A few of my favorite comfort foods in this world include enchiladas, pancakes, sloppy joes, meatloaf and of course, lasagna. A few weeks ago, I made you a cheesy vegetarian pumpkin lasagna and last year, I shared my favorite healthier turkey lasagna.
What I didn’t realize is that I had yet to make you a vegan lasagna! So here we are. Today I’m sharing a magical vegan butternut squash lasagna with a savory garlic tahini tofu cream sauce. That’s right, there’s no cheese or eggs in this vegan lasagna recipe, but I can assure you it’s just as delicious, satisfying and comforting as your favorite cheese-layered recipe.
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How do you make lasagna vegan?
The secret to this easy vegan lasagna is by using tofu instead of ricotta cheese or eggs! That’s right, we’re packing in plenty of plant-based protein thanks to Nasoya Super Firm Tofu. Over the years I’ve grown to love their tofu as an amazing meat alternative because you can do so many things with it. I’ve made a vegan slow cooker tikka masala, vegan nachos and even a vegan chocolate cheesecake with everything from extra firm to silken tofu.
What’s in this vegan butternut squash lasagna?
- Butternut squash: the butternut squash is first roasted to tender perfection to release all of the delicious, sweet flavors, and then is mixed with gorgeous spices like cinnamon, nutmeg & allspice.
- Spinach: this recipe has a whole bag of spinach because why the heck not?
- Lasagna noodles: I used regular lasagna noodles in this recipe, but you can also use gluten free or whole wheat if you prefer. You can buy the whole wheat lasagna noodles online here.
- Nasoya Super Firm Tofu: as I mentioned, the star of the show here is an incredible vegan tofu tahini cream sauce. It’s SO creamy & savory and made with plenty of garlic so that you won’t be missing the cheese one bit. This wonderful sauce would be delicious as a white mac and cheese sauce, too. Just saying.
- Tahini: the star to give the tofu an amazing flavorful nutty, creamy flavor and texture.
- Garlic: garlic gives the sauce a nice alfredo like flavor
- Lemon juice: to help brighten up the sauce a bit.
Can you freeze vegan lasagna?
YES! I have two different ways for you to freeze this delicious recipe and enjoy later (more reasons to make a double pan). This is also a great way to share the recipe with loved ones over the holidays:
- Bake first, then freeze. You can either bake your vegan lasagna first, then cool to room temperature, slice into servings, place in freezer safe containers and then freeze. Or you can bake it, bring to room temp, and then freeze the entire pan. Just make sure you double wrap it so the lasagna does not dry out. This is assuming you are freezing the entire pan. Once ready to reheat, thaw it out. Then bake, covered at 350 degrees F for 30-45 minutes or until heated through.
- Freeze before baking: To freeze before baking, simply assemble the lasagna as written in the instructions, then double wrap with plastic wrap and foil and freeze for up to 3 months. Once ready to bake, thaw out then bake according to instructions.
Personally I like to cook mine first, then freeze in individual portions, so I can take it out for meals or for lunch as needed. I just reheat my serving in the microwave until warm, about 2 minutes. YUM.
I hope you love this vegan lasagna recipe as much as we do. It will make a delicious plant-based main dish for Thanksgiving! If you make it, be sure to tag #ambitiouskitchen on Instagram and/or leave a comment and rate the recipe below!
Ambitious Kitchen
Cookbook
125 Ridiculously Good For You, Sometimes Indulgent, and Absolutely Never Boring Recipes for Every Meal of the Day
Vegan Butternut Squash Lasagna with Garlic Tahini Tofu Cream
Ingredients
- For the butternut squash sauce:
- 1 large butternut squash (2 ½-3 pounds)
- 1 cup almond milk
- 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon allspice
- Freshly ground black pepper
- For the tofu tahini cream sauce:
- 1 package Nasoya Super Firm Tofu, drained of excess liquid and crumbled
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1/2 cup warm water, plus more to thin if necessary
- 3 tablespoons tahini
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (start with 1 tablespoon)
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- For the noodles:
- 8 lasagna noodles, gluten free if desired
- For the veggies:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 (6 ounce) bag spinach
- Freshly ground salt and pepper
- To garnish:
- Fresh sage or basil ribbons
Instructions
- First roast your butternut squash: preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut ends off of butternut squash, then cut in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Drizzle butternut squash with a little oil and season with salt and pepper. Place flesh side down on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Roast for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until squash is extremely fork tender. Allow squash to cool until you are able to scoop out the flesh.
