Vegan Butternut Squash Kale Lasagna

This veggie filled butternut squash kale lasagna is just as delicious as it is healthy! It’s a great fall meal that will fill your body with nutrients and your heart with joy! Your non-vegan friends will love this just as much as you do!

Ingredients

• 1 large butternut squashed
• 1 large bunch of kale
• 2 garlic cloves
• olive oil
• salt, black pepper, and oregano for seasoning
• lasagne noodles (I like the oven ready type – see more on this in the Notes section) Make sure they’re vegan!
• 48 oz marinara sauce
• 2 tbsp vegan butter
• 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 cup unsweetened oat milk (or your plant milk of choice)

Optional:

• vegan mozzarella for topping

Why you’ll love it

It’s SO delicious! You get your pasta craving met, but are also filling up with veggies! No post-carb crash after eating this lasagne, I promise. Easily double the recipe to get twice the amount of food with minimal extra effort, and freeze your second lasagna for another day when you don’t have time to cook!

Sometimes, I will make this on a day when I have a bit of extra time, but won’t bake it in the oven yet. Instead, I’ll let it cool completely before covering it and placing it into the refrigerator. That way we have a meal ready the next day that I can prepare completely hands off! Just place in the oven, set a timer and forget!

Background to Butternut Squash Kale Lasagne

I came up with this recipe because of a craving during my first pregnancy. One day I DESPERATELY wanted a lasagne. But I’m vegan AND I had a TON of kale to use up from my farm share. So, I made a vegan kale lasagne and loved it. However, after making this a few times, I realized it could be EVEN BETTER if I added butternut squash to the mix. (And yes, this was also a CSA food I needed to make use of.) I’ve loved it ever since, and have even made it for multiple friends with meal trains after having a baby join their families. It’s such a great dish to make for someone else, because they can warm it up in the oven themselves, with no real effort, but with the result of having a super fresh, warm meal! 

How To Prepare

Preheat the oven to 350° Fahrenheit.

Peel the squash. Cut it into small pieces and arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet.

Drizzle olive oil over the cut butternut squash and season with salt, black pepper and oregano. I find you can be quite liberal with the spices here.

Bake in the oven for about 45 minutes, or until tender to your liking.

While the butternut squash is in the oven, mince the garlic and finely cut the washed kale.

In a large saucepan, warm about 1 tbsp of olive oil. Once warm, sauté the garlic and kale. I like to cook it covered for about 5 minutes and then uncovered until the kale has turned a nice dark green color. Set aside.

Now warm 2 tbsp of vegan butter in the sauce pan. Once melted, add 1 tbsp of flour and mix until it has turned into a thick paste. Slowly add the oat milk (1 1/4 cups) while constantly stirring. Once thick, add salt and pepper to taste and remove from heat.

Once the butternut squash is ready, take your baking or lasagne pan and begin with a layer of marinara sauce. Next, add a layer of lasagne noodles.

Now add a mix of butternut squash and Kale and top with marinara sauce. Add another layer of noodles. (It usually requires just one layer of veggies, unless your lasagna dish is on the smaller side.)

To finish the lasagne, add a layer of marinara sauce, followed by a layer of the white sauce. If you are using vegan mozzarella as a topping, then add this on top now by evenly sprinkling it over the whole lasagne.

How To Serve

I love eating this lasagna on its own with a few slices of delicious bread on the side. But, if I’m serving it to anyone else, I will also try to have a simple side salad to go with it. (And a glass of wine if you and your guests drink!)

How to Store

If you are storing this lasagna before you even bake it in the oven, then just let it cool, cover it either with a fitted lid or with plastic cling wrap if you don’t have a lid. Store in fridge for up to 3 days before baking. Or store in the fridge for a few hours, before transferring into the freezer. The lasagne will stay good in the freezer for up to 3 months. (See instructions below on how to freeze the lasagna.) As for storing leftovers of an already baked lasagna, just let it cool, cover it – airtight – either with lid or foil, and keep in the fridge for 5-7 days. I tend to be lazy and rewarm my leftovers in the microwave, but if you want to get fancy, you can reheat it in the oven. This definitely takes longer, though (and more power!).

Other Recipes You Might Enjoy

Try out this vegan white lasagna recipe. It, too, is stuffed with veggies, but it’s heartburn friendly and low sodium, because it doesn’t use marinara sauce! Many of the cooking steps for the two lasagnas are the same! 

This Deliciously Simple Vegan Spinach Tofu Lasagna is the easiest lasagna recipe I have. It is as delicious as it is healthy!

Q & A

Can you freeze lasagna?

Yes, this lasagne can easily be frozen. It makes for a great freezer meal. I made several lasagnas in preparation for the birth of our second daughter. Assemble the lasagne, let it cool, cover (make sure it’s airtight!) and place in the fridge for a couple of hours. I suggest you cover it with aluminum foil (which will eventually stay on when the lasagne goes into the oven) and then with the dish’s lid. If your dish doesn’t have a lid, or it isn’t airtight, then add a layer of cling wrap on top of the aluminum foil. Then place into the freezer. Doing this will minimize the chance of freezer burn. Mark the lasagne with the baking instructions for extra ease on future you. For best results, use within 3 months of freezing.

Are You Looking For a Dish To bring to someone else? Want a meal train recipe?

Lasagna makes for a great dish to bring to someone else, like for a meal train. Are you making a dish for someone who just had a baby? Or someone recovering from surgery? Mourning the loss of a loved one? Make the lasagne, bring it to them with baking instructions on it, and they will have a super fresh, warm meal ready with VERY minimal effort on their end.

Can I Double The Recipe?

Yes, please do double the recipe! As long as you have enough baking dishes to make two lasagnas, doubling up is a great time saver! This way you will make two lasagnas – one to eat now and one to go into the freezer for a hectic day in the future. It’s such a great feeling when you have a delicious, healthy lasagne in the freezer waiting for you! You won’t have to buy a desperate take-out order because you didn’t have time to cook. Your lasagne will save the day!

Can My Kid Help Me Cook?

Yes, your child can help you prepare this dish! My 2 year old took the cut up pieces of squash from me and transferred them onto the baking tray. She had a blast doing this! Afterwards, she just kind of sticks around in her learning tower and watches, or gets started on the dishes in the sink. Obviously, the older your child, the more they can help you prepare. Having your child help you layer the lasagne into the prepared baking dish is another great way to get them involved without having to be too concerned about the process or safety of your child.