Vegan Butternut Squash and Spinach Lasagna- layered with almond ricotta and roasted butternut squash, this lasagna is sure to make for a perfect family meal!
Butternut Squash Marinara Lasagna with Caramelized Onions, Almond Ricotta, Sautéed Spinach and Crispy Sage.
We love eating a hearty vegetable lasagna when the weather gets cooler. We make a big serving of almond ricotta and get ready to stack our lasagnas. We usually use marinara sauce, but we also love pesto too! If you're not in the mood for the amount of time it takes to make lasagna, we also have a pesto pasta recipe that is just as satisfying.
This lasagna reminds me of what I call a "Grandmother recipe" where you spend time enjoying cooking and cherishing all the steps. This is a recipe you enjoy cooking early on a Sunday afternoon. Now that I am a Mom it is my turn to make family staples with no animal products for my children to enjoy. It was interesting to learn that lasagna actually dates back to the 1200's and the term ‘lagana,’ already in use in Roman times, referred to square- or rectangular-shaped thin sheets obtained from a mixture of wheat flour, then baked or fire-cooked.
Between roasting the squash, sautéing the spinach, boiling the lasagna noodles, and blending up the ricotta, this recipe isn’t a quick one. It's one to schedule when you have a cold day outside and want to enjoy some time in your kitchen with out rushing.
Even though it takes a little bit of time to make, it’s worth it! The squash pairs so well with the creamy ricotta, Sautéed Spinach and Crispy Sage.
You can also prep it head of time. Just assemble then cover and wait to cook until everyone is about ready to eat. There is nothing like the smell of lasagna cooking in the oven on a cold day. I made these lasagnas in advance and froze them and shared at a vacation rental with my family. This is a lasagna the entire family is sure to love. After hiking and playing outside the smell of lasagna bubbling in the oven brought all of the family around the table to enjoy with a big salad and crunchy bread.
I love when vegan comfort food and health are highlighted in the same dish and I am so excited to share my trick of working with butternut squash, so you will find more ways to use this wonderful and tasty vegetable.
In the Planted Table kitchen we cook "labor of love" recipes like this all the time. We know our customers don't always have the time to make elaborate dishes like this, but still shouldn't miss out on enjoying slow food made with love.
AuthorChef Lauren Mahlke
Chef Lauren's Tips
When prepping butternut squash, use a potato peeler and peel the neck (straight part) of the squash. It is helpful when picking your squash to find one with a long/straight neck. Keep the skin on the bulb (the round part) of the squash and slice off from the bulb.
After peeling the skin of the neck, cut the neck in half lengthwise and slice into thin half moons. The bulb should then be sliced in half, remove seeds and save for roasting. *keep the seeds and roast them for a snack with cumin, salt and smoked paprika with some olive oil
With a cleaned out bulb, place in oven low and slow so you can scoop out all the meat and mix into your marinara.
I like to save many bulbs and freeze them until I am ready to cook them like this for soups, stews, sauces and butternut squash marinara.
Preheat oven to 350°
Fill a large stock pot with boiling salted water.
Peel neck of butternut squash with potato peeler. Remove the neck from the bulb. Cut the neck in half lengthwise and slice into thin half moons 1/4 inch thick. The bulb should then be sliced in half, remove seeds and drizzle cut side with 1 tablespoon of olive oil sprinkle with salt and pepper. Let roast cut side up for 1 hour until meat is tender. Let cool slightly so you can touch and remove meat from the skin, rough chop the meat and save for the marinara.
While the bulb is cooking blanch the butternut squash necks in boiling salted water for 3 minutes until tender. Place in a large bowl with salt and ice water to stop cooking of squash.
In a large saute pan add butter and onions and on medium heat let caramelize for 20-25 minutes stirring often. Add salt to taste. The onions should turn golden to reach full caramelizing. Add Spinach and sauté for 5-8 minutes until all spinach is cooked down. Drain off any liquid and reserve into a bowl for lasagna assembly.
In a large sauce pot on medium high heat add 1 tablespoon of olive oil, rosemary and thyme stems with leaves and sauté in oil for 1-2 minutes. Add onions and sauté for 5-10 minutes until glistening. Remove thyme and rosemary stems and add minced garlic and sauté for 1-2 minutes. Add remaining ingredients except the vinegar and nutritional yeast. Bring pot of marinara to boil and reduce to a simmer on medium heat for 20 minutes stirring occasionally. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper.
Use a hand held immersion blender to smooth marinara this will bring the color more orange with the blended butternut squash. Add a splash of red wine vinegar for seasoning and nutritional yeast for seasoning.
In a large 9x13 pyrex pour marinara on bottom of the dish a thin layer. Then spread lasagna pasta evenly in one layer. Spread half the ricotta on pasta and lay the half moons of butternut squash on top of ricotta.
Lay the next layer of pasta and spread all spinach and onion mixture. Lay the next layer of pasta and do the 2nd half of ricotta and butternut squash half moons. Lay the last layer of pasta on top of butternut and pour generously with marinara. Place sage leaves on top of marinara.
When ready to eat, roast in oven at 350° for 35-45 minutes. Enjoy with a glass of Sangiovese wine and admire your hard work!
Ingredients
Directions
Preheat oven to 350°
Fill a large stock pot with boiling salted water.
Peel neck of butternut squash with potato peeler. Remove the neck from the bulb. Cut the neck in half lengthwise and slice into thin half moons 1/4 inch thick. The bulb should then be sliced in half, remove seeds and drizzle cut side with 1 tablespoon of olive oil sprinkle with salt and pepper. Let roast cut side up for 1 hour until meat is tender. Let cool slightly so you can touch and remove meat from the skin, rough chop the meat and save for the marinara.
While the bulb is cooking blanch the butternut squash necks in boiling salted water for 3 minutes until tender. Place in a large bowl with salt and ice water to stop cooking of squash.
In a large saute pan add butter and onions and on medium heat let caramelize for 20-25 minutes stirring often. Add salt to taste. The onions should turn golden to reach full caramelizing. Add Spinach and sauté for 5-8 minutes until all spinach is cooked down. Drain off any liquid and reserve into a bowl for lasagna assembly.
In a large sauce pot on medium high heat add 1 tablespoon of olive oil, rosemary and thyme stems with leaves and sauté in oil for 1-2 minutes. Add onions and sauté for 5-10 minutes until glistening. Remove thyme and rosemary stems and add minced garlic and sauté for 1-2 minutes. Add remaining ingredients except the vinegar and nutritional yeast. Bring pot of marinara to boil and reduce to a simmer on medium heat for 20 minutes stirring occasionally. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper.
Use a hand held immersion blender to smooth marinara this will bring the color more orange with the blended butternut squash. Add a splash of red wine vinegar for seasoning and nutritional yeast for seasoning.
In a large 9x13 pyrex pour marinara on bottom of the dish a thin layer. Then spread lasagna pasta evenly in one layer. Spread half the ricotta on pasta and lay the half moons of butternut squash on top of ricotta.
Lay the next layer of pasta and spread all spinach and onion mixture. Lay the next layer of pasta and do the 2nd half of ricotta and butternut squash half moons. Lay the last layer of pasta on top of butternut and pour generously with marinara. Place sage leaves on top of marinara.
When ready to eat, roast in oven at 350° for 35-45 minutes. Enjoy with a glass of Sangiovese wine and admire your hard work!
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