- Scoop out the roasted flesh of butternut squash and transfer to a blender or bowl of a food processor. Add milk, maple syrup, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and freshly ground black pepper. Blend/process until smooth. Set aside.
- Next, make your vegan tofu ricotta by adding crumbled Nasoya organic extra firm tofu, garlic cloves, warm water, tahini, lemon juice, salt and pepper to the bowl of a food processor or high powered blender. Blend until smooth and well combined. The sauce should be similar to the consistency of a drinkable smoothie or a very creamy alfredo sauce. If it isn’t, add ¼ cup more water and blend again. Taste and adjust seasonings as necessary. Set aside.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook the lasagna noodles for 5 minutes or until al dente, then drain. Immediately out noodles flat on an well-oiled baking sheet or cutting board so you can easily assemble the lasagna when ready and to prevent sticking. Another option is to soak the lasagna noodles in very warm (hot) water for 20-30 minutes if you do not want to boil them. (You can also use no cook lasagna noodles, but they aren't my favorite!)
- Next, saute spinach: place a large skillet or pot over medium high heat and add in olive oil. Once oil is hot, add in spinach and generously season with salt and pepper. Saute for a few minutes until the spinach wilts. Set aside.
- To assemble the lasagna, spread 3/4 heaping cup of butternut squash sauce over the bottom of the baking dish. Place 4 of the cooked lasagna noodles on top. Spread 1 cup of tofu tahini sauce over the top, then top with ½ of spinach. Next, add 1 heaping cup of butternut squash sauce over the top and spread out.
- Repeat layers once more: remaining noodles, 1 heaping cup of tofu tahini sauce (you will have extra sauce for drizzling later), remaining spinach, then top with any remaining butternut squash sauce.
- Cover with foil and bake at 375 degrees F for 25-30 minutes. Once done, remove foil and drizzle top with remaining tofu tahini sauce and garnish with fresh sage or basil ribbons. Serves 12.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Hi Monique- I’m about to make this dish but I’m wondering why you don’t recommend using soft or even silken tofu in order to get a more creamy consistency to the sauce, without using the addition of water. Last night I made a tofu-garlic dip out of soft tofu and thought that something similar could be used in your lasagna. Does soft tofu not handle well in the oven? It would definitely make a creamy sauce.
BTW, love your healthy recipes!
Mindy.
Hi Mindy! Either of those would work just fine, so please feel free to use those. The sauce will be smooth either way as it gets blended with tahini, lemon juice, etc. Enjoy!
I made the lasagna with silken tofu and I added a little bit more tahini to make the taste come through more but then didn’t taste as much of the butternut squash (totally my fault!).
This recipe was nevertheless delicious- we loved it- and I already told vegan friends about it and about the website. I will definitely make this again. Thanks Monique!
I’m glad it worked out well with the silken tofu – yum! You’ll have to pass along these vegan dinners to them, too. Hope you find more recipes here that you love!
Hi Monique! I’m super excited for this recipe but I can’t seem to find what size pan you’re supposed to use. Thank you!
Hi Lauren! I usually use a 9×13 inch pan 🙂 enjoy!
I loved this dish! After eating it all up and coming back to rate it, I realize that I somehow missed the tahini, but it turned out so yummy anyways. I used a gf chickpea lasagna noodle. However, my hubs did tell me I had bad breath for 4 days due to the raw garlic clove I put into the vitamix with the tofu. I thought the baking would calm it down, but I guess not. I absolutely love garlic, so next time I make this I hope I’ll remember to sauté the garlic first. I had some cauliflower rice mixture left over from https://www.ambitiouskitchen.com/layered-roasted-veggie-sweet-potato-black-bean-tortilla-pie-homemade-enchilada-sauce/#comment-236251 so I put that into my 2nd pan of lasagna. I loved both the original and the modified. Winner of a recipe!
So glad you liked it even without the tahini! Yes, feel free to sauté the garlic a bit next time, too 🙂 Yum!
Hi Monique! Do you think I could make this recipe using large shell pasta instead of lasagne noodles? Looks delicious!
Hi! That would be delicious! 🙂
Can I ask how many grams each serving typically is? I’m excited to make this!
Hmmm I’m not sure as I don’t typically weigh the servings! If you cut the pan into 12 slices that will give you the serving 🙂
This recipe has so much flavor! It was a fun fall recipe to make and then eat throughout the week.
I’ve had to cut out dairy for health reasons and am trying to eat less meat. Man oh man recipes like this make it easy! I’ve already shared with all my friends as it is such tasty fall comfort food. I will say it did not come out to 12 servings for me as it took about 1/6 of the dish to fill me up but I am a hungry human!
Hi Monique- this looks really good and I’d love to make it. The closest thing I have to a 9 x 13 pan is just an 8 x 8 pan, though. I was wondering how I should modify the recipe if I want to fit it in there. Thank you!
I would cut the recipe in half!
This is so tasty!! Even my husband – who is NOT vegetarian or vegan – loves this recipe!! I think he likes it more than me. We had it a couple weeks ago and I froze the leftovers and he’s been waiting all week to eat it tonight. Thank you.
Amazing! So happy to hear that 🙂
This is delicious! I used no-boil noodles (because I’m lazy) and added frozen chopped spinach (thawed) with the olive oil to the food processor along with the tofu mixture (because I’m lazy). I had a bit of marinara to use up so it got added to the butternut mixture. I can’t have a lot of tomatoes and I appreciate a recipe that allows for the deliciousness of lasagna without the acidity of tomato sauce. Thanks so much for posting this, Monique!
Oh I’m SO happy to hear you enjoyed it, Kathy. And totally fine to use no-boil noodles and frozen spinach! 🙂
I made this lasagna last night and it was a total hit in my house, despite me being the only vegan! I followed the steps exactly for the butternut squash sauce, but modified the ricotta by using 2 cups of boiled cashews and blending them up with water, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and garlic tahini. I was able to purchase a garlic tahini from Sprouts that was perfect for this recipe and didn’t need any additional cloves added. I also didn’t sauté the spinach ahead of time, since I knew it’d cook in the oven. The lasagna was a great substitute for me to get my pasta fill without having to make my own butternut squash raviolis. Next time, I’ll probably use no-boil noodles to make this process even easier. I’d also add some toasted chopped walnuts on top to really bring out the flavor! Overall, a 10/10 recipe! I would definitely recommend!
Thanks so much for sharing all of this! You’re making me want to make this again 🙂 Glad you loved it!
This was incredible!! I was actually shocked! Even though I shouldn’t be because AK recipes are always the best. 😉 I topped it with fresh basil and thyme leaves and it was delicious!
Aw thank you!! So glad you loved it!
My husband made this tonight— even he liked it (very meat n potatoes guy)! He used no boil noodles so those were a lil crunchy but I never heard him say he got no boil. It’s very filling and tasty!
If I substitute cashew ricotta for the tofu, how much do I need? We can’t have soy.
Hi Laura – I am not sure, I would try and check the oz on a package of the tofu and put the same amount of cashew ricotta. Let me know how this turns out.
I made this recipe for a vegan friend, As a non-vegan, I thought it was delicious. I used 6 Barilla Oven Ready noodles right out of the box. I assembled and baked the lasagna the night before.
I divided into individual servings. Rehearing one for myself, the noodles were just the right texture. Assuming the oven ready noodles behave as they do in other lasagna, they would also be good if you assembled the lasagna and baked 8-24 hrs later.
Ahh this is so great to hear! Glad you found this recipe and it turned out amazing for you!
Looks delicious! What size pan did you use? Thanks
Carol
I’d recommend a 9×13 inch baking pan!