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Butternut Squash Vegan Lasagna with Walnut Crumble top

Butternut Squash Vegan Lasagna with Walnut Crumble Top

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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Servings 6

Equipment

  • Large baking sheet for roasting the butternut squash
  • High-speed blender essential for making smooth cashew béchamel; a food processor can work too
  • Large skillet for sautéing vegetables
  • 9x13-inch baking dish standard lasagna dish
  • Medium mixing bowls to toss walnuts and combine sauce ingredients
  • Aluminum foil for covering during the first part of baking

Ingredients
  

For the Roasted Butternut Squash

  • 1 large butternut squash about 2.5 to 3 lbs, peeled, seeded, and cubed
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
  • For the Cashew Béchamel:
  • 1 cup raw cashews soaked in hot water for 30 minutes
  • 1 1/2 cups unsweetened plant milk almond, oat, or soy
  • 3 tbsp nutritional yeast
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 garlic clove
  • Salt to taste

For the Sautéed Veggie Layer

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 yellow onion finely chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 cups chopped spinach fresh or thawed from frozen
  • 1 zucchini grated
  • 1/2 tsp thyme
  • 1/2 tsp oregano
  • Salt and pepper to taste

For the Walnut Crumble Topping

  • 1/2 cup raw walnuts
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
  • 1/4 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt

Lasagna Assembly

  • 9 –12 lasagna noodles regular or no-boil, gluten-free if needed
  • Fresh basil or parsley for garnish optional

Instructions
 

Roast the Butternut Squash

  1. Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C). Toss cubed butternut squash with olive oil, salt, pepper, paprika, and nutmeg. Spread it on a baking sheet in a single layer and roast for 25–30 minutes, or until fork-tender and lightly caramelized.
  2. Let it cool slightly before transferring to a blender to create the base of your butternut squash sauce. Blend until smooth. You can add a splash of plant milk if it’s too thick.

Make the Cashew Béchamel

  1. Drain the soaked cashews and blend them with plant milk, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, garlic, and salt until creamy and smooth. This acts as the creamy, cheesy component without any dairy. Set aside.

Prepare the Veggie Layer

  1. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add spinach and zucchini, cooking until wilted and softened. Season with thyme, oregano, salt, and pepper.
  2. This layer adds freshness and texture, kind of like in eggplant lasagna vegetarian recipes but with a brighter, greener flavor profile.

Cook the Lasagna Noodles

  1. If using traditional lasagna noodles, boil them according to package instructions. If using no-boil noodles, skip this step and assemble directly.
  2. For a twist, you can even use butternut squash noodles or layers of roasted eggplant if you're riffing off other vegetarian butternut squash lasagna recipes.

Make the Walnut Crumble Topping

  1. In a bowl, mix chopped walnuts with olive oil, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, and salt. You can pulse everything briefly in a food processor if you want a finer texture. This mixture gives a parmesan-like crunch with a savory edge.

Assemble the Lasagna

  1. Grease your baking dish lightly with olive oil. Begin layering:
  2. A thin layer of butternut squash sauce
  3. Lasagna noodles
  4. A layer of sautéed veggies
  5. Spoonfuls of béchamel
  6. More noodles
  7. A thicker layer of squash sauce
  8. Repeat until you reach the top
  9. On the final layer, pour over any remaining béchamel and squash sauce, then sprinkle generously with the walnut crumble.

Bake

  1. Cover the dish with foil and bake at 375°F (190°C) for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 15–20 minutes, or until bubbling and the top is golden and slightly crisp.
  2. Let it rest for 10 minutes before slicing. This helps it set and slice cleanly.