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This Vegan Butternut Squash Lasagna with Caramelized Onions and Spinach features a creamy tofu cashew bechamel sauce and lots of melted vegan cheese. A vegan lasagna recipe perfect for feeding a crowd during the fall holidays.
This vegan caramelized onion butternut squash lasagna is a fall-tastic twist on a classic lasagna with layers of creamy roasted butternut squash, spinach, caramelized red onions, and a creamy cashew bechamel. Simple yet impressive, the ideal pasta dinner to serve during the fall and winter holidays.
There’s something soul-satisfying about the concept of layering vegan “cheese” sauce and pasta noodles and baking it all in a casserole dish. Don’t you think?
Our vegan bechamel sauce is a tried-and-tested combination of blended tofu and cashews to create that perfect silky creamy texture. Miso paste and nutritional yeast are added for cheesiness. A bit of lemon juice helps to reduce the cashew flavor so it won’t taste like nuts at all. Layers or roasted butternut squash and Caramelized onion adds so much flavor and texture.
This lasagna is the perfect easy fall dinner for a crowd. Leftovers can be refrigerated for up to 4 days or frozen.
More Vegan Pasta Recipes
- French onion skillet lasagna
- Spinach Alfredo skillet lasagna
- Butter Chicken lasagna bake or skillet
- Vegan Lemon Asparagus Pasta
- Creamy Mushroom Spinach Pasta
Vegan Caramelized Onion Butternut Squash Lasagna
Ingredients
For the butternut squash:
- 10-12 ounces cubed butternut squash, use double amount for a double layer
- 1 teaspoon oil
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon thyme
For the caramelized onion:
- 1 yellow or red onion, thinly sliced
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 teaspoon vegan Worcestershire sauce, optional
- 2 teaspoons oil
For the cream sauce:
- 3/4 cup raw cashews
- 4 ounces of firm or soft tofu
- 1.5 tablespoons flour
- 1 3/4 cup of water
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon Italian herbs
- 3/4 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons miso, use chickpea miso for Soyfree
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
For the spinach:
- 6-8 ounces frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed lightly to remove excess water
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- red pepper flakes to taste
For Lasagna:
- vegan mozzarella shreds as needed, about 3/4 cup
- vegan Parmesan and pepper flakes for topping, about 1/3 cup
- 12-16 no boil lasagna sheets, see note for regular
Instructions
- Bake the squash the caramelized onion: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F(205 c). In a square 9×9 lasagna dish, add the onions, salt, sugar, and oil and toss well.
- In another baking sheet, add the butternut squash and add the oil, salt, pepper, and thyme and toss well to coat. Then spread out evenly.
- Put the onion dish and the butternut squash baking sheet to bake. Check at 12-13 minute mark and mix them around. Add the balsamic vinegar and vegan Worcestershire sauce to the onions and mix in.
- Then continue to bake for another 10 minutes for the onions. Depending on your butternut squash, it might get done in that time, earlier or later. Once the butternut is tender to preference, remove the dish. The onions should also be caramelizing by now. If not, then you can move them around a little bit and then continue to cook for another few minutes.
- Make the cream sauce: by adding all the ingredients to a blender and blending until smooth. Blend for 1 minute then let it rest for 5 minutes and blend again so that the cashews break down really well.
- Thaw the spinach if you haven't already and squeeze it to remove excess moisture. Then add the salt and pepper flakes and mix in and set aside.
- Assemble the lasagna : remove the caramelized onions from the lasagna dish into another bowl. Then add about a 1/4 cup of the blended sauce in the dish, 1/4 cup of water, then place no-boil lasagna noodles (you'll need 12-16 noodles depending on the number of layers).
- Add 3 noodles then add some more of the cream sauce. Put the butternut squash evenly on this layer. Add some more cream sauce.
- Add a layer of the lasagna noodles. Add some cream sauce, some spinach, a little bit of the caramelized onion, and more cream sauce or you can use vegan mozzarella.
- Top it with another layer of lasagna noodles. Add some cream sauce. All of the remaining caramelized onion. Top it with some more cream sauce or you can use a mix of sauce and vegan mozzarella and the next layer of the lasagna noodles.
- Then add all of the cream sauce all over. Then top it with some vegan mozzarella and vegan parmesan and pepper flakes.
- Drizzle another 1/4 cup of water around the edges of the noodles. Then cover the dish with a foil and bake at 350 degrees F (180 c) for about an hour.
