milk. Process until smooth (or as smooth as possible). Transfer the sauce to a bowl or large jar and set aside. Give the food processor a rinse, you’ll use it again for the ricotta.

Roasted Garlic Ricotta & Veggies

4. When the garlic cloves are cool enough to handle, peel them, and place them in the food processor. Add the navy beans, tahini, lemon juice, salt, miso, nutritional yeast, and water. Process continuously until smooth. Now crumble the block of tofu into the processor and pulse repeatedly until it’s all broken up and the ricotta is thick with texture. Set aside.

5. Next add the broccoli to the pan you used to sauté the onion. Add a few tablespoons of water and sauté over medium heat for 3 minutes until bright green. Add the finely chopped kale and sauté for another minute. The veggies should be vibrant, and the broccoli just tender. Turn the heat off and add the ricotta to the pan. Mix well.

Assembly:

6. Now it’s time to assemble. Spread 1½ cups of passata along the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch (23 x 33 cm) casserole dish. Layer the lasagna noodles so they cover the bottom of the dish but are not overlapping. I like to break up pieces of an additional lasagna noodle to cover up any large gaps or spaces. Next pour half the butternut squash sauce over the noodles and spread it evenly. You can eyeball this, no need to measure exactly.

7. Next spread half the ricotta/veggie mixture over the butternut squash sauce. I like to do this by dropping spoonfuls of the mixture randomly and lightly spreaking it with the back of a spoon. Again, eyeball what half looks like.

8. Arrange another layer of noodles over the ricotta followed by the other half of the butternut squash and then the other half of the ricotta mixture.

9. Finish with a final layer of noodles and spread the remaining 1½ cups of passata (use 2 cups if you like your lasagna saucy) on top. Here you have the option to garnish the lasagna with ½ cup of vegan parmesan. If I have some almond parmesan in the fridge, I’ll add it on. If not, I’ll go without.

Bake

10. Cover the casserole dish tightly with tinfoil and place it in the oven for 45 minutes. After 45 minutes, remove the tinfoil and continue to bake for another 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let the lasagna rest, lightly covered, for 10 to 15 minutes. Using a sharp knife, cut the lasagna into 8 pieces.

NOTES

If you don’t have oven-ready lasagna noodles, you can use regular lasagna noodles. Cook the noodles according to directions but drain them about 2 minutes short of al dente. Separate them so they don’t stick together and set aside until needed. You can lay them flat on parchment paper or another non-stick surface.

You can use a slightly bigger or smaller block of tofu without issue.

Vegan parmesan: If you want to make your own, combine the ingredients below in a food processor and process until the nuts are a fine, sand-like texture.

• 1 cup (130 g) almonds

• ¼ cup (16 g) nutritional yeast flakes

• 2 teaspoons dried thyme

• 1 teaspoon dried oregano

• 1 teaspoon sea salt

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Printable Version

Butternut Squash And Roasted Garlic Ricotta Lasagna

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Substitutions

Passata: If you can’t find any, use a thick marinara.

Garlic: If you want to skip the roasted garlic, you can without any issue.

Broccoli: If you don’t have broccoli, you can use 16 ounces of mushrooms. Sauté them for 5 minutes until they shrink and any liquid they release has burned off. You can also use cauliflower (cut super small) or diced bell peppers.

Kale: If you don’t have kale, you can use baby spinach or you can omit it.

Beans: If you don’t have navy beans, you can use cannellini beans.

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Happy Cooking!
-Ashley