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3.67 from 3 votes

Butternut Squash Lasagne with Mushrooms, Sage, Kale, and Cashew-Cauliflower Bechamel

Servings: 8
Author: Pamela

Ingredients

  • 6 Tablespoons unrefined cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil, divided
  • For vegan ricotta:
  • 8 ounces cauliflower florets cut into ½ -inch pieces (2 ¼ cups)
  • 1 ½ cups raw cashews chopped
  • 2 ¼ teaspoons sea salt divided + additional (you can use kosher salt in Step 2)
  • 1 large butternut squash about 3 pounds, peeled, sliced into 36 1/8-inch rounds (I use the top/ "neck" of the butternut squash, but you can use the bottom as well.)
  • For the vegetables:
  • 1 onion finely chopped
  • 8 ounces mushrooms any kind, thinly sliced
  • 6 fresh sage leaves plus additional for garnish if desired
  • 1 bunch kale such as dinosaur, stems removed, chopped
  • sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  • To make the ricotta: Bring 3 quarts of water to boil in a large saucepan. Add cauliflower florets, cashews, and 2 teaspoons salt and cook until cauliflower is very soft and falls apart easily when poked with a fork, about 20 minutes. Drain cauliflower mixture in colander and let cool slightly, about 5 minutes.
  • Make the ricotta: Process cauliflower mixture, 3 Tablespoons olive oil and ¼ cup water in a clean food processor until smooth, about 2 minutes. Mixture will be slightly grainy. Season with ¼ teaspoon salt and black pepper to taste. Transfer ½ cup mixture to a bowl and whisk in 4-5 Tablespoons of water. Season with a big pinch of salt and set aside for topping (let's call this the béchamel sauce.)
  • In a large skillet, warm 2 Tablespoons of olive oil and add the onion, and sauté until tender and translucent. Add mushrooms and sage leaves. Sauté until mushrooms soften, about 3 minutes. Add kale, salt and pepper and sauté until tender, about 6 minutes.
  • Assemble the lasagne: grease a 13x9-inch baking dish with olive oil. Layer about 12 butternut squash slices on the baking dish. They can overlap since you want to cover the bottom of the dish. With a spoon gently spread half of the ricotta mixture over the butternut slices. Top with half of the sautéed vegetable mixture. Layer 12 more butternut squash slices. Spread remaining ricotta and top with remaining vegetables.
  • For the last layer, cover with remaining butternut slices and pour reserved béchamel sauce over the squash. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30-40 minutes. Remove foil and bake uncovered for 30 more minutes, or until squash is tender. Let cool for 10 minutes and serve. Garnish with fresh sage leaves or fry them in olive oil in a skillet if desired (my preference).

Notes

To fry sage leaves. Warm up a small skillet over medium heat. Add 2 Tablespoons of olive oil. Add sage leaves. If you are frying more than 1/4 cup of sage, you will probably need more oil. Reduce heat to medium low and stir sage leaves in oil until fragrant and the leaves begin to darken, about 3 minutes. Remove sage leaves with a slotted spoon or tongs and place on a plate lined with a paper towel to absorb any excess oil. They will crisp as they cool.
If you eat dairy, you can use a 15-ounce container of ricotta combined with 1 beaten egg to replace the cashew ricotta. You can use shredded fontina and grated parmesan to top the casserole.