- Let the lasagna sit for another 10 minutes then open the foil and serve. Cool compeletely and refrigerate for upto 5 days. Or freeze for upto 2 months. Freeze individual slices tightly wrapped in foil. Reheat in the oven for 20-25 mins.
Video
Notes
- Add a pinch of nutmeg to the bechamel for variation
- Nutfree: Use my nutfree Cauliflower Alfredo or Pumpkin seed Alfredo or creamy tofu sauce instead of the bechamel. You will need a double serving of the sauces.
- Soyfree: omit the Worcestershire , use chickpea miso instead of soy miso. Use 1.25 cups total cashews instead of tofu+cashews
- Regular lasagna noodles : Soak the regular noodles in boiling hot water for 5 minutes, then use. Use 1 1/2 cup water in the sauce
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Ingredients:
- Butternut squash offers a delicate sweetness and a wonderfully creamy texture. You can use other winter squash such as acorn.
- caramelized red onions slowly roasted with a mix of sugar, Worcestershire sauce and balsamic vinegar boost the umami
- spinach is added for color and because spinach and bechamel is the best of all lasagna combos
- a vegan bechamel sauce is made by blending cashews with tofu and with olive oil
- some lemon juice is added to reduce the cashew flavor
- miso paste, nutritional yeast, flour, and garlic or onion powder are added for that cheesy flavor
Tips & Substitutions:
- Feel free to skip the spinach if you or your kids are not fans
- a pinch of nutmeg is a great addition to the vegan bechamel sauce
- for an extra smooth bechamel, I recommend silken tofu
- Nutfree: Use my nutfree Cauliflower Alfredo or Pumpkin seed Alfredo or creamy tofu sauce instead of the bechamel. You will need a double serving of the sauces.
- Soyfree: omit the Worcestershire , use chickpea miso instead of soy miso. Use 1.25 cups total cashews instead of tofu+cashews
How to make Vegan Butternut Squash Lasagna:
Bake the butternut squash and make the caramelized onion: preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit(205 c). In a square 9×9 lasagna dish, add the onions, salt, sugar, and oil and toss well.
In another baking sheet, add the butternut squash and add oil, salt, pepper, and thyme and toss well to coat. Then spread out evenly.
Then put the onion dish and the butternut squash baking sheet to bake. Check at 12-13 minute mark and mix them around. Add the balsamic vinegar and vegan Worcestershire sauce to the onions and mix in.
Then continue to bake for another 10 minutes for the onions. Depending on your butternut squash, it might get done in that time, earlier or later. Once the butternut is tender to preference, remove the dish.
The onions should also be caramelizing by now. If not, then you can move them around a little bit and then continue to cook for another few minutes.
Make your cream sauce by adding all the ingredients to a blender and blending until smooth. Blend for 1 minute then let it rest for 5 minutes and blend again so that the cashews break down really well.
Thaw the spinach if you haven’t already and squeeze it to remove excess moisture. Then add the salt and pepper flakes and mix in and set aside.
Now, assemble the lasagna: remove the caramelized onions from the lasagna dish into another bowl. Then add about a 1/4 cup of the blended sauce in the dish, 1/4 cup of water, then place your no-boil lasagna noodles (you’ll need 12-16 noodles depending on the number of layers).
Add 3 noodles then add some more of the cream sauce. Put the roasted butternut squash evenly on this layer. Add some more cream sauce.
Add a layer of the lasagna noodles. Then, add some cream sauce, some spinach, a little bit of the caramelized onion, and more cream sauce or you can use vegan mozzarella.
Top it with another layer of lasagna noodles. Add some cream sauce and all of the remaining caramelized onion. Top it with some more cream sauce or you can use some vegan mozzarella and the next layer of the lasagna noodles
Then add all of the cream sauce all over. Now, top it with some vegan mozzarella or vegan parmesan and pepper flakes.
Drizzle another 1/4 cup of water around the noodles. Then cover the dish with a foil and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 c) for about an hour. Then let the lasagna sit for another 10 minutes then open the foil and serve.
Storage
Cool compeletely and refrigerate for upto 5 days. Or freeze for upto 2 months. Freeze individual slices tightly wrapped in foil. Reheat in the oven for 20-25 mins.
I appreciate all of the work you do to bring the world such delightful and delicious vegan recipes. This particular one turned out to be everything I hoped it would be (ie. rich, delicious, satisfying, creamy, interesting,…)
So glad you liked